Nick's Ski Resort Guidebook WHISTLER BLACKCOMB
Skiing Terminology
If you have not already heard them where you ski, you might hear some new terms on Whistler Blackcomb, including the ones below. There are also many fun combinations of these terms,
for example: Shred the gnar (pronounced ‘shred the nar’) meaning ‘to ski fast and aggressively with skill and style through challenging or difficult ski runs or terrain park features.’
7th: 7th is the short form for the 7th Heaven Express Chairlift area.
Alpine Zone: The alpine zone is the high-elevation zone of the mountain where trees do not grow and snow conditions can be harsher (and/or amazing, depending on the day).
AST: AST stands for Avalanche Safety Training. Skiers and boarders who go into the backcountry should take AST courses so that they can avoid avalanches and deal with them if they happen.
Avalanche: An avalanche is a large mass of snow that breaks off from the side of a mountain and slides downhill at a very high speed. A ‘full slab’ avalanche is the most dangerous type of avalanche and occurs when a whole side of a slope or hill breaks off as a single slab and slides downhill. Avalanches can be very dangerous and can break away trees, wreck buildings, and bury skiers and snowboarders.
Avy: This is the short form of Avalanche. "Look out for the Avy debris below the cornice!"
Backcountry: The backcountry is the area of unmarked and unpatrolled terrain outside of a ski resort’s boundaries.
Backside: The backside is the part of the mountain opposite the resort, usually on the ‘back side’ of the mountain.
Base: The base is the area of the resort at the bottom of the mountain where lifts, ticket offices, and other facilities are located. It is also used to describe the area at the bottom of a chairlift or gondola.
Ross's Gold on a Bluebird Day! Source: Nick Jones
Bluebird: A bluebird is a day with clear, blue, sunny skies. Some people also use it to specifically describe a day with fresh powder snow and clear, sunny skies.
Boot Hike: A boot hike is an uphill path where you need to take off your skis, carry them, and hike up to get access to another part of the mountain.
Bowl: A bowl is a wide, open area on the mountain with surrounding terrain that often allows for big turns and high-speed skiing. Bowls are formed by glaciers over time when the glacial ice cracks and grinds away the underlying rock.
Bumps: Bumps is another name for moguls or other bumpy terrain on a run.
Chair: Chair is the short-form name for chairlift.
Chairlift: A chairlift is a cable system used at ski resorts to carry skiers and snowboarders up the slopes. It includes a series of seats or chairs attached to overhead cables that allow passengers to sit as they are carried uphill. Chairlifts normally have a safety barrier that is pulled down and a lower bar on which to rest your skis.
Chatter: Chatter is the noise that occurs when you are skiing at high speed over hard snow and your ski begins to vibrate.
Chonky: Chonky is another way of saying big, fat, or large. For example, ‘Those were some chonky bumps!’
Closed Area: A closed area is an area on the mountain that the ski patrol has determined to be dangerous and should not be skied. People who ski into a closed area risk losing their ski pass if they are caught by the ski patrol.
Cold Front: A cold front is a weather-related term that describes the leading edge of an oncoming mass of cold air. Cold fronts can trigger snow and can also result in a rapid drop in temperature.
Corduroy: Corduroy is another name for the grooved surface of a freshly groomed run. Sometimes it is shortened to just ‘cordo’.
Corn Snow: Corn snow occurs when the snow melts and freezes, forming large granules (about the size of a kernel of corn) that often end up in mounds on the runs. Corn snow typically occurs in spring as temperatures rise.
Big cornices hanging over Horseshoe Bowl in the Harmony area on Whistler! Source: Nick Jones
Cornice: A cornice is an overhanging ledge of snow and ice that forms along the edge of a ridge. They are created as wind blows over the ridge and deposits snow on the downwind side.
Couloir: A couloir is a steep valley or gully on the side of a mountain.
Crispy: There are two uses for this word related to skiing. You can say it is a crispy day when the air is cold and crisp. You can also use crispy to describe a freshly groomed run that is cold and great for carving. For example, “That was a sweet crispy run that we just ripped down!”
Crud: Crud is snow that has been broken up into chunks or clumps by previous skiers, making it difficult to ski through. A worse version of crud is ‘ice crud’, where chunky, clumpy snow has melted and then frozen.
Crust: A crust occurs when rain falls on top of new snow or the upper layer of snow melts due to warm temperatures followed by freezing temperatures. This can result in challenging skiing conditions as your skis break through and get stuck under the crust.
Download: To download is when you take a lift or gondola down to a base area instead of skiing out to the base at the end of the day. Hardcore skiers jokingly say "Death before download!".
Drop/Dropping: To drop is when someone jumps off a cliff or lip into the area below. By calling out “dropping!” before you drop, you are warning others that you are about to drop down.
Dust on Crust: Dust on crust is when there is only a ‘dusting’ of new snow covering harder, icy snow underneath.
Excalibur: Excalibur is the short-form name for the Excalibur Gondola.
Excelerator: Excelerator is the short-form name for the Excelerator Express Chairlift.
Exposure: Exposure refers to the level of risk or danger associated with skiing a particular area or run as a result of steepness, potential for avalanches, cliffs, rock fall, crevasses, etc. Many of the Double and Triple-Black runs in the resort have high exposure as they are steep, narrow, and surrounded by rocks and cliffs.
Face: A face is a very steep section of a mountain. It is a prominent and relatively unbroken surface, usually characterized by its incline and the challenges it presents to skiers and snowboarders. One of the famous faces in the resort is the False Face at the top of the Saudan Couloir on Blackcomb.
Face Shot: A face shot occurs when someone is skiing or snowboarding in deep powder and they get a face full of snow because of a jump or turn.
Fluffy Bumps: Fluffy bumps are moguls or other bumps covered in fresh powder snow! One of the great joys of skiing at Whistler Blackcomb is finding untouched fluffy bumps on a fresh powder day!
Freeride: Freeride refers to snowboarding or skiing on natural, ungroomed terrain, without a set course, goals, or rules. Freeriding also often suggests a level of difficulty and expertise above normal resort skiing.
Freestyle: Freestyle is when skiers and snowboarders perform aerial flips and spins, box and rail slides, and other tricks. This is normally done in a terrain park area but can also happen anywhere on the mountain.
French Fries: French fries is a fun term ski instructors use to describe how to ski with your skies in a parallel stance (side by side like French Fries).
Frontside: The frontside is the part of the mountain facing the resort, typically groomed and with easier terrain.
Freshies: Finding or skiing ‘freshies’ is when you are able to ski on fresh/new snow.
Frosty: Frosty is a term to describe a very cold day and/or cold temperatures.
Glacier: A glacier is a large mass of ice that forms over many years as snow accumulates and compacts into ice. Glaciers usually form on the north-facing sides of mountains that are in the shade and as a result experience less melting than the south-facing side of the mountain.
Glades: Glades are ungroomed runs or areas of the mountain with trees. The spacing between the trees, the steepness of the run, and other factors result in varying glade difficulty levels.
Gnarly: Gnarly (the ‘g’ is silent) is used to describe a challenging or difficult ski run or terrain park feature. Gnarly originally comes from surfing culture, where it was used to describe challenging, difficult wave conditions.
Gondola: A gondola is an enclosed cabin system designed to transport skiers, snowboarders, and sightseers up and down a mountain. Gondolas are suspended from a continuously moving cable and carry eight to twelve (or more) passengers and their equipment. Skis and boards are often stored on racks on the outside of the gondola.
Gondy: Gondy is a fun short-form name for gondolas.
A skier coming down Glacier Drive (a big Black groomer) in the Glacier Express Chairlift area of Blackcomb! Source: Greg Chen
Groomers: This word has three meanings. Groomers are the large, tracked machines that are used to flatten and smooth runs at a ski resort. Groomers are also the staff that operate these machines. And finally, groomers is also used to describe the runs that have been groomed.
Halfpipe: A halfpipe is a large U-shaped feature in the terrain park used for skiing or snowboarding tricks and jumps.
Hard Pack: Hard Pack is snow that has been compressed and hardened by skiers and snowboarders. It creates a smooth and fast surface but can also be slippery/icy and difficult to control.
Hut: A hut is a smaller building on the mountain that normally offers limited food/snacks, a place to warm up, and washrooms.
Ice: Ice on a ski hill is usually formed when snow has frozen and hardened, making it challenging and potentially dangerous to ski on. Ice can also form on runs as a result of heavy traffic down the run that turns the snow to ice.
Ice Bombs: Ice bombs are chunks of frozen, icy snow stuck to the surface of a run. They look soft, but when you hit them, it feels like hitting a rock! The ice bombs on 7th Heaven are legendary!
Jersey Cream: Jersey Cream or just Jersey are short-form names for the Jersey Cream Express Chairlift and the area serviced by that lift.
Jib/Jibbing: To jib or jibbing is to ride on top of rails, boxes, or other obstacles in a terrain park.
Lap: A lap is one complete run around a defined circuit. When skiing, you do laps down a run or a combination of runs, taking a gondola or chairlift to get back to the top of the run again. For example, people who want to achieve a high vertical day will do laps in the Garbanzo Express Chairlift area.
Lodge: A lodge is a larger building on the mountain that offers a range of food and drink options, may have a sit-down restaurant, offers washrooms, may have a gear shop, often has one or more decks, and offers extensive indoor seating.
Moguls: Moguls are bumps that form on the mountain from skiers repeatedly turning and carving on the snow.
Off-Piste: Off-piste is the area that is outside of the marked runs or pistes on a mountain. Off-piste skiing typically includes bumps, trees, ungroomed snow, powder snow, etc.
Open Alpine: The open alpine is the area on a mountain above the tree line where there are no trees. On a fresh powder day, the open alpine is the go-to zone for large areas of untracked powder skiing.
Out of Bounds: Out of bounds refers to the areas on the hill that are outside of the ski resort boundaries. These areas are not patrolled and should not be entered unless you are fully prepared for out-of-bounds or backcountry skiing.
Packed Powder: Packed powder is snow that has been compacted by grooming machines, creating a smooth surface that is easy to ski on. It is often found on groomed runs and is popular with beginners.
Park Rats: Park Rats is a fun term for the young skiers and snowboarders who spend their time skiing in the terrain park areas. Park Rats often wear a distinctive style of baggy clothing that makes them stand out from others on the hill.
Whistler Peak in the morning sun! Source: Nick Jones
Peak: The Peak is the short-form name for Whistler Peak. The Peak Express Chairlift is often just called Peak Chair.
Pineapple Express: A pineapple express is a weather system that is characterized by a stream of warm, moist air originating from the Pacific Ocean. The name comes from the fact that these systems often originate near Hawaii, which is known for its pineapple plantations.
Piste: Piste is the European term for a ski run (in French it means path or trail). A piste is a marked ski run or path down a mountain for skiing or snowboarding.
Pizza: Pizza is a fun term used by ski instructors to describe to students the stance of skiing with your skis in a V pattern. Skiing with your skis in a V pattern is a good way for beginners to learn how to control their speed.
Pow: Pow is a short-form name for powder snow. As with many skiing terms, it can be creatively combined: “Woo hoo…that was some sweet, crispy pow pow!”
Powder Snow: Powder snow is fresh, light, dry snow that is wonderful for skiing and snowboarding. Skiing in powder is quite different from skiing on groomers and takes some practice to get used to as you are skiing/floating through the snow versus just skiing on top of it.
Proline Runs: Proline runs are the most difficult runs on the mountain. They are also sometimes referred to as Triple-Black runs.
Ridge: A ridge is a narrow, long, elevated area on the mountain that often separates different runs or sections of the mountain. Harmony Ridge on Whistler, for example, is the ridge that runs between Harmony and Symphony Bowls.
Ripper: Ripper is a fun name for a skilled skier or snowboarder. Young kids who are aggressively skiing down the mountain are called young rippers.
Run: A run is a marked ski route or path down a mountain for skiing or snowboarding. The terms run and piste mean the same thing.
Sastrugi: Sastrugi is the name for snow that has been blown into dense ridges by strong winds. The word originates from Russia.
Schuss: A schuss is a straight downhill run with no turns or stops, often used to gain speed. Schuss means ‘shot’ in German.
Scratchy: Scratchy is used to describe hard/icy terrain that makes a scratching sound as skiers or boarders go down them.
Send It: To send it is to commit to a jump or trick with confidence and determination. Young rippers will often encourage their fellow skiers or boarders to ‘send it’. A sender is a skier or boarder who regularly ‘sends it’.
Shark Bites: Shark bites are the small scratches and hits you take from rocks when skiing in low snow conditions.
Shred: To shred is to ski fast and aggressively with skill and style. A shredder is someone who skies fast and aggressively with skill and style.
Beautiful shot show Flute Bowl in the "side-country" area next to the Symphony Express Chairlift area on Whistler! Source: Nick Jones
Side-country: The side-country is backcountry terrain outside (or on the edge) of the ski resort’s boundaries, but easily accessible from the resort.
Skiing Out: Skiing out is when you ski down to the base of the mountain at the end of the day. If you don’t want to ski out, you can always download on a lift or gondola.
Slay/Slay It: To slay something or to slay it is to do something with style and skill. For example, “He slayed that jump!”
Slope: A slope is an inclined surface of a mountain or hill on which skiing and boarding takes place. Slopes can vary in steepness, length, and difficulty, catering to different skill levels.
Sluff: A sluff is a type of avalanche that occurs when a small amount of fresh snow slides off a slope. Sluffs are less dangerous than full slab avalanches.
Slush: Slush is wet, heavy snow that is partially melted (it often includes water) and can be difficult to ski through. It is often found on warmer days or in the spring when the snow begins to melt.
Soft-pack: Soft-pack snow surface occurs when freshly fallen snow has been somewhat compressed by groomers and skiers. This type of snow offers great skiing, as it provides a good grip for skis and boards.
Snorkeling: Snorkeling occurs when you are skiing in very deep powder snow (pow) that almost fully covers your entire body. It is so deep that it is like going snorkeling in the ocean.
Snowplow: A snowplow is a basic ski maneuver used by instructors for beginners. It is similar to the ‘pizza’, where the skis are pointed inward in a V shape to slow down and control speed.
Snow Ghosts: Snow Ghosts are trees and posts that have been fully covered by wind blown snow and ice. They appear in the high alpine areas like "ghosts" on the hillside.
Snow Snakes: Snow snakes is a fun term used to describe to kids the hard-to-see bumps, small trees, or other surface features that can cause a beginner to wobble and/or fall. “Watch out that the snow snakes don’t get you!”
Spicy: Things are spicy when there is challenging weather or snow and/or when you are attempting to do something difficult. “That was some spicy weather today!”
Stomp It: To stomp it is to land a trick or jump solidly and smoothly with style. “He really stomped it!”
Summit: The summit is the highest point of the mountain. Whistler Peak is the summit of Whistler Mountain.
Sundog: Sundogs are the bright spots that appear parallel to the horizon along the outer edge of sun halos.
Sun Halo: A sun halo is caused by the refraction, reflection, and dispersion of light through ice particles suspended within thin, wispy, high-altitude clouds. Light bends at an angle as it passes through these ice crystals, creating a circular halo around the sun.
Terrain Park: A terrain park is a designated area of the mountain with features such as rails, boxes, jumps, and other obstacles for freestyle skiing and snowboarding. Terrain parks come in all sizes, including those for beginners, intermediate, and expert skiers and boarders.
Thigh Burner: A thigh burner is a long run skied without stopping, causing pain in the legs. For example, Peak to Creek on Whistler—11 kilometers from top to bottom—is a real thigh burner!
Tree Line: The tree line is the elevation on the mountain above which trees do not grow. Above the tree line you will find the open alpine zone.
Ungroomed Snow: Ungroomed snow is snow that has not been touched by grooming machines or skiers, creating a more natural and challenging skiing experience. It can be uneven and unpredictable, with varying depths and textures.
Warm Front: A warm front is an approaching edge of a warm, wet mass of air. Snow often falls when a warm front collides with a cold air mass. Whistler Blackcomb often gets warm fronts coming in from the Pacific that result in the wonderful snow that the resort enjoys.
Wet Snow: Wet snow occurs when temperatures are quite warm. As a result, the snow feels wet as it falls and melts easily.
Wind Slab: A wind slab is a layer of relatively stiff, hard snow formed by deposits of windblown snow on the side of a ridge or other sheltered area. Wind slabs can form over weaker, softer freshly fallen powder snow, creating an avalanche hazard on steep slopes.
Windblown Snow: Windblown snow occurs when snow has been blown around by strong winds, creating variable and challenging conditions. It can create drifts and exposed areas of icy or hardpacked snow.
Wishbone: Wishbone is the term used to describe the process of walking up a slope with your skis at an angle on each side (to prevent you from sliding back down the hill). The resulting pattern in the snow looks like the shape of a chicken’s wishbone.
Yard Sale: A yard sale is a humorous term to describe when someone crashes and their skis, poles, etc. are scattered across the hillside.
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