Skiing Dictionary

B

• BASE – the bottom of the ski, specifically the slidey part between the two EDGES.

• BINDING - attached to skis, they enable ski boots to attach to the skis, as well as to be released quickly in the event of an emergency, and unclipped safely to allow skier to exit skis.

C

• CABRIOLET – a type of ski boot where the tongue (same as the tongue of a shoe) is an L-shaped piece separate to the cuff and clog, and attached via a hinge just above the toes. Mostly found in touring boots as is lightweight and offers comfort both uphill and downhill.

• CAMBER – the arch a ski has across the middle of the ski. When a skier’s weight is pressed against the camber, such as in a turn or simply when standing on it, the camber flattens out and ensures consistent edge contact with the snow. Most often found on piste skis.

• CLOG – the lower part of the ski boot that holds the foot.

• CORE – the interior of a ski, made of wood and featuring metal (titanal), fibreglass, rubber and carbon to varying degrees based on the specific design of the ski.

• CUFF – the top part of a ski boot shell that covers the shin and calf. Attaches at its base to the clog.

D

• DIN - bindings have a release mechanism to ensure skis come off in the event of a heavy fall. This is set to your weight, age, and skiing ability, and is known as your "DIN", after the German organisation that first certified the now-industry standard technology. Be honest in the rental shop when they ask for your age, weight, height and ability - your safety and the future existence of your knees relies on it.

E

• EARLY RISE TIP – a type of tip rocker where the first contact the edge has with the snow is much further back down the ski than normal. An Early Rise Tip shortens the edge and allows bigger skis to pivot more easily.

• EDGE – the metal edge of a pair of skis, that bites into and grips the snow to make the ski turn or to stop the ski.

L

• LAST/LAST WIDTH – the width of the shell of the boot at its widest point over the balls of the feet, just behind the toes. The last for a boot always references mondopoint size 26; for every size you go up, the last width also increased by two millimetres, and vice versa for every size you step down.

• LINER– the inside of the ski boot that provides comfort and fit. Sits inside a shell.

M

• MONDOPOINT – the fancy way of say “ski boot size”, especially as it is just the centimetre length of the boot. Not the same as sole length. N.B. retail ski boots do not have half sizes; the shell is the same for full and half sizes. Brands will, however, take three approaches to this – sell only full size boots (i.e. 26.0, 27.0, 28.0), sell only half sizes (i.e. 26.5, 27.5, 28.5), or sell them labelled as both (i.e. 26.0/26.5, 27.0/27.5). This is for reasons known only unto God.

P

• POWER STRAP – the Velcro strap at the very top of the cuff of your ski boot that helps tighten up the closure and ensures good powder transmission.

S

• SHELL – the hard plastic outer of ski boot – contains a liner and is fastened using buckles.

• SKINS – a key piece of touring kit, skins are strapped to the bottom of skis and feature hair brushed all in one direction, allowing the ski to slide forward but grip and brake if they are moved backwards, allowing a skier to “ski” uphill.

• SOLE LENGTH – the forward-to-back length of the boot, normally in millimetres. It is not the same as mondopoint and is not ever used for fitting the boot; instead it is used for ensuring bindings are set up properly to accept your boots. For example, my boots have a mondopoint of 28/28.5, but are 324mm long.

R

• ROCKER – a fancy term for the turn up at the tip (features on all skis) and tail (only on some skis).

T

• TIP – the front part of the ski where it raises off the snow.

• TIP ROCKER – the turn up at the front of a ski, that helps the ski stay on top of the snow and ride over bumps and crud.

• TAIL – the very back part of the ski. Sometimes raised off the snow like the tip (also known as rockered) to allow for weight distribution in deep powder snow.

• TAIL ROCKER – the turn up at the back of the ski (the tail). It is most often found on all mountain and off piste skis, as it helps distribute weight and keep the ski afloat in powder.

• TITANAL – an metal alloy of aluminium, zinc, magnesium and copper, found in the core of most skis. Titanal provides strength but is a key part in transferring powder from you to the snow, improving grip and control in a ski.

W

• WAX - to keep ski and board bases slippy across the snow, they are coated with wax; this must be replaced every few weeks of skiing.

A

• APRÈS SKI - lit. “After Ski”, the act of enjoying a civilised beer after a day on the slopes … or partying hard on a barrel at Cocoricos …

B

• BLUEBIRD - clear blue skies, plenty of sunshine and not a cloud to be seen - perfect skiing conditions. Can be used as “bluebird conditions” or “bluebird day”, or the holy grail, “bluebird powder day”.

• BOOTPACK - (verb, "to bootpack") taking your skis off and continuing uphill by foot, normally because the terrain is too steep or rocky.

• BUMPS – North American term for moguls.

C

• CHALK – snow that has compressed into a firm, chalk like texture.

• COULOIR - literally translated from French as “corridor”, a narrow gully between rocks through which it is possible to ski. They range from a few metres long to 200m+, and from less than a ski width wide to 10-20m.

• CRUD – when powder becomes broken up and skied out, it becomes a mix of hard pack snow with pockets of powder, maybe as the beginning of moguls. This mixed but not amazing snow is referred to as “crud”.

D

• DUMP - referring to a dump of snow that falls in a short space of time, leaving behind powder for you to ski.

F

• FACE SHOT - when you ace a turn in powder snow so well you get sprayed with snow, espcially into your face!

I

• ITINERARY ROUTE – often marked orange or yellow on piste maps, these are recommended off piste routes. They are not pistes and should not be considered as such.

K

• KICKER – a type of jump featuring a ramp that kicks up on take off to gain serious air. Can just be the kick up part by itself, especially if built in an off piste area for skiers and riders to send.

L

• LINE – your route down a run. Normally reserved for off piste routes, this can be used on piste too (“look at that perfect powder – stand back, I’m going to send this line”).

M

• MOGUL (feature) – Sometimes just called BUMPS in North America, moguls form naturally as snow pushed downhill by skiers builds up into mounds. Requires skill and stamina to ski effectively. See also Moguls as a discipline.

• MOGUL FIELD – an area of a piste where moguls have built up.

P

• PARK – an area of the resort featuring jumps, rails, and other features to facilitate freestyle skiing.

• PARK RAT – a skier who spends most of their time in a park trying to perfect their tricks.

• PISTE – a marked run set out by the resort and featured on maps. Called trails in North America.

• POWDER – fresh snow that has fallen and has created a blanket through which you float and glide, like being carried by angels. What every off piste skier dreams off and says prayers for every evening.

• POWDER DAY - a day after heavy snowfall when you can ski nothing but powder. The Holy Grail is a “bluebird powder day”. Remember, there are no friends on powder days …

O

• OFF-PISTE – both to refer to skiing away from a marked piste or trail, as well as areas outside a marked piste or trail.

S

• SEND (verb) – to go hell for leather throwing caution to the wind, normally down an off piste route or over a jump (“look at that perfect powder – stand back, I’m going to send this line”).

• SEND (noun) – “the send” is the art of sending a line (“Bob is a great skier; he respects the send).

• SLUSH – found in warm weather, when snow begins to melt it first turns into slush, snow with a high water density and can be difficult to ski.

• STACK IT – to fall over.

• STOMP - as in, “to stomp a landing”, to land after a jump with confidence and energy.

T

• TRAIL – North American term for piste.

Y

• YARD SALE – a type of fall where a skier’s kit detaches from said skier and becomes strewn across the piste; custom states any “yard sales” witnessed from the lift must be accompanied by vocal reminders to the unfortunate person.

A

• ALPINE SKIING – traditional downhill skiing, so-called to differentiate it from touring, cross-country, and freestyle skiing. Encompasses four different racing disciplines: DOWNHILL, SUPER GIANT SLALOM, GIANT SLALOM, and SLALOM.

B

• BIATHLON – an Olympic/FIS discipline of cross-country skiing that features shooting at five targets on the completion of every lap, with time penalties for each target missed. One of the earliest coded disciplines of skiing as a sport, stemming from its Scandinavian military origins.

• BIG AIR - an Olympic/FIS discipline of freestyle skiing. Skiers perform tricks off large kickers designed to give maximum air time.

• BOARDER-X/BOARDER-CROSS - up to four boarders race down a course that is narrow and twisty, featuring several rollers and jumps. Crashes often result. FIS and Olympic discipline. See also: SKI-X/SKI-CROSS for the skiing equivalent.

C

• CROSS-COUNTRY – similar to ski touring, only takes place on a flat(ish) track and focuses on covering distance, rather than gaining uphill or downhill thrills.

D

• DOWNHILL – an Olympic/FIS discipline of alpine skiing. The longest and fastest alpine skiing race discipline, skiers compete to set the best time skiing down a piste.

F

• FREERIDE - Skiing off piste, hopefully through powder! A broad generic term for off piste, but more focused on big line routes rather than stealing a few turns.

• FREESTYLE - a broad discipline of skiing based on pulling tricks of jumps, rails and pipes.

G

• GIANT SLALOM – an Olympic/FIS discipline of alpine skiing. Similar to slalom, skiers compete to set the best time navigating around a series of gates, set on a medium length course and testing medium length turns and control. Often shortened to “GS”.

H

• HALF-PIPE - an Olympic/FIS discipline of freestyle skiing & snowboarding. Skiers perform tricks off the sides of a long U-shaped pipe and are marked on style and execution.

M

• MASS START DOWNHILL – sometimes referred to as a “Chinese Downhill”, this is a downhill race that features multiple competitors skiing the same course at the same time. No FIS or Olympic disciplines feature Mass Starts.

• MOGULS (FIS/Olympic discipline) – two skiers race against each other side-by-side down a course featuring three mogul fields broken up by two jumps. Skiers are graded both on time and discipline/style, including how well they ski the moguls and the tricks they pull over the jumps.

P

• PARALLEL SLALOM – an Olympic/FIS discipline of alpine skiing and snowboarding. One of the only disciplines where skiers compete directly against each other, and the only timed “downhill” snowboard discipline. Two racers race against each other down a pair of identical slalom courses set out side by side.

R

• RANDONEE – lightweight ski touring, done to prioritise getting uphill as fast as possible. See also SKI MOUNTAINEERING.

S

• SKI MOUNTAINEERING/SKI-MO - an FIS discipline that will feature in the Milan 2026 Winter Olympics; racers compete along a course that features ski touring, BOOTPACKING, and downhill skiing, designed to simulated ski mountaineering/RANDONEE in an actual alpine environment. Features three disciplines; individual, spring (a short form of the individual), and team relay.

• SKI-X/SKI-CROSS – up to four skiers race down a course that is narrow and twisty, featuring several rollers and jumps. Crashes often result. FIS and Olympic discipline. See also: BOARDER-X/BOARDER-CROSS for the snowboarding equivalent.

• SLALOM – an Olympic/FIS discipline of alpine skiing. Competing over a short course, skiers compete to set the best time navigating around a tight series of poles designed to test the skier’s ability to turn quickly and in control.

• SLOPESTYLE - an Olympic/FIS discipline of freestyle skiing & boarding. Skiers perform tricks along a course consisting of different features, such as rails, kickers and pipes. All features are optional, and skiers are marked on execution and style.

• SPLITBOARDING - the snowboarding equivalent of ski touring. Specially designed snowboards - called splitboards - are designed to split in half and allow boarders to walk up hill, before re-attaching together again to ride back down the hill.

• SUPER GIANT SLALOM – an Olympic/FIS discipline of alpine skiing. A middle ground between GS and Downhill, skiers compete to set the best time skiing down a downhill course artificially manipulated by gates to enforce a twistier route.

T

• TOURING – also "Ski Touring", strapping skins to the bottom of your skis and walking uphill, normally outside of resort boundaries to score untouched powder. Lightweight ski touring is sometimes called ski randonee.

A

• AVALANCHE AIRBAG - a device inside a backpack that inflates a large airbag above or around a skiers head, when triggered by the skier. Works via the Muesli Affect to keep a ski on top of the snow if caught in an avalanche.

• AVALANCHE DANGER SCA:LE - a common standardised scale for indicating generalised avalanche risk; (1) low, (2) Moderate, (3) Considerable, (4) High, (5) Very High/Extreme.

• AVALANCHE FORECAST - a generalised overview of avalanche risks and factors in a given forecast area.

• AVALANCHE RISK TERRAIN - areas where avalanches commonly occur, such as slopes around 30 degrees inclination, north facing or with freshly loaded snow.

• AVALANCHE ROSE - a graphic indication of aspect and elevation to which specific avalanche risks can apply. Form part of an AVALANCHE FORECAST.

B

• BEACON - see TRANSCEIVER.

• BIND - new snow attaches to the snow beneath it, creating a single layer in the SNOWPACK and increasing STABILITY.

• CONVEX SLOPE - a slope bowed outwards. Increases tension on the very outer surface, reducing its stability and increasing avalanche risk.

C

• CORNICE - a snow feature where wind-blown snow builds up an overhang on cliff edges. Can be very hard to spot from above, can collapse easily under human weight, and can trigger avalanches when collapsing onto snow.

D

• DRY SNOW PROBLEM - opposite of WET SNOW, a dry snowpack without much meltwater when factors such as wind slabs, PERSISTENT WEAK LAYERS, and new snow tend to be the most common avalanche risks.

E

• EXPERT HALO - a HUMAN FACTOR to consider when travelling through potentially dangerous terrain; devolving decision making blindly to someone considered an expert, without questioning their decisions.

• EXTENDED COLUMN TEST - a test completed when digging a SNOW PIT. Isolate a three feet-by-one foot column of snow at least 1m tall from the snow; place your shovel upside down on top and hit it thirty times; 10 using just wrist action, then 10 with elbow action, then 10 more with full-arm action. This is designed to see if any potential collapses in SNOWPACK will PROPAGATE through the snowpack, elevating the severity of any potential avalanche.

F

• FACETS - a layer of new snow that doesn’t SINTER and BIND to the layer it falls on; when new snow falls on top, this creates a WEAK LAYER that can trigger avalanches. Presents itself as glittering sparkles on the snow surface, or a layer of sugary, loose snow when buried.

• FIELD TEST - testing all AVALANCHE TRANSCEIVERS to ensure they are working properly either at the start of either your trip or your tour.

• FLAGGING - (1) An indication of avalanche risk terrain; trees will have their uphill foliage stripped by regular avalanches, with foliage only growing downhill creating the effect of a flag, or (2) A function of AVALANCHE TRANSCEIVER that “flags” the location of an avalanche victim, thereby telling the unit to ignore that signal and search for any other transceiver signals.

• FOUR FACTORS - the four broad topics to consider when planning or executing a route; HUMAN FACTOR (you and the group you are skiing with), Snow (the state of the snowpack), Weather (the impact of very recent or upcoming snowfall or wind), and Terrain (recognising and avoiding terrain traps and avalanche risk terrain).

H

• HUMAN FACTOR - any one of a series of factors that affect judgement and decision making, making skiers more likely to ski risky terrain. This can include injury, EXPERT HALO, PEER PRESSURE, or simply wanting to show off.

I

• ISOLATED COLUMN TEST - a test completed when digging a SNOW PIT. isolate a foot-by-foot square column of snow at least 1m tall from the snow; place your shovel upside down on top and hit it thirty times; 10 using just wrist action, then 10 with elbow action, then 10 more with full-arm action. This is designed to test the strength of the SNOWPACK and any WEAK LAYERS present.

N

• NORTH FACING SLOPES - in winter, a lack of sun on north facing slopes means there is little temperature change in the snow, reducing the opportunities for FACETS and NEW SNOW to SINTER and BIND to the SNOWPACK.

P

• PEER PRESSURE - a human factor to consider when travelling through potentially dangerous terrain. Feeling pressured to not challenge routes or decision making can see a group enter avalanche risk terrain.

• PINWHEELS - disks of snow that roll down a hill like snowballs - indicates an increase in the water levels in the snow, a resultant decrease in STABILITY, and an increased AVALANCHE RISK.

• PROBE - a collapsible metal pole that should measure between 270 and 340cm when fully extended. Collapses into foot-long pieces to fit into your backpack.

• PROPAGATE/PROPAGATION - when a collapse of layers in the SNOWPACK spreads quickly and suddenly throughout an area, greatly increasing the size and severity of an avalanche.

R

• RECCO - a radio wave reflector chip found sewn into many modern ski clothing. Used by search and rescue teams who carry a device that emits a radio signal which is reflected back a double strength by the reflector. It is not compatible with TRANSCEIVERS, and due to the extended time required for search and rescue to arrive - and the impact of the SURVIVAL CURVE - it should NOT be relied upon in place of one.

• REMOTE TRIGGER - when a skier, through their actions (intentionally or otherwise) triggers an avalanche on a different slope or different location. This often happens when WEAK LAYERS are the main cause.

• RISK TOLERANCE - how much risk you or others are prepared to accept when planning or executing skiing routes. This varies considerably between people for a variety of reasons, so must be communicated effectively.

S

• SEARCH - a mode available on your TRANSCEIVER in which the unit is receiving and tracking other transceiver's signals. Sometimes called "track" or "receive".

• SEND - a mode available on your TRANSCEIVER in which the unit is continuously sending out radio signals

• SHOVEL - a collapsible shovel is an essential piece of avalanche rescue equipment. Once a victim has been located with a transceiver and probe, use the shovel to dig them out. Must feature a metal head to resist shattering.

• SINTER - when new snowflakes - pointy in shape - are ground down into rounder particles, allowing them to BIND to the snow either side and not become weak layers.

• SKI CUTTING - the process of intentionally triggering an avalanche by jumping both ski edges into the snow simultaneously and with force.

• SLAB AVALANCHE - where the snow that forms the avalanche moves as a single slab of snow. Most common with avalanches triggered by collapsing WEAK LAYERS, but also things like WIND SLAB and freeze slab.

• SNOWPACK - the accumulation of snow over the course of the season to date. Layers such as WEAK LAYERS indicate how stable a snowpack is, and how liable it is to collapse and trigger an avalanche. Can have further descriptor such as WINTER SNOWPACK and SPRING SNOWPACK which feature generally different avalanche risks in different locations.

• SNOW PIT - a trench dug to assess the STABILITY of a SNOWPACK through ISOLATED COLUMN TEST and EXTENDED COLUMN TEST, giving the opportunity to identify the presence of FACETS and WEAK LAYERS.

• SNOW-WATER EQVUIVALENCY - a really nerdy term used by avalanche forecasters to express how much water is in snow; if you melt a certain amount of snow down, what volume of water does it turn into?

• SLOUGH - (pronounced "sluff") bits of snow that follow you down the mountain as you ski through. Not an indication of anything in particular, but large amounts of slough can indicate an unstable snowpack and an elevated avalanche risk.

• SOUTH FACING SLOPES - as snow melts, the increased water in the snow can act as a lubricant, destabilising the SNOWPACK and increasing the avalanche risk.

• SPRING SNOWPACK - found as temperatures increase in the spring and the snow begins to melt; WET SNOW avalanche risks tend to be the most common risk during these late season periods

• STABILITY - the ability of the snowpack to hold its strength when impacted by skiers.

• SURVIVAL CURVE - the chances of survival for avalanche victims falls dramatically after 20 minutes - this is know n as the “survival curve”. It is critical that rescue is therefore effected as quickly as possible - carrying a TRANSCEIVER, SHOVEL, PROBE, and having the experience of using them, can bring rescue times down to 15 minutes, and are therefore critical pieces of safety equipment.

T

• TERRAIN TRAP - (1) An area below the skier that would greatly enhance the effects of an avalanche such as rocks, cliffs or gulleys, or (2) An area above a skier that could avalanche down onto the skier/another group, even if the skier isn’t themselves in AVALANCHE RISK TERRAIN.

• TRANSCEIVER - a device worn by skiers that, when turned on, constantly emits a radio signal. The same device also features a radio receiver that can track and locate another unit and therefore the skier wearing it. Used to locate AVALANCHE VICTIMS. Also known as a "BEACON", "Transponder", or "Beeper".

W

• WEAK LAYER - a layer of snow in the SNOWPACK formed by FACETS or differing hardness/densities of snow. This layer is liable to collapse when impacted, causing the top layer to slide over the bottom layer and become an avalanche. Once buried very deep in the SNOWPACK they become less of an issue, but can become a risk again in spring when the snow begins to melt.

• WET SNOW - despite first impressions, how “wet” snow can be can vary considerably - this is measured by the SNOW-WATER EQUIVALENCY, or SWE. Snow with more moisture is more susceptible to avalanching as the greater water acts as a lubricant and stops the snow from BINDING. A common “standard” avalanche risk descriptor.

• WHUMPING - the audible “whump” heard when a SNOWPACK collapses, potentially triggering an avalanche in the right terrain.

• WIND LOADING - extra snow is moved by the wind into an area, which immediately following the event won’t BIND to the snowpack, increasing the amount of unstable snow and increasing the risk and potential severity of an avalanche. A common “standard” avalanche risk factor.

• WIND SLAB - wind scoured upper layers of the snowpack become hard slabs, on which snow can be loaded or can form crusts that can slide themselves.

• WINTER SNOWPACK - cold conditions means snow doesn't melt - creating meltwater and therefore WET SNOW avalanche problems - and remains as a DRY SNOW snowpack; the most common avalanche conditions are SLABS and PERSISTENT WEAK LAYERS.

• PISTE - Designed for skiing between the piste markers, they have a thin waist of between 65 and 70mm, and a tip and tail that is, by ratio, much wider than the waist. Profile features plenty of camber underfoot, lots of tip rocker, but no tail rocker to help provide stability through the end of the turn. Made from poplar and ash.

• ALL-PISTE - A variant of the piste ski, these are slightly wider and ever-so slightly straighter, designed for pushing through more mixed conditions.

• ALL-MOUNTAIN - Skis designed for handling powder as well as piste, they are a mash-up of both Piste and Freeride skis. Waist is anywhere between 70 and 100mm, or up to around 110mm in North America. Traditionally have been sub-divided into two categories, THIN ALL-MOUNTAIN and FAT ALL-MOUNTAIN.

• THIN ALL-MOUNTAIN - Thinner variants of these that have more in common with Piste skis than Freeride skis. Longer, curvier, with less tail rocker and narrower underfoot at between 70 and 88mm.

• FAT ALL-MOUNTAIN - Slimmed down freeride skis, these use stiffer woods, have a wider waist of between 88 and 100mm (110mm in North America), and often have less in the way of wood. Tail rocker softens up the end of the ski to offer an escape route in steep terrain, and great tip rocker provides pivoting and surf in powder.

• HYBRID - A relatively new innovation, a Hybrid ski is an All-Mountain ski designed to bring touring into the mix, too. They feature lighter woods such as paulownia, no metal, slightly straighter edges and a flat tail.

• FREERIDE - Big, fat, stiff skis with plenty of tip and tail rocker to find float through deep powder. Often sacrificing performance on piste to achieve this, modern variants of this are bucking this trend.

• TOURING - Several subclasses exist, but generally flatter, straighter variants of Freeride skis that are supremely light, often made with paulownia wood and without wood to save weight.

• FREESTYLE - straight, flat, equal rocker at tip and tail, no camber, and no edges, with a mounting point dead centre of the skis, designed for hitting rails and riding switch (backwards) in the name of style!