If you chat with a passionate skier for a while, youll quickly notice that skiing has its own unique language. Skiers love to use these terms even when theyre far from the slopes, so its handy to know some of the basics. Since you wont find Ski Speak on Duolingo just yet, were here to help you out.
Here are a few fun examples from the skiers dictionary!
1. Steeze
Adjective
Definition: A mix of “style” and “ease,” used to describe effortless coolness on the slopes. Youll hear it most when talking about freestyle skiers or backcountry powder pros.
“Did you see Candides double backflip over that cable car? So steezy, man!”
“For sure. Hes the king of steeze.”
Not to be confused with: Words like “breezy,” “wheezy,” or “lemon-squeezy.” If youre chatting with a skier and they say something that sounds close, its probably “steezy.” Trust usits a legit word!
2. Pow
Noun
Definition: Short for “powder,” “pow” is one of the most popular words in skiing slang. Youll hear it on those epic days when the snow is perfect, and face shots (see point 10) are nonstop.
“The pow today is absolutely unreal!”
Not to be confused with: “POW,” the sound effect from comic books when Batman throws a punch.
3. Sendy
Adjective
Definition: Used to describe a ski line that’s perfect for epic, daring runs. It could be super steep and risky or have a massive kicker for huge jumpsboth qualify as sendy. To send something in skiing means to ride it full throttle, and going full send is giving it everything you’ve got.
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“That couloir is so sendy. Seriously, what a sendy line!”
“Looks like its time to go full send!”
Not to be confused with: The word “sending,” which is only loosely related. Sure, you technically send yourself from the start to the end of a sendy line, but dont confuse it with mailing a letter. There’s nothing remotely sendy about the Royal Mail!
4. Butter
Verb
Definition: Balancing on the tips (nose butter) or tails (tail butter) of your skis and smoothly spinning 180 degrees or more. Its one of the coolest, most stylish (and steezysee point 1) moves in skiing.
“Im getting bitter because I cant butter better!”
Not to be confused with: Anything spreadable, like chutney, margarine, or butter from your kitchen. These butters arent for eatingbut they sure look sweet!
5. Park Rat
Noun
Definition: A skier or snowboarder who spends almost all their time in the freestyle areas of a ski resortlike the park, half-pipe, or air bag. You might spot them outside the park (a rare event), easily recognized by their giant hoodies and their habit of being mid-backflip.
“Look, a group of park rats!”
“How do you know?”
“Theyve all got twin-tip skis, and their hoodies are practically dresses.”
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Not to be confused with: Actual rats in a park. Park Rats are human; park rats (lowercase) are rodents. And neither should be fed too much cheese!
6. Liftie
Noun
Definition: Short for a ski lift operatorthe person who runs the ski lift. Youll find them at the ski slope, usually in a little hut, controlling the lift. Not much more to say about them, honestly.
“The liftie gave me a friendly nod this morning before cranking up the oompah music and taking a quick swig from a hip flask.”
Not to be confused with: Bellhops. The only thing they share is that theyre both near mechanical devices that take you up higher. Lifties are tough outdoor professionalsmasters of their craft, DJs, snow shovelers, safety gurus.
7. Switch
Verb
Definition: To ski backwards on your skis. If you do a 180 and land correctly, youre now riding switch. Unless you started the 180 from switch, then youre just skiing normally again. Basically, switch means skiing backwards.
“He dropped into that jump switch.”
“What jump? Where? Do we need to go get him?!”
“It means he skied into the jump backwards, dude. Come on, youre embarrassing me.”
Not to be confused with: The act of swapping one thing for another or the 2005 Will Smith song, Switch. Remember that?
8. Gnarly
Adjective
Definition: Gnarly can mean something thats extreme, radical, or cool, but it can also describe something painful or unpleasantlike a nasty scar or a rough fall. Sometimes it even means something good, or perfect, so you can wish someone a gnarly day. Basically, it can mean whatever you want it to.
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“Look at that skier! That line is totally gnarly.”
“Especially in gnarly weather like this.”
“Oh no! He just took a gnarly crash.”
“Gnarly, dude.”
“Totally. Ive gotta head out, dude. Stay gnarly.”
Not to be confused with: The animal narwhalyou know, the one with the big tusk coming out of its head? The unicorn of the sea.
Also Read: How to Avoid Common Mistakes as a Beginner Skier?
9. Jib
Verb
Past tense: jibbed
Definition: To ride your skis across anything that isnt snowlike hitting a rail, a box, or even grinding a tree. The term jibbing can also include playful tricks on snow, like butters (see point 4).
“I spent all day jibbing in the backcountry, bro. It was so bodacious.”
Not to be confused with: A triangular mast on a sailboat, the projecting arm of a crane (if you knew those were called jibs, kudos to you), or the act of physically jabbing someone. If a skier tells you they spent their afternoon jibbing, they definitely dont mean they joined the local boxing club.
10. Faceshot
Noun
Definition: A faceshot happens when skiing in deep, fluffy powder and the snow splashes up into the skiers face, often completely covering their view for a split second and causing a loud, joyous scream from the skier. If youre catching faceshots, its a good day to be out on the mountain! Strong levels of pow (see point 2) are definitely required.
“I was getting faceshots left, right, and center today. My face almost froze in a big smile!”
Not to be confused with: Lets just leave it at that.