Snowboarding Glossary

Snowboarding is a sport with its own language. While an experienced rider is fluent, many beginners and outsiders may not know what some snowboard words, phrases, and expressions actually mean. Snowboarding in general contains a lot of terminology and slang, so this glossary will define many of the frequent and important snowboard terms you will encounter on the mountain.

Air (Aerial) - Any jump or trick where the snowboard is off the ground.

All-Mountain - Snowboards designed to perform well in different conditions and at most speeds. These are all-purpose boards.

Backcountry - The area outside of the ski resort boundaries.

Backside - Opposite of frontside. When you perform a trick, it is the rotational direction if the rider spins clockwise and your back faces downhill first, a heelside turn.

Bail - Intentionally fall while performing a maneuver, usually as a safety precaution.

Base - Underside of the board that glides across the snow.

Bevel - Angle of the snowboard’s edges. All mountain and freestyle boards will have different bevels.

Bindings - Fixture that connects your boots to the snowboard.

Black Diamond - Most difficult trails on the resort.

Blue Run - Intermediate level trails on resorts.

Boardercross Race - Style of race with jumps, turns and banks, typically with 4-6 riders per heat.

Boned - Style maneuver where you straighten your legs during a jump.

Bonk - Hitting a non-snow object with the snowboard

Camber - The curved shape of your snowboard. A cambered board, when placed on a flat surface, rests on the tip and tail while the center is elevated.

Cant - Positional angle of your bindings that either curves your knees inwards or outwards.

Carve - Turning on the edge of your snowboard.

Centered Stance - Placing the bindings in the direct center of the board, so the boots are equidistant to the tip and tail. Useful for riders who often ride switch (both going forward and backwards).

Chatter - Vibrations caused from traveling at high speeds or riding on hard snow.

Corduroy Tracks - Ribbed snow formed by a snowcat.

Corkscrew - Very fast and tight aerial rotation.

Corn Snow - Springtime snow that turns into corn sized kernels through the repeated melting and subsequent refreezing of snow.

Crud - Top layer of snow is hard, while bottom layer is soft. This is a transitional snow that is a combination of powder and ice.

Cruiser Run - A relaxed and slow run at resorts.

Dampening - Applying structural modifications to your snowboard to reduce chatter.

De-Tuning - Dulling the edges of your snowboard, typically around the tip and tail so they do not catch in the snow.

Ding - Scratches and holes on base of the snowboard.

Directional Stance - Unlike a center stance, your bindings are not in the center (usually set back) so it is easier to ride going forward.

Duckfooted - Stance angle where your toes are pointed outward like a duck.

Edge - Sharp metal strip located on the sides of your snowboard.

Effective Edge - The length of your edges that actually contact the snow on turns. Longer effective edges increase grip and speed on groomed runs. Shorter effective edges are easier to turn and spin.

Faceplant - When a rider falls forward on their face.

Fakie Riding - More commonly called riding switch, it is riding backwards.

Fall Line - The most precise, direct line down a slope.

Flat Bottom - Flat area between the two walls of a halfpipe.

Board Flex - Stiffness along the length (longitudinal flex) and width (torsional flex) of the snowboard.

Forward Lean - Angle of the binding highbacks that keep a rider’s legs bent in a forward position.

Freeriding - Also known as backcountry riding, this is riding on ungroomed trails outside of resort boundaries.

Freestyle Riding - Performing tricks, jumps, spins, or riding a halfpipe.

Front Hand - Hand closest to the nose of the snowboard.

Front Foot - Foot closest to the nose of the snowboard.

Frontside - Opposite of backside, a toeside turn, or counterclockwise rotation of the spin.

Glide - Smooth sliding across the snow without using the edges.

Goofy - Riding with your right foot forward.

Grab - Clutching either side of the snowboard with your hands while in the air.

Grommet (Grom) - Small, young rider.

Halfpipe - Long, U-shaped channel used for freestyle jumps, spins, and tricks.

Hardboots - Stiff boots designed for aggressive carving and racing.

Heel Drag - Also known as overhang, when your heels hang over the edge of the snowboard, often caused by boards that are too small for a rider’s feet.

Heelside Edge - Board edge where your heels lie.

Heelside Turn - Turn made on the heelside edge.

Hole Pattern - Positioning of the holes on your board for installing bindings.

Invert - Trick where a rider’s head is beneath the level of the snowboard, using your hands to balance yourself.

Inverted Aerial - When your head is beneath your board at any time in the air.

Halfpipe Jam Session - Riders perform tricks in a halfpipe at the same time, one after the other in succession.

Jib - Riding on anything other than snow, like a rail or tree.

Kicker - Large ramp for jumping.

Lead Hand - Hand closest to the front of the board.

Lead Foot - Foot closest to the front of the board.

Leash - Holding strap so the snowboard will not slide away while you enter and exit the bindings.

Lip - Top edge of a halfpipe wall or jump.

Moguls - Large mounds or bumps made out snow, created naturally or by a snowcat

Mute Air - While aerial, grabbing the toe edge with your front hand.

Nollie - Performing an ollie on the tip of the board rather than the tail.

Nose - Front tip of the snowboard.

Nose Grab - While in the air, grabbing the nose of the board.

Nose Slide - Sliding across snow on the nose of the board while the tail is elevated.

Off-Piste - Also known as back country riding, any trail located outside the resort boundaries.

Ollie - Getting airborne without assistance from a jump by using the tail as a spring.

Piste - French word for a groomed trail.

Pipe Dragon - Machine used to groom halfpipes.

Poach - Riding in a closed or roped off terrain.

P-Tex - Specific type of polyethylene that repairs holes and scratches on the base of the snowboard.

Quarter Pipe - Halfpipe that only contains one wall.

Rail - Edge and sidewall of the snowboard.

Railing - Executing fast, aggressive turns.

Ramp - Structure used for jumping, can either be manmade or artificial.

Rear Foot - Foot closest to the tail of the snowboard.

Rear Hand - Hand closest to the tail of the snowboard.

Regular - Riding with your left foot forward.

Revert - Going from forward to switch, or vice-versa, while the snowboard remains on the ground.

Rocker - Opposite of a camber, on a flat surface the center of the snowboard touches the ground, while the tip and the tail are elevated.

Run - Another name for a slope or trail.

Runout - Flat ground at the bottom of a slope.

Running Length - Length of the base of the snowboard that touches the ground while flat.

Scoop - Raising the nose of the board.

Shovel - The upward curves located on the tip and tail of the snowboard.

Sidecountry - Slopes located just outside the resort boundaries.

Sidecut Radius - Imaginary circle radius, usually measured in centimeters, that corresponds to the sidecut of the snowboard. A wide radius means your board will make longer turns, while a smaller radius makes the board easier to turn and control by making shorter turns more easily.

Sideslip - Riding down the hill sideways, often performed by beginners who are just learning.

Slopestyle Competition - Freestyle competition involving a variety of jumps, rails, and boxes; then each rider is judged on the tricks and maneuvers.

Snowcat - Vehicle used to groom snow, but can also be used to transport employees and riders.

Spin - Aerial turn.

Stance - Where your feet align on the snowboard based upon the position of the bindings.

Stick - Term for a perfect landing, also referred to as a “stomp.”

Tail - Back of the snowboard.

Tail Grab - Grabbing the tail with your rear hand.

Tail Slide - Sliding across the snow on the tail of the snowboard while the nose is elevated.

Terrain Park - Isolated area in the resort built for freestyle riding. These contain jumps, rails, boxes and halfpipes.

Toeside Turn - Turning on the toeside edge.

Tweak - Either pulling the board forward or backward while in the air.

Twin Tip Snowboard - Board that is shaped identically on the tail and tip so there is equal control when you ride switch.

Vertical (Vert) - Top portion of a halfpipe wall.

Waist - The narrowest part in the middle of the board. Narrower snowboards are easier to control, so they work well for beginner and freestyle riders.