Snowboarding Terms List
Snowboarding can be a complicated and difficult sport to learn or understand. It has a lot of lingo, slang, and terms used to describe snowboarders and the sport itself. Here is a list of glossary terms to know about snowboarding:
List of Snowboarding Terms
AASI: AASI is the American Association of Snowboard Instructors. It is a nonprofit that helps with promoting snowboarding.
Air: Air is a phrase used when someone jumps and the snowboard comes off the ground.
Alpenglow: Alpenglow is when mountains have a light pink hue during sunrise or sunset.
Avalanche Dog: An avalanche dog is a dog that is trained specifically for assisting rescuers in finding avalanche victims. They are also known as a mountain rescue dog.
Backcountry: Backcountry is a terrain where there are no marked trails and all of the obstacles are natural. These obstacles include trees, hills, and cliffs.
Bail: Bail refers to a snowboarder refusing to do a trick or falling over when they perform the trick.
Betty: A betty is a female snowboarder.
Bindings: Bindings are what allow a snowboarder's boots to connect to the snowboard.
Black Diamond: A black diamond is one of the hardest slopes. Typically very experienced snowboarders use these slopes.
Black Ice: Black Ice is ice that is translucent and can be difficult to detect when snowboarding.
Blue Run: A blue run is a trial on terrains that are used by snowboarders who are at the average or intermediate level.
Boarder: A border is a nickname for snowboarders.
Boned Out: Boned out is a phrase used when a snowboarder straightens one or both legs while performing an ariel. This gives the aerial extra style.
Bonk: Bonk is a term used when a snowboarder hits an object with their snowboard that is not snow.
Bomber: A bomber is a snowboarder that goes down a slope fast.
Booter: A booter is a big jump that requires lots of speed to be able to get lots of air.
Bro: Bro is what a male snowboarder calls another male snowboarder. It is short for brother.
Bulletproof: Bulletproof is a term used to describe when the slopes are covered in snow or are icy.
Bunny Slope/Hill: A bunny slope or hill is a hill used for beginners at snowboarding or people that are not able to go on the bigger hills. It is normally wide and not too steep.
Carve: Carve refers to when a snowboarder turns on the edge of their snowboard.
Chatter: Chatter refers to a snowboard vibrating due to either high speed, tight turns, or rough conditions. Chatter is considered undesirable by snowboarders.
Chocolate Chips: Chocolate chips are rocks that poke out of the snow and can mess up a snowboarder when going down a slope.
C-Rail: A C-Rail is defined as a rail that has a bend in it.
Cruiser Run: A cruiser run is a smooth trail in a terrain where it is easy for snowboarders to snowboard.
Crater: A crater is a bad fall.
Crud: Crud is defined as when the top layer of snow is hard and the bottom layer of snow is soft. When this occurs, it is due to there being a mix of ice and powder.
Dailed: Dailed is a phrase used to describe when a snowboarder is able to do a trick well over and over without falling.
Ding: A ding is a scratch or dent in a snowboard. This can occur as a result of riding over rocks or hard pieces of ice.
Edge: Edge can be defined as the sharp metal that is on both sides of a snowboard.
Face Plant: When a snowboarder face plants, they fall on their face.
Fakie: Fakie is when a snowboarding rider rides a snowboard backwards going down a hill.
Fall Line: A fall line can be defined as a very precise and direct line that goes down a slope.
Freshies: Frieshes is snow powder that is fresh.
Front Hand: A front hand is the hand that is closest to the nose on a snowboard.
Front Foot: A front foot is the foot that is mounted closest to the nose on a snowboard.
Gnarly: Gnarly is a phrase used to describe doing something well or being excited.
Goofy: Goofy describes when a snowboarder goes down a hill with their right foot first.
Grab: A grab is a trick, commonly utilized as part of a larger trick, where a snowboarder grabs their board with their hand while in the air.
Heel Edge: The heel edge is the edge of the snowboard that the heel hits when snowboarding.
Hot Dog: A hot dog is a female snowboarder that is very skilled.
Half Pipe: A half pipe is a structure that is used in freestyle for the purpose of aerial tricks.
Heel Drag: Heel drag refers to a snowboarder hanging their heels over the edge of their board. This often occurs due to the snowboard being too small for the snowboarder's feet.
Ho Ho: A ho ho is when a snowboarder has a two-handed hand plant.
Jib: A jib is when a snowboarder rides on something other than snow. This includes rails, trees, pipes, etc.
Joey: A joey is a snowboarder that is inexperienced and has a fashion sense that is lacking.
Kink: A kink is when there is a bend in a rail or in a box.
Kicker: A kicker is a big jump with the use of a ramp.
Late: Late refers to a snowboarder that adds a move to an aerial trick before they land.
Lip: A lip is the top edge of either a halfpipe wall or a jump.
Misty flip: A misty flip is a trick in which a snowboarder performs an off-axis backside, 540-degree rotation.
Nollie: A nollie is similar to an ollie, but the rider goes off of the nose rather than the tail.
Nose: A nose is the very front of a snowboard.
Nose Grab: A nose grab is a term used to describe a snowboarder that grabs the nose of their snowboard when they are in the air.
Nose Slide: A nose slide is a term used to describe a snowboarder that slides across the snow while on the nose of the board and has the tail of the board elevated.
Off-Piste: An off-piste refers to any area or trail that is located outside of a resort or club. It is also known as backcountry riding.
Ollie: An ollie is a trick where snowboarders leaps in the air and the nose of the snowboard rises first.
Phat: Phat is a phrase used to describe something being really cool.
Poach: Poach refers to snowboarding where one is not allowed to. An example of this is a closed run.
Pow: Pow is snow that is fresh. The term is short for powder.
Rad: Rad is a term used to describe something being really cool or awesome. It is short for radical.
Rail: A rail is a metal piper or a metal bar in terrain parks. It is used by snowboarders to ride along and to do tricks.
Regular: Regular refers to a snowboarder having the left food in front while on a snowboard.
Rip: Rip is a term used when one does a really good job of snowboarding.
Ripper: A riper is an experienced snowboarder who knows how to snowboard very well and do many tricks.
Rodeo: Rodeo refers to a back flip that has a spin.
Run: A run is another word for a slope or a trail.
Scope: Scope refers to a snowboarder checking something out before they try it.
Sick: Sick is a term used to describe when something is really cool or awesome.
Sketchy: Sketchy is a term used to describe a snowboarder that is able to land a trick but it doesn’t look great.
S-Rail: S-rail is when there is a bend in a rail. It is called this due to how it looks like an S when looking from the top of the rail.
Stack: Stack refers to a snowboarder taking a hard fall and hurting themself from the fall.
Stick: Stick is another word for a snowboard.
Snow Bunny: Snow Bunny is used to describe a female snowboarder that is very attractive.
Tail: A tail is a snowboard’s back end.
Tight: Tight is used to describe when something is awesome or brilliant.
Tomahawk: A tomahawk is when a snowboarder falls down a mountain and does not have any control.
Tree Well: A tree well is a hole that is in the snow and is surrounding a tree. These are typically difficult for snowboarders to see.
Tweak: Tweak refers to a snowboarder pulling on their board with forward or backward while they are in the air.
Untracker: Untracker is when the snow of a terrain park has yet to be used and there are no tracks on the slopes.
Wack: Wack is a term used to describe when something is bad or not okay.
Yard Sale: A yard sale is used to describe a snowboarder that falls aggressively and results in the gear of the rider spreading around them when they fall.