There are tons of words and phrases snowsports junkies use that don`t make any sense, even to other skiers & boarders.

Below is an incomplete list of adjectives, nouns, verbs & phrases that you`d be correct wondering what it was that strange goggle wearing creature just said.

Skiing & Snowboarding Slang Words

Shred (verb): to ride aggressively

This term originally referred to snowboarders riding hard, but now refers to all riders who attack the mountain (skiers and snowboarders), aka, shredders (noun).

Rip (verb): not to be mistaken with rest in peace R.I.P. Maybe rest in pieces if you crash hard enough, but it`s actually another way of saying to ride agressively. “He/she rips the mountain like a pro.” It can replace shred (rippers, noun)

Gaper (noun, pronounced gay-per): It`s something you`ll hear primarily in the western USA which refers to tourists who rarely ski-snowboard and are out of place in the mountain environment. The term comes from the wide-mouthed, glossy eyed look on their faces as they stare in wonder, dumbstruck by odd looking goggle wearing weirdos and other strangeness surrounding them, aka “gaping at their surroundings.”

Stoked (verb): meaning happy or excited; A word first heard in the surfing community, which now is commonly used to describe feelings of happiness

Stylie (adjective): similar to it`s originating root word, style; It`s a descriptive word indicating the appealing — or stylish — way a trick or maneuver was performed. “That was a stylie nose butter.” or “He/she floats the styliest backside 180`s on the mountain.”

Steez / Steezy (noun / adjective): often synonomous with style/stylie, refering to the very stylish way in which a trick is performed or overall stylish manner of riding. A bit differen than stylie, however, as “steez” implies smooth, seemingly effortless riding. “Check out his steez in the terrain park…so smooth!”

Flow (noun or verb) “Check my flow,” meaning to look at my style or “His/Her flow is so smooth,” meaning his/her style is awesome. Similar to flowing down the mountain like water.

Pow / Powpow (noun): shortened version of “powder snow”, referring to the often extremely light and deep snow conditions that just about every snow junkie dreams about

Blower (adjective): Word that describes a type of powder snow conditions where it`s so deep & light that snow billows over your head as you ride through it.

Bummed (verb or adverb): to be sad or disappointed. “I was bummed when the snow forecast said no new snow for two weeks.”

Tweak (verb): to slightly injure oneself. Often refers to a joint like your ankle, knee, back, wrist or neck. “He tweaked his ankle when he landed wrong off the giant booter.”

Tweak-out (verb): refers to manipulation of skis-snowboard while performing a grab in the air, mainly culminating in a body position that is off-center/off-axis, “She tweaked-out that stalefish grab by extending her front leg to make it look super stylish.”

Dump/Dumped/Dumping (noun/verb): a way to refer to large snowfall accumulation over a short period of time, as in a fresh “dump” of new snow; can also refer to snowfall accumulating now, as in “It`s dumping outside! or “It dumped one meter of pow snow last night! Sweet!”

Poser (noun): person who pretends to act knowledgeable about any subject to gain popularity, but knows little-to-nothing about it

the Hill (noun): meaning the mountain or the ski area; “Let`s meet at the Hill tomorrow at 8am for a great day of pow shredding.”

Kicker/booter (noun): two words for a shaped jump, usually refers to human-made jumps designed in the backcountry.

Bonk (verb or noun): to tap the nose or tail of your board off an object, also can be used as a noun describing a specific maneuver, aka nose bonk or tail bonk

Audi (verb): to leave one place for another place, meaning “I`m out of (outta) here”, e.g., “It`s snowing, i`m audi.” 

Lazer: meaning “see you later.”

This list will grow, but for now we`re too stoked to shred pow and shoot photos with stylie riders who rip & flow down the hill than to be bummed in front of this stupid computer any longer. 

Now check out these steezy freestyle photos from Innsbruck, Austria