Ski slope vocabulary

Skiing and snowboarding are sports for enthusiasts, with a very specific vocabulary. Here are some essential skiing expressions and words so that you can talk like a pro!

"The mountain wins you over!"

To know where you are and how to improve your technique, it is better to understand the skier's environment.

Let's start by the basics:

- uphill characterizes the part of the mountain which is above the skier.

- On the contrary, downhill refers to the slope that the skier is about to « ride », or ski.

Tip: to remind yourself of the difference, use the etymology of the terms: in « uphill », there is « up »; in« downhill », there is « down ».

Amazing! Do you open your shutters early in the morning and cannot distinguish the earth from the sky?All's white?It's a white day!

Anticiapte goggles and reduce speed on the descent, to avoid any incident ...

"Get your « fat » out, there is « pow » !"

This is a phrase you will often hear at the foot of the slopes.

Pow means fresh snow, which has fallen in abundance. Also called « powder », « powpow » or « pow », this type of snow is appreciated by skiers or snowboarders.To try it is to adopt it!!

To tame pow, you better have a good pair of fat. These very wide skis allow you to navigate easily in powder and "float" on snow.

Did you know?

Off-piste skiing can be dangerous. It requires optimal physical condition, assistance of a professional and suitable equipment.The ARVA (Avalanche Victim Search Device) is also mandatory.

"Wax your skis, sharpen your edges and adjust your “bindings""

Have the right reflexes when it comes to your equipment and its maintenance. Good sharpening of the edges (metal edges of the skis or snowboard) will ensure you good grip on your descents. It is also necessary to wax your equipment when it wears out.

Wax is a coating of the same type as a polish.

Affixed to the base of the ski or snowboard, it improves glide and snow grip. The operation is quick and can be done in your Decathlon workshop.

Just like the adjustment of your bindings (bindings)!

Withski tips or the nose of your board new again, your ride session promises to be exceptional

« succeed a “grab” coming out of a “half-pipe” !"

The snowpark is perhaps the place where you will hear the most technical terms. Freestyle temple, this place usually consists of several elements.

The big air is the biggest springboard.The steel rails allow you to grind or slider (slide in balance) over several meters. The passage shaped like a half-tunnel is called the half-pipe. It allows you to gain momentum to perform lots of tricks, for example:

- The grab: you grab your ski or your snowboard in full jump, bam!

- The 180, 360, 720… : you do a U-turn, a turn, or even two, jumping, easy!

- The flip : you do a forward or backward somersault