Snowboarders and skiers speak their own language. Let’s translate.

Apres ski (noun)

Hanging out and relaxing on the mountain after a long day of skiing or snowboarding. 'I've been looking forward to apres ski since 9 a.m.”

Black diamond (noun)

The hardest run, marked by a black diamond. 'There's trees to dodge, it's icy in parts and it's super steep - it's my favorite black diamond run.”

Bluebird day (noun)

A perfect day for being on the mountain. 'Wake up! You're going to miss the bluebird day!”

Carving (verb)

Making nice 'S” shape turns on your way downhill. 'That was so smooth, you were carving the whole way!”

Cat track (noun)

A flat run that usually leads to a chairlift. No paw prints included. 'Speed up before we get to the cat track or you'll never make it across.”

Corduroy (noun)

A run or path that has been recently groomed. 'It will be easier if we take this corduroy down.”

French fry (adjective)

Positioning your skis parallel, like two french fries, to move forward. 'Hurry up! French fry every once in a while!”

Gnar (noun)

Extreme or difficult terrain. 'Let's shred the gnar, man!”

Greenie (noun)

The easiest run, marked by a green circle. 'Let's do a greenie first.”

Knuckle dragger (noun)

A derogatory term for snowboarders, most often used by skiers. 'Bro, there are way too many knuckle draggers out today.”

Magic carpet (noun)

A device used to take you back to the top of a run. 'I'm not sure how to get on the chairlift yet, so I'll just take the magic carpet.”

Moguls (noun)

Bumps that force skiers and snowboarders to make lots of turns on the way down a run. 'My legs are shot after all those moguls.”

Pizza (adjective)

Positioning your skis at an angle so the tips almost meet, creating a triangle or a slice of pizza, to stop. 'You're going a little too fast. Try a little pizza, dude. No, seriously, pizza! PIZZAAA!”

Pow (noun)

Soft, fluffy, perfect snow. 'This is some sweet pow pow.”

Shred (verb)

Riding with talent and style. 'Woah, you're really shredding today.”

Yard sale (noun)

A total wipeout that knocks your skis and poles or board off you. 'That guy lost so much gear in that fall, it looks like he's having a yard sale.”

Comments: molly.duffy@thegazette.com