Skiing Lingo For Dummies
My skiing slang may in fact be very different than your slang, if you get my (snow) drift. However, skiing words—like snowboarding—has evolved into something of a different language. The way you say something, indeed, will determine if others understand what you’re talking about. Should you find yourself on the snowy slopes of Austria, France, Spain, Slovenia or elsewhere, it’s a good idea to jot a number of these down to throw into the (English) conversation. Though many of these are intended to be funny, some aim to really teach you something—imagine that, me teaching you something, laughable at best. At any rate, here are some words, phrases and their meanings to get you skiing smoothly through the next round table of ski-talk.
Après-ski: If you are quintessentially American and speak only one language, then “après” in French means “after”. Après-ski literally means “after ski(ing)”. Generally, it’s used in unison with nightlife and what a resort has to offer off-slope.
Crash landing: This is when you perform a neat-o trick mid-air but then really boink the ending. That is, the landing wasn’t good at all and you probably crashed.
Face Plant: Falling, landing or tripping flat on your face. Not pretty. Hurts. Sometimes funny.
Biff: This one is easy to remember if you’ve ever seen the trilogy “Back to The Future.” Biff is when your body hits the slope but somehow you recover quickly and ski the rest of the way down.
Bomb Hole: A hold left by a bomb? Nope. This is the landing mark you make after catching some air and then landing in the snow. A heavier person might leave a bigger bomb hole than a skinnier person.
Bono: (This one is so wrong.) To pull a Bono means to face plant into a tree while skiing downhill (for Sonny Bono). Hopefully this doesn’t lead to death but only a mild concussion.
Carving: This happens when you turn your ski and make a nice half moon and stop (generally) without face planting.
Choco Chips: These are rocks that poke up out of the snow. They look like chocolate chunks inside a cookie or biscuit.
Freshie: If you get to the slope early enough then you might get to experience freshie. This is what the snow is called when it’s unskied.
Lift Licker: When you, your kid, or your partner decides it’s a good idea to lick the lift, which can cause one’s tongue to stick to the metal on the lift.
Off-Piste: This is part of the slopes that are not groomed by snow machines. These may be through the trees or even in the backcountry.
Planker: This is a word used to designate a skier, not a snowboarder.
Sick: This is often used to describe something that is extreme or hard. It is often interchanged with wicked, which has the same connotations of dangerous-ness.
Snotsicle: If you’ve ever had snot frozen to your lip, chin, beard or goatee, then you’ve had a snotsicle. These might be salty to the taste, however. Gross!
You’re right, most of these are just funny but some are helpful. You should make a dictionary of terms and have people add their own words or phrases. This could be interesting and very funny but maybe useful too. The snotsicle is really repulsive but it happens to all of us! Keep the words coming.
The best English words come from some other meaning. You should tell those meanings and then tell how it evolved into a skier word. I like to know whats it really means because I was able to write this down some words for my skiing trips to Austria. Can you tell me what is this, powder, switch, telemark and the frostbiting?
RE: Can you tell me what is this, powder, switch, telemark and the frostbiting?
Hi Rameeza,
I’ll try to help you out here. Powder just means snow or freshly fallen snow that is light and easy to ski over, like talc or baby powder. You might mean switch backs which is the zigziag trail or road that goes up the side gradually up a mountain. Telemark is a type of skiing, a way to turn when going downhill, or the way some people land from a ski jump with their knees bent. Frostbite is when your fingers or toes are cold and numb. Prolonged frostbiting can cause your fingers and toes to die, later break off, turn gang green (in very severe and prolonged cases). Hope this helps you out.
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