Snowboarding Glossary

Aerials Air maneuvers.

Angle of Attack The angle used in relation to the fall line when riding across the hill. A shallow angle is mostly across the hill while a steep angle is mostly downhill.

Avalanche transceiver A radio transmitter/receiver worn by riders in avalanche terrain to aid rescuers in locating buried avalanche victims.

Backcountry An area used for snow activities away from the groomed runs and lifts of a resort.

Bail A metal piece used to fasten hard boots to their bindings.

Base The bottom of a snowboard.

Bevel The process of filing a slight groove into the base or side edge of a board to tune its performance.

Big Air A big jump where you 'catch big air'. Big air contests involve, well, jumping.

Bindings The devices used to attach your feet to the board.

Boardercross A snowboard obstacle-course racing competition.

Boning out To straighten one or both legs during a jump for extra style.

Bonking To hit the tip or tail of your board on an object while in the air.

Booting out The act of falling over due while edging to your boots or bindings hanging over the edges of your board.

Boots Worn on your feet to keep them warm and dry. Also used for transfering the movements from your legs to your board.

Bumps Raised areas in the terrain. Also referred to as moguls.

Caballerial Trick jumping 360 degrees and landing in your original stance.

Camber The upper arch built into the base of your board which is most visible when placed on the ground. Used primarily for weight distribution and providing stability.

Cap The method of board construction where the topsheet of the board extends over the edges.

Carve Advanced snowboarding maneuver involving riding on the edge of the board, using the board's sidecut to turn while cutting a thin trail through the snow.

Catching Air Jumping with a snowboard is sometimes refered to as 'catching air'.

Chute A narrow strip of snow surrounded by cliffs and rocks.

Corduroy Mechanically groomed surfaced usually used for practicing new manuevers or carving.

Corn Snow Thawed snow which has refrozen.

Cornice Snow packed by wind to form a steep face and overhanging tip.

Crampons Sharp metal cleats attached to the bottom of boots which aid in climbing ice or hard snow.

Crud Tracked out powder.

Downhill Edge The edge of your board which isn't digging into the snow when it is placed across the hill.

Dryslope Artificial slopes created for snowboarding or skiing.

Edge Angle The angle at which the board is tilted on its edge.

Edge Change The motion of rolling smoothly from one edge to the other during a turn.

Edges The sharp and smooth edges of your board made from steel strips.

Face Plant Falling face first into the snow. Usually happens when your toe edge gets caught in the snow.

Fall Line The path directly down the hill.

Flex The amount a board can bend as well as where it can bend.

Forward Lean The angle at which the highback of a soft-boot binding leans towards the toe edge.

Freeride Snowboarding style which involves riding through a variety of terrain, trails and snow conditions.

Freestyle Snowboarding style which involves acrobatic tricks, jumps and spins in specially constructed parks and terrains.

Garland Half or partial turns performed without a change of edge.

Giant Slalom A competition where riders navigate around a series of poles in a set route. The term 'Giant' is used because the events usually have longer turns and higher speeds than normal slalom events.

Goofy Riding with the right foot as the prefered front foot.

Gortex Waterproof fabric usually used in the construction of outer snow clothing.

Grab The act of grabbing the edge of your board usually performed as part of an aerial freestyle move. Grabbing your board can be done with either hand and on either edge.

Gradient The measure of the steepness of a slope.

Groomed Snow which has been prepared for riders using snow cats or other machinery.

Ground School The place with a flat or gentle grade slope for beginners to practice key fundamental maneuvers.

Halfpipe A U-shapped ramp built in the snow for performing freestyle aerial maneuvers.

Handplant A handstand on a halfpipe using one or both hands.

Heel Edge The edge of your board under your heel.

Heel Side A turn made using the heel edge.

Highback The back of soft-boot bindings which extend upwards behind your lower legs.

Huckfest A peer-pressure driven session of hucking.

Hucking To recklessly launch yourself off huge jumps with little regard for your safety.

Ice Compacted and frozen snow.

Indy Grabbing the toe edge of the board between the feet using the back hand.

Inserts The holes in a snowboard used for attaching or adjusting the position of the bindings.

Invert A trick jump where the rider is upside down.

Jib Sliding on rails or other platforms with the snowboard.

Leash A strap or cord which is attached to your board at one end and your front foot at the other to prevent your board from sliding away from you.

Lip The top edge of a half- or quarterpipe.

Moguls Bumps, mounds and valleys which impede riders.

Nollie An ollie performed by jumping off the board's nose.

Nose The upturned front end of a snowboard. Also known as the tip.

Off-piste Areas outside of the marked areas and trails of the snow resort.

Ollie A leap into the air on flat land without the benefit of a jump.

Piste Marked areas and trails patroled by the snow resort.

Plate Bindings Bindings for hard boots.

Powder Fresh soft snow usually prefered by beginners.

Quarterpipe A single wall (as opposed to two walls for the halfpipe) used for freestyle maneuvers.

Regular Riding with the left foot as the prefered front foot.

Sidecut The curve cut into the sides of your board which help you to turn.

Sideslip A technique used for sliding or skidding down the hill with the board straight across the fall line by adjusting the angle of edging.

Sidewall The material on the sides of a snowboard used to protect and keep the internal layers in place.

Skating The act of moving around on flat surfaces with only the front foot attached to the board by pushing with the free rear foot.

Sketch Having your snowboard slide out from beneath you after a turn or jump.

Skidding Moving sideways or forward by working with the edges of your board across the snow to control your speed.

Slalom A competition where riders race by turning around gates in a set route.

Slam A heavy duty fall caused by catching either your toe or heel edge in the snow.

Snurfer The snowboard's predecessor. Built in the 1960s for snow surfing, they would mark the beginning of snowboard construction and engineering.

Spinal Tap The heel edge equivalent of a face plant where you fall hard on your back after catching your heel edge.

Stance Angle The angle of of your bindings on your snowboard.

Stomp Pad A pad placed with an adhesive just in front of the rear foot on the snowboard to provide traction to a free rear foot when skating or gliding off chairlifts.

Switch Performing a trick while riding backwards/fakie.

Tail The back end of a snowboard.

Tail slide Lifting the nose of the board and sliding on the tail while on the ground.

Terrain Park An area specially constructed for freestyle riders to perform their tricks, jumps and spins.

Tip The upturned front end of a snowboard. Also known as the nose.

Toe Edge The edge of your board under your toes.

Toe Side A turn made using the toe edge.

Topsheet The top layer used in the construction of a snowboard.

Traverse A maneuver for moving diagonally across the fall line.

Twin Tip A snowboard with an identical nose/tip and tail usually used by freestyle riders for riding in both directions.

Vertical The vertical sections of the wall of a halfpipe.

Wall The transition and vertical sides of a halfpipe.