Saturday, November 18, 2006

Know Your Lingo

To help you get prepared for season, here are some terms to familiarize yourself with so you can talk the talk on the chairlift:

BAFL- "Big Air, Flat Landing" which can resulte in an explosion of equipment and body parts
Boilerplate/Bulletproof- snow that is so hard you might as well trade in for ice skates
Fib- a horrible attempt at covering up a fall by saying "I caught an edge"
Gnar- one of those ambiguous terms that makes you sound intense "I was shredding the gnar" a.k.a I was really just sipping tea in the lodge
Coach- Psycho babble for instructor (Powderhorn does have the best instructors & coaches)
Vermin- the easily spotted groups of skiers or snowboarders blocking access to a run, usually made up of "bros"
Bros- Fellow skiers and snowboarders living to slide the mountain. And yes, females can be bros
Sick- an adjective used to describe anything whether it makes sense or not. Most often spoken in the terrain park
Throw Down- can be used in past or present tense. Usually just means you did or are about to do something- "I'm going to go throw down on that rail" a.k.a. I'm just gonna go ride that rail.
Disco Sticks- super short slalom and twin tip skis capable of very short turns
Expert- Someone who is lying about their abilities
Face Plant- A fall that happens so quick that your face is the first thing to make contact with snow
Trustafarian- a rich but rugged ski bum pretending to be poor
Code Zero- Ski School radio call for lost child (ok being serious now: this does not happen at Powderhorn)
Toilet Turns- sloppy turns made from a you-know-what kind of position
Snotsicle- frozen discharge of the nose
Ski Bum- someone who has found a great alternative to working
Extreme- should only be taken seriously when used on trail maps (Extreme Terrain) otherwise it's just a silly marketing word
Screaming Starfish- someone yelling for help while cartwheeling down the hill
Poodle Turns- show dog turns made by Instructors even when not teaching
Manky or Danky- the smell of polyester underwear after a day on the mountain
Kodak Courage- trying something you otherwise would never do just because your buddy has a camera


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