SNOW, SKI & SNOWBOARDING GLOSSARY:

Access Road: The Road leading from the highway or secondary road directly to the ski area.

Acro-skiing – An artistic branch of freestyle skiing. once known as ballet skiing, is like figure skating on skis, with competitors judged on grace and difficulty, rather then speed.

Aerial tram: A lift consisting of large passenger cabins, one of which travels up the mountain while the other travels down. Skiers stand and hold their equipment during the ride.

Aerials: In this freestyle event, a skier is launched from a specially designed ramp, and flies 50 feet or more in the air while performing twisting, turning and flipping maneuvers, and then lands on a steep, softened landing hill.

AFD: See Anti-friction devise

Airless Snowmaking: A snowmaking system that uses a large, fan-jet snow cannon instead of compressed air.

Alpine combined: A paper race combining results in downhill and slalom.

Alpine skiing: Another term for downhill skiing.

Anorak: Insulated ski jacket that is pulled over the head and has a zipper from the neck partly down the chest.

Antifriction device (AFD): Part of the ski binding; A Teflon pad or mechanical slider on the binding under the forefoot to help the toepiece release. Designed to reduce friction between the boot sole and the binding to ensure consistent release.

Apres-ski: Literally “after skiing” – this refers to the activities at the end of the day when skiers go to restaurants and bars to socialize.

Back scratcher: Ski arial - The skis are brought up in the back to a minimum angle of 90 degrees when viewed from the side. The knees are bent, the hips are forward and the back should be in a slight arch position. The legs must be together; the skis are parallel.

Base: The average depth of snow on a mountain.

Base Lodge: A day lodge at the bottom of the slopes and lifts, usually with such skier services as ticket sales, food service, and rest rooms.

Base material: The smooth material, usually polyethylene, on the bottom of your skis that makes your skis slide.

Basket: The round disk near the bottom of the pole shaft that prevents the pole from sinking too deep into the snow.

Basket check: Attended checking facility where skiers may leave as many items as will fit into a wire basket while they are on the slopes.

Bevel: Filing or grinding a ski edge at a small angle (usually about one degree) relative to the base for better grip or more commonly, easier turn initiation.

Base lodge: A building at the base of the slopes, open to all skiers, where you can find a variety of skier services, from food to lift tickets, or you can simply take a break from the slopes.

Base Structure: The microscopic texture, characterized by fine longitudinal grooves, ground into a ski base to improve its glide.

Beartrap: Nickname for an antique binding that held the boot firmly to the ski and did not release.

Big Foot: Trade name for a micro-ski

Blaze: Originally a small nick hacked out of a tree trunk to mark a backcountry skiing route now more commonly a small, colored marker attached to a tree for the same purpose.

Bordercross; a snowbouard competition in which six snowboarders race simultaneously through an obstacle course.

Boot liner: The soft, cushioning and insulating material inside the boot shell; also called an inner boot.

Boot shell: The relatively stiff plastic outer boot, into which a liner or inner boot is inserted.

Boot tree: A carrying devise usually of plastic, into which you clamp your ski boots to make them easy to carry.

Boutique skis: Limited production, limited-distribution skis from small manufacturers.

Bowl: An open area above a mountain’s tree line with no defined trails. Bowl skiing is often, but not always, for more advanced skiers.

Bowl skiing: Skiing in wide-open, tree-free slopes above the timberline; see also Piste.

Bump: See Mb mogul

Bunny slope: The most gently sloping hill on a mountain, where beginner lessons are held.

Camber: The gentle arch that can be seen in an unweighted ski when it’s resting on a flat surface. The camber allows the ski's tip and tail to touch the surface but the ski's center to be raised above it.

Cant: A device or mechanism for adjusting the angle of the boot cuff (upper leg) to the lower boot (and, therefore, the foot), which in turn affects one's stance in relation to the ski.

Cap: The uppermost layer of most skis, which wraps around the sides and top. Sometimes this is an important structural element, and sometimes merely an aesthetic covering.

Carve: To weight and pressure a ski's edge and turn by making a clean, skidless arc.

Carving: A type of ski turn in which the ski moves almost exclusively forward along the length of its edge with little or no lateral skidding. Carves can often be identified by the narrow, slot-like tracks made by the skier.

Central-entry boot: A wide-opening ski boot whose cuff opens to the back and to the front for east of entry.

Chatter: :Instability caused by the ski bouncing over a hard uneven surface instead of sliding.

Chairlift: The most common ski left in America, with skiers seated on chairs suspended from a moving cable.

Classical skiing: Traditions cross-country skiing, featuring kick and glide movements.

Corduroy: A slang term for freshly groomed snow, which it resembles.

Corn snow: A conditions, usually found in the spring, characterized by large, loose granules of snow that freeze together at night, and then melt apart again during the day.

Cross-country: Self-propelled skiing on a generally flat surface, usually through wooded areas, using special skis, boots and poles. see also Classical Skiing.

Cruising: Skiing at moderate to high speed while making medium to long radius turns.

Cuff: The top of the boot, wrapping around the ankle and lower leg to provide support and stability.

Daffy: Ski aerial - After takeoff one leg is brought up and forward, while the opposite leg is brought up and backward resulting in a "splits" position. Both skis should remain parallel to each other. The forward ski should be pointing straight up, while the rear ski should be pointing straight down. The legs remain as straight as possible.

Daffy twister: Ski aerial - A daffy followed by a twister.

Daffy twister spread: Ski aerial - A daffy followed by a twister followed by a spread eagle.

Damping: A ski’s ability to quiet vibration, making for a smoother ride and better grip on the snow.

Delamination: Serious and usually fatal, damage to a ski when the base or top surface has separated from the core.

Diagonal stride: Cross-country skiing's basic, move, pushing off from one ski and poling with the opposite arm.

DIN setting: An adjustable setting on a skier’s bindings that influence how much torque must be applied to a boot to release it from the binding. The setting depends on a skier’s height, weight, and skiing style.

Double: (Double chairlift) A lift in which each chair seats tow people.

Double twister: Ski aerial - A twister followed by another twister.

Double twister spread: Ski aerial - A twister followed by a twister followed by a spread eagle

Downhill: A high-speed race, contested in the Olympics and other major competitions. Racers reach speeds up to 80 miles per hour in some stretches
It is the longest, highest speed race with the fewest turns. .

Dryland training: Intense conditioning programs for ski racers and other skiing competitors, as prescribed by coaches and trainers, before they begin skiing for the season.

Dude (archaic) : Male snowboarders.

Edge: Noun: A metal strip on either side of the ski base that enables the ski to grip on hard snow. Verb: To pressure that metal strip into the snow.

Extreme Skiing: A sub genre of the sport in which skiers challenge themselves on very steep terrain and/or by jumping off cliffs, either in competition or for still photos or videos. Sometimes called free skiing.

EVA: Expanded vinyl acetate, a form used for heat moldable boot liners.

Express Chair: A common name for a high-speed, detachable quad chairlift.

Face plant: Head first fall on the snow pack.

Fall line: The straightest line down a mountain, characterized by the path that ball would take down a particular slope. It is the most direct route down a slope

Fat skis: Wider-than-normal skis designed for powder and deep, soft snow.

Fatties: wide powder skis.

FIS: Federation Internationale de Ski. The international governing body for Alpine and Nordic ski racing.

Fishscale: A fishscale pattern embossed in a cross-country's ski's base that allows the ski to slide forward while gliding but prevents it from slipping back when kicking.

Flex: The relative stillness or softness of a ski against a bending or twisting force.

Forward Flex: The boot's stiffness or softness when you pressure your shin against the upper boot.

Forward Lean: The boot's cuff angle compared with the lower boot, which affects your stance (specifically the amount of fending in your knees and the fort-aft distribution of your weight).

Free-carving: Super-carved snowboarding on groomed terrain, characterized by turns that leave deep, etched grooves down a meticulously groomed slope.

Free-heal skiing: Broadly, all Nordic skiing, but more specifically and commonly, telemaking.

Free-riding: Spontaneous pleasure-snowboarding down varied terrain, from open slopes to trees to groomed trails.

Free-style: Snowboarding featuring tricks like jumps, half turns, riding forward and backward, and generally playing with terrain features, natural or man-made. ALso, the collective term for competitions involving moguls, aerials, and acroskiing. Additionally, cross-country races in which skating is permitted.

FrontFlip: Ski aerial - Skiier makes a complete flip in air. Body and legs should remain straight for full effect.

Frozen granular: A hard surface of old snow formed by granules freezing together after a rain or warm temperatures.

Gelandespring: Once popular and now rare competitions where skiers in Alpine equipment fly off a jump and go as far as possible before landing.

Getting air: To leave the snow by skiing or riding off a bump, a cornice, a cliff, or some other snow-covered object.

Giant slalom: In Alpine racing, a racing event on a course that is shorter, slower, and with more gates then downhill yet longer, faster, and with fewer gates than the slalom.

Glade: A slope with many standing trees.

Glade skiing: Downhill skiing in wooded areas, usually between trails, where untracked snow can often be found between trees. This type of skiing is for advanced or expert skiers only.

Gondola: A lift that features enclosed cares, in which a group of six or more skiers sit or stand while riding to the top of the mountain.

Goofy (or goofy foot): Snowboarding with the right foot forward.

Groomed: Refers to a slope that has a smoothed, softened snow surface. The final result resembles wide-wale corduroy. It is smoothed by a snowcat.

GS: The commonly used abbreviation for giant slalom, both spoken and written.

Halfpipe: A U-shaped snow structure built for freestyle snowboarding. Snowboarders travel back and forth up the sides of the halfpipe, often performing tricks, as they get airborne off the edge.

Hard pack: When natural or machine-made snow becomes very firmly packed because of grooming or wind exposure, but has never melted and recrystallized.

Heel-side edge: The edge of a snowboard that is behind he heels when the rider is aboard.

Helicopter: Ski aerial - "Helli" An upright 360-degree rotation of the body. Makes a cool sound. When this trick is mastered one is said to "float" his or her "helli's".

Heli-spread: Ski aeril - A helicopter with a spread eagle in it.

Heli-sking: Skiing in which the participants in search of untracked powder are transported by helicopter to an area otherwise inaccessible by lifts.

Herringbone: A technique for climbing uphill, facing forward, with the ski tails together and tips flared out.

High-speed detachable quad: A four-person chairlift that moves people up the mountain quickly but that slows down for loading at the bottom and unloading at the top.

Hit; A raised area, often with a lip, from which snowboarders jump to get air

Hot-dog skiing or hot-dogging: (archaic) An early term for free-style skiing; no longer in use.

Hourglass skis: Extremely shaped super-sidecut skis.

Ice: A hard, glazed, usually translucent surface created either by freezing rain, ground water seeping up into the snow and freezing, or by the rapid freezing of snow saturated with water from rain or melting.

Inner boot: The cushioning, insulated liner that fits into a hard plastic outer-boot shell.

In-run: The take-off ramp in ski jumping.

Iron cross: Ski aerial - Crossing the skis into an "X" in mid air. My friend Steve makes this look so easy.

Iron cross 360: Ski Aerial - Make an "X" with the skis while doing a Helicopter - Johny Moselys patented move.

January thaw; Mid-season thawing and often rain that plagues Eastern ski areas often enough to have been given a name.

K-point: In ski jumping, the section where the landing hill begins to flatten out.

Kicker: A raised area with a lip that snowboarders use to get air. Also, the ramp with the upturned take-off point that aerial freestylers use as a launching pad.

Kosak: Ski aerial - A combination of a spread eagle and a Zudnik where the poles go between the legs. From cossack dance step where the cossack jumps and does a split.

Lift capacity: The number of people who can ride up the mountain on a lift in one hour. For example, a lift capacity of 2,600 means that a lift can transport 2,600 skiers per hour at maximum speed, although you should keep in mind that lifts rarely run at maximum speed.

Lift corral: A maze of ropes or partitions designed to funnel skiers into a lift in an orderly fashion.

Lift line: This can mean either the queue of people waiting to get on a lift, or the swarth cut through the woods to accommodate lift towers and a lift's path of travel.

Load: The verb used most commonly for getting on a lift.

Log slide: A log, telephone pole, or long plastic cylinder above the snow that snowboarders use as a sliding surface.

Loose granular: This surface results after powder or packed powder thaws, refreezes and recrystallizes. It can also be created by machine grooming of froze or icy snow.

Machine-groomed granular: Loose granular snow that has been repeatedly groomed by power tillers so that the texture is halfway between loose granular and packed powder.

Mashed potatoes: A slang term for wet, heavy snow that is difficult to ski.

Micro-ski: A very short ski (less than 100 centimeters long) designed for tricks, dancing and other nimble-footed maneuvers on the slopes.

Mid-entry boot: See Central-entry boot.

Midpoint: The center point of the ski, which is the recommended spot for the center of the boot; it is a landmark for the technician who mounts the bindings.

Moguls: Bumps on an ungroomed ski run that are formed naturally by the turns of earlier skiers on the slopes. It is were many skiers have turned the same spot. Also called a bump.

Mogul skiing: Skiing a "mogul field" or series of bumps; dong it well is a mark of advanced skiing.

Moguls: A branch of freestyle skiing where competitors are judged on the skill and excitement with which they ski a mogul run.

Moundopoint: A sizing system for ski boots where the length of the inside of the inner boot is measured in centimeters.

Mule kick: Ski aerial - A back scratcher, only the skis are to the side instead of behind.

NASTAR: An acronym for National Standard Racing. These competitions open to all skiers, are runs on standardized courses on which skiers are timed, and their results compared to a national standard.

Never-ever: An individual who has never skied before, usually referring to someone who signs up for a first-time ski lesson.

Nordic combined: This Olympic event combines a 90-meter ski jump followed by a 15K cross-country ski race.

Nose: Front of the snowboard.

Off-piste: Terrain, usually ungroomed, within ski area boundaries, that doesn’t consist of a conventional trail. In America, It is skiing away from developed ski-area runs. In Europe, skiing ungroomed snow beyond marked and groomed pistes.

180 Spread 180: Ski aerial - A helicopter with a spread eagle done when the skier is facing uphill.

Out of bounds: Terrain outside the boundaries of the ski area. In these areas, which are not patrolled, you can encounter avalanche conditions, impassable terrain, and other dangerous conditions. Outside the skier area's official boundaries.

Outer boot: Another term for the boot shell.

Overlap boot: The traditional ski boot that opens to the front and features overlapping flaps on the upper boot; the boot is closed by four or five buckles.

Packed powder: Powder snow, either natural or machine-made, that has been packed down by skier traffic or grooming machines. The snow is no longer fluffy, but it is not so extremely compacted that it is hard.

Parabolic ski: A term used to describe the specific sidecut geometry on certain skis manufactured by Elan sometimes incorrectly used to describe any shaped ski. It is the extreme hourglass shape in the general category of super-sidecut skis.

Parka: Insulated ski jacket with a full front zipper.

Pencil poles: Poles with ultra-then shafts.

Photo op: when your buddie face plants.

Piste: A french word used to designate a groomed route through a snowfield.

Platterpull: See Pomalift

Poaching: Unauthorized out-of bound skiing.

Pole plant: The deliberate contact with the snow using the tip of the ski pole

Pomalift: A brand name that has become virtually synonymous with platterpull, a surface lift that skiers rude by being pulled uphill with a small disk between their thighs.

Powder:Cold, new, loose, fluffy, dry snow that has not been compacted and is actually the product of fresh, natural snowfall at a low temperature.

Powder snow: Fresh snow that is dry and light.

P-Point: In ski jumping, the steepest area of the landing hill.

PSIA: Professional Ski Instructors of America, the certifying organization for most ski schools in the U.S.

P-tex: A brand name for the plastic used for the sliding surfaces of ski bases, pronounced "pee-tex".

Quad: A chair left carrying four people hat comes in two basic varieties. A high-speed detachable quad has two separate cables. At the beginning and end of the ride, the chair moves to a slow-moving cable for safe and easy loading and unloading. But in between, the chair is switched to a very fast-moving cable for speedy trips. A fixed-grip quad has only a single cable.

Quarterpipe: Half of a halfpipe; that is, a semi-gully constructed with one snow wall that snowboarders use for tricks.

Rail slide: See Log slide.

Rear-entry boot: A boot that hinges open at the back for ease of putting on and taking off; now largely relegated to boots for small children and for adult beginners.

Regular foot: Snowboarding with the left foot forward.

Rider: Snowboarder; this term has replaced shredder.

Rock skis: A pair of old skis often kept for early and late in the season when rocks may be hidden just under the snow's surface.

Rope tow: A continuously moving rope that pulls skiers up the mountain as they slide along on their skis. Rope tows usually are found on novice trails.

Run: One “lap” of a lift or mountain, riding to the top and skiing back to the bottom

Runout: The bottom of a steep slope or landing area of a ski-jumping hill, including a flatter section that makes stopping easier.

Schuss: A term from skiing's Austro-influenced days to describe a fast downhill run with the skis parallel and pointed straight down.

Schussing: Skiing straight down a slope without making turns, usually in a full tuck position.

Shaft: The straight or curved tube that is the main component of a ski pole.

Shaped ski: A ski with a particularly deep sidecut.

Shell: Uninsulated ski jacket, designed to be layered with a fleece or down garment for warmth. Uninsulated pants are called "shell pants" but the word "shell" alone refers to the top.

Shovel: The widest part of the ski found just behind the tip.

Shred Betty: (archaic) Female snowboarder.

Shredder: Former slang term for snowboarder; rider is now preferred.

Shredhead: (archaic) Passionate snowboarder.

Sidecut: The difference between the tip and the waist of the ski, which is visible in the ski’s hourglass shape.

Sideslip: To place the skis perpendicular to the fall line and release the edges to slip sideways down the slope.

Side-stepping: A technique for climbing up the hill with the skis perpendicular to the fall line.

Ski brake: An accessory that stops a loose ski from continuing down the hill. This spring-loaded device has two prongs that are held above the snow and parallel with the ski base while skiing but dig into the snow when the binding releases to prevent a runaway ski.

Ski engineer: An engineer who deals with the technicalities of ski design, testing, and manufacturing.

Skierized car: A promotional phrase used by car-rental firms to indicate that a vehicle has snow (or all-season) tires and a ski rack.

Skier's thumb: A hyperextension of the ulnar collateral ligament usually caused by instinctively using the hand to break a fall.

Ski in, ski out: Lodging located close enough to the slopes that guests can conveniently walk or ski to a nearby trail or lift.

Ski-in, ski-out lodging: Lodging where guest can ski directly to and from the door of their condo or hotel.

Ski-off: The process, usually at the beginning of a ski week but perhaps before any class session, of dividing skiers by ability by asking them to demonstrate a few turns.

Ski Patrol: An on-snow emergency squad charged with assisting and transporting injured skiers, controlling avalanches, and eliminating other dangerous conditions and enforcing the rules of safe skiing.

Ski porn: Any pictures relating to skiing.

Ski rack: A stand against which skies can lean skis and poles, usually found outside of base lodges and on-mountain restaurants. Also, a device that mounts on a car for carrying skis and snowboards.

Ski-school meeting place: A designated area near the base lodge (and sometimes also at on-mountain lodge) where skiers meet with their ski instructors.

Ski-shop: A retail store specializing in ski equipment and skiwear.

Ski tuning: Ski base repair, waxing, and edge sharpening - a service commonly offered by ski shops.

Skidding: A style of turning, usually employed by beginners and intermediate skiers, in which the ski is allowed slide sideways across the snow in an attempt to control speed.

Slalom/Giant Slalom: A two-run race in which racers must ski around narrowly spaced spring-loaded gates. The best combined time for two runs wins.

Slopeside lodging: Lodging adjacent to the slopes, often also ski-in, ski-out.

Snake run: A series of low to medium-size berms or banks through which snowboarders ride.

Snow Blading: A trade name that is becoming synonymous with skiing and performing tricks on very short skis, see also micro-skis.

Snowboarding: Descending a slope on a small, single board, wider and shorter than a ski, using techniques derived from surfing or skateboarding.

Snowcat: A large truck with tank-like treads used for grooming and occasionally transporting skiers to a backcountry destination.

Snowcat skiing: Skiing off-piste with uphill transport by snowcat rather than lifts.

Snow cannon: A large snow gun used in a snowmaking system without compressed air

Snow farming: Stockpiling great quantities of machine-made snow and distributing in on the slopes as needed.

Snow gun: THe business end of snowmaking, where combined compressed air and water are sprayed through a nozzle to create machine-made snow.

Snowmaking: The art and science of creating machine-made snow. Using a system that combines air and water under pressure to make artificial snow, especially during the early season or when levels of natural snow are low.

Snowplow: See Wedge.

Spoiler: The high cuff on the back of the ski boot that keeps you from shifting your weight too far back.

Spred eagle: Ski aerial - After take-off the arms and legs of skiier are extended to the sides; away from the body. The legs are also spread out to form a minimum angle of 90 degrees when viewed from the front. The skis should be parallel to each other and perpendicular to the body. The upper body should remain straight and upright without any bend at the waist.

Spring conditions: A snow reporting term, which is the late season equivalent of variable conditions, often with the additions of bare spots or a discolored surface from melting and traffic.

Super G: A racing discipline, a one-run race in which skiers negotiate a course that includes more turns than a downhill course but is faster than a giant slalom. It has a course length, skiing speeds and number of gates between downhill and giant slalom.

Super-sidecut skis: Skis wider at the tip and tail, in relation to the waist, then conventional skis.

Surface lift: A category of lifts (T-bars, platterpulls, and rope tows) that skiers ride while gliding their skis on the snow.

Table top: A mound of snow with a flat top surface to provide a level landing area for snowboarders.

Tail: The rearmost section of a ski, behind the skier’s boot, which is wider than the waist but narrower than the shovel.

T-bar: A surface lift that pulls skiers up the mountain on their skis by means of a bar placed behind the skier’s legs. Two skiers go at a time, one leaning on one section of the upside-down T.

Three-pinning: Telemark skiing, or more loosely, ski-touring using a traditional system with a latch-in binding whose three small pegs fit into three holes in the toe of the boot sole.

Ticket wicket: A wire loop you attach to a special D-ring or through a zipper pull on a ski jacket or ski pants to which a lift ticket is affixed.

Tips: The upturned front portion of the ski

Toe dip to kosak: Ski aerial - A back scratcher followed by a kosak.

Toe-side edge: The edge of the snow board that is in front of the toes when the rider is aboard.

Torsional stiffness: A ski’s resistance to twisting.

Trail fee: Use fee for the trails at a cross-country area.

Trail map: A free folder depicting a ski area's trails and lifts.

Trail ratings: A national system by which U.S. ski areas apply ability-related designations to individual trails. Green circle trails are the easiest, blue squares are more difficult, and black diamond trails are the most difficult.

Tree line: The altitude above which trees do not grow on the mountain, giving skiers and unobstructed expanse on which to ski. See Bowl. It is also known as the "timber-line".

Triple: A lift in which each chair seats three people.

Triple twister: Ski aerial - A twister followed by a twister followed by another twister.

Tuck: A low, aerodynamically efficient, forward-squatting position assumed by skiers (especially downhill racers), with the body parallel to the slop and the arms close to the sides.

Tuck jump: The skiier pushes off the jump and pulls his or her knees up to thier chest. This trick can be excited by tucking your arms under as well. The tuck is the most basic jump.

Tuning: Optimizing he performance of a pair of skis by flattening the bases and or sharpening the edges, and applying wax.

Twister: Ski aerial - The skis are twisted a minimum of 90 degrees to the side. The skis should remain parallel, together and perpendicular to the body. The hands and arms may move in the opposite direction to counter the twisting of the skis.

Twister spread: A twister followed by a spread eagle.

USSA: United States SKi & Snowboard Association, the national governing body of skiing and snowboarding.

USST: United States Ski Team, America's official squads who compete internationally in Alpine, Nordic, snowboarding, freestyle, and disabled competitions.

Variable conditions: A snow reporting term that means that a variety of surfaces may be encountered.

Vertical: The difference in elevation between the base and the summit of a ski area, trail, or individual lift. When referring to a particular ski run or an entire ski area, the full phrase is "vertical drop." When talking about elevation covered by a ski lift, the full phrase is "vertical rise.".

Vertical drop: The height of a mountain, as expressed by the difference between the altitude at the top and the altitude of the base.

Wad: Cluster of snowboarders sitting on the slopes.

Waist: The narrowest part of the ski usually located near or just behind the center of the boot.

Wax: A compound applied to a ski base – called hot wax when it’s melted off – that allows the ski to glide more easily on the snow.

Waxable ski: A cross-country ski that must be waxed to be skiable.

Waxless ski: A cross-country ski with a particular base material and pattern (called Fishscale) that does not need to be waxed to be skiable.

Wedge: Another name for snowplow, a braking or slowing maneuver with the tips pointed toward each other and the tails pushing apart.

Wet granular: Loose or frozen granular snow that has become wet after rainfall or high temperatures.

Whale: A large mound of machine-made snow, stockpiled for spreading on the slopes (see Snow farming); also a group of elongated bumps from which snowboarders jump.

Winch-cat grooming: A technique for grooming very steep slopes, in which a snowcat is kept under control by a strong cable attached to a tree or, more often, another snowcat stabilized at the top of the slope.

Windpack: A firm, but sometimes breakable surface formed on snow that’s exposed to wind.

Yard sale: When a skiier wipes out - his equipment is spread out on the ski slope.

Zudnik: Ski Aerial - "the Zuke" The body is bent roughly 90 degrees at the waist by bringing the upper body forward and down, and the lower body forward and up. The skis should be close together and parallel, and the head remains upright. An extre added feature is for the skiier to grab his or her tips and then turn head to his or her audience and give them a smile and a wave.(we call this the "Thatcher")

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