The 2012 Southern Hemisphere Winter Thread - Oz, En-Zed, South America

[JA2340 16]

The on-snow part is the killer, true! You could stay in Jindy for a lot less, but comparing Japan snow accom to Aus, then the "on-snow" factor is important. In Japow, I will always stay as close to ski in-ski out as possible!

[surfarthur 22]

It is much more affordable to stay slope-side in Japan compared to Australia, and there really isn't any slope-side accommodation in NZ, with the exception of club lodges at the club fields. I do love the drive up to Turoa though, such beautiful scenery, with the rainforest giving way to the snow line and high alpine. I am really looking forward to having some time there again. There is a new (relocated) this year which opens up a few advanced runs, which previously required quite a traverse to get back to the lifts, looking forward to seeing that in operation.

[JA2340 16]

Which was, exactly, my point!

But I was comparing like with like. ski in-ski out at both. lift tix are another whole argument!

[gozaimaas 61]

Im at perisher now. Our snow is such poor quality compared to japan! Even though I know it I still get a shock when I first ride the aussie "snow". You could have ridden a skateboard around the mountain yesterday no problem, we copped 5cm last night and its still raining ice pellets so watch out!

[Go Native 70]

Ah the joy of wasting huge amounts of money at Aussie ski resorts. Have fun!

[gozaimaas 61]

I didnt even go out today. The only money they got out of me this season is the $700 freedom pass. I camped at Island Bend, took all my own food etc, I literally didnt spend a single dollar except petrol.

 

PS camping at Island Bend is truely wonderful, I had heaps of kangaroos hanging around watching me, also lots of wallabies, wombats, deer and rabbits getting around. I had more fun camping than boarding thats for sure.

[HelperElfMissy 42]

I will let you know this time next week if I had a good time or not.

I am headed over to take the 2nd offspring to get kitted out ready to cross over to the dark side (and ski).

We are only going for the weekend at this early stage in the season.

[SKI 15]

Did I ask why he was moving to the dark side Mamabear?

[hellyer 216]

Mama Bear, seeing as you and a cub are thinking of upgrading to skiing I thoughts I should bring you up to date on the Skiing vernacular

 

Understand Skiers' Slang

 

Compliments of Mogul Mick

Abattoir - Mogul Mick's signature freestyle move, where he catches big air off a roll and lands upon a six-pack of stupid snowboarders, sitting on their padded posteriors right in the middle of the run.

Abstem - Wedging out the tail of the downhill ski.

ACL - Acronym for Anterior Cruciate Ligament, the tearing of which produces skiers' worst knee injury.

Acro - Acrobatic skiing, linking jumps, flips and spins.

Air (as in Catching Air) - Jumping off the snow.

Airplane Turn - Turning the skis in mid-air, to engage a new set of edges upon landing a jump.

Alpine Skiing - The resort-based, sit and ride up, stand and slide down paradigm.

Apres Ski - The night-life of a ski area, preferred by some to slope-side activities.

ASS - Acronym for Abominable Snow Slider; anyone on the slopes who is wearing a really stupid-looking hat in order to get attention.

AT - Acronym for Alpine Touring, using free-heel safety bindings that lock down after climbing, along with downhill-style skis; backcountry skiing combing Nordic and Alpine functions.

ATS - Acronym for the American Teaching System; also known as "Always Teach Steering."

Avie - Avalanche.

BAFL - Acronym for Big Air, Flat Landing, which may result in compression fractures of the vertebrae.

Balance - The fundamental skill of skiing, also known as a sequence of linked recoveries.

Biff - To bump the snow with your body, as in a brief uphill fall and quick recovery.

Big Air - Leaving the ground for at least a couple of seconds of hang-time.

Boilerplate (Bulletproof) - Hard, dense, unedgeable ice, often created by a mid-winter thaw or rain.

Bomb Hole - Impression in the snow produced by landing big air.

Bombing (Booming, Schuss-booming) - Recklessly going straight down hill at high speed. The record for speed skiing is 150 mph.

Bonk - To bounce off an object. (Caution: this word is also Brit-speak for "shag")

Bono - Skiing full-speed into a tree.

Bowl - Steep, wide run, usually higher on both sides.

Bros - Our fellow rippers and shredders who are just out for fun, rather than doing big hucks for big bucks like some of the Pros.

Bumps (Moguls) - Series of small hills and troughs made by skiers repeatedly turning in the same place.

Bunny (Snow Bunny) - Novice female skier, usually more interested in posing than in skiing.

Bunny Hill - The beginner's slope.

Butt-Dragger - Beginning snowboarder.

Butt-Plant - Falling upon one's posterior, which is (almost) always good for a laugh.

Camber - The natural longitudinal curve of an unweighted ski's base, which gives it rebound out of turns.

Cap Ski - Monocoque ski construction, without a separate sidewall.

Carvaholic - Skier or snowboarder addicted to the sensation of carving.

Carving - Turning with the dug-in edge of a ski or snowboard, producing a crisp, clean arc without significant skidding or side-slipping.

Champagne Powder - Very dry snow, which is so light that it can't be made into a snowball.

Chatter - Vibrations produced by a ski not holding its edge on ice or hardpack.

Checking - Briefly setting an edge to reduce speed.

Chinese Downhill (Geschmozzle) - Race where everyone starts together.

Chocolate Chips - A cluster of rocks poking out of the snow.

Chowder - Chopped-up powder.

Christie - A skidded turn made on corresponding ski edges.

Chute - Steep, narrow run, usually higher on both sides.

Clamps - Bindings.

Cliff - Any drop of more than three feet.

CM - Acronym for Center of Mass, awareness of which is necessary for balance.

Coach - Psycho-babble for Snowsports Instructor.

Corduroy - Shallow, closely-spaced parallel grooves in the snow made by grooming machines.

Core Shot - An impact causing severe damage to a ski's base, exposing its core.

Corn - A type of spring snow that forms into small, light pellets.

Cornice - Overhanging ridge of windblown snow or ice.

Coulie (Couloir) - A narrow chute with rock walls on both sides.

Crud - Wet, heavy, clumpy, cut-up, mashed-potato-like snow, in which turning is difficult.

Cruising - Making big turns at high speed.

Crust - Frozen surface covering loose snow.

Daffy - Aerial with one ski forward, the other aft.

Damp - Ability of a ski to dampen or absorb vibrations.

Death Cookies - Firm or frozen clumps of snow, usually the result of incompetent snow-making.

Deeps - Deep powder conditions, requiring a powder cord or leash on your skis.

Disco Sticks - Short slalom and twin-tip skis, capable of very short radius turns.

Eagle (Spread Eagle) - Aerial with arms and legs spread apart.

Ego Snow - Machine-groomed packed powder, which holds an edge without much skill or effort.

Expert - Someone with the ability to ski under control in any terrain or snow condition.

Extreme - Ski conditions or tactics that put your life in danger.

Face-Plant - Falling on your face, which is rarely a funny situation.

Face Shot - Skiing fast in deep powder, causing it to fly up into your face.

Fakie (Going Fakie) - Skiing, snowboarding or skiboarding backwards.

Fall-Line - Path taken by a large ball rolling down a slope.

Fatty (Fat Ski) - A very wide ski designed for powder conditions.

Fib - Glib attempt to excuse a fall, by saying, "I caught an edge," or "I lost an edge."

Figure 11 (Schuss) - Running straight down hill, with skis parallel.

FIS - Acronym for Federation Internationale de Ski, which regulates World Cup ski competition.

Freecarving (Funcarving, Supercarving) - Laying down slow-speed trenches on hypercarvers without using poles.

Freerider - One who prefers to ski off-piste steeps, jab through the trees and huck powder bumps.

Freeride Skis (Riders) - Mid-fat, all-terrain skis that excel in the steep and deep.

Free Skiing - Non-competitive, non-task-oriented skiing, done for adventure, enjoyment, exploration and/or self-expression.

Freestyle - Aerials off a ramp or tricks on a timed mogul run, these are the only events at which the U.S. Olympic Ski Team excels.

Freshies - Fresh, untracked snow.

Frozen Chicken Heads - What you get when spring slush freezes.

Gapers - Spectators, whose location on the slope impedes one's downhill progress.

Gap Jump - Big sproing launched to carry you over a gap.

Garlands - Series of turns linked by sideslips, progressing in one direction.

Glades - Skiable terrain among the trees.

Gliding - Forward motion of an edged ski (or snow toy), as opposed to sliding any which way.

GLM - Acronym for Graduated-Length Method, a teaching technique using progressively longer skis.

Gnar (Gnarly) - Very challenging conditions.

Goods (The Goods) - Untracked powder, usually in the trees.

Gorilla Turn - Using the whole body to force the turn around.

Granular - Snow consisting of big, coarse crystals that look like rock salt.

Hardpack - Firm, almost icy snow.

Herringbone - "V"-shaped climbing step; duck-walking uphill.

Hinge - Falling downhill with great force.

Hip Check - Smearing one's butt on the snow while turning in steep powder, in order to scrub off speed.

Hit - Take-off point of a terrain feature, from which one can catch air.

Hoho - Handstand on the apex of a halfpipe.

Hooking - Tendency for a ski to turn uncontrollably.

Huck - To ski off a cliff or roll, catching big air.

Hurl Carcass - To huck in a really major way. The current record is 226 vertical feet.

Hypercarver - Short ski with a radical sidecut and a turn radius less than 14 meters, often skied without poles.

Invert - Aerial maneuver during which one is upside down.

Jetting - Accelerating while exiting a turn by projecting the feet forward.

Jibbing - Sliding down anything that isn't snow, such as a railing or sitting snowboarder.

Kicker - A big hit.

Kick Turn - Turning skis 180 degrees, one ski at a time, while stationary.

Knuckle-Dragger - Carving snowboarder.

Kodak Courage - Skiing foolishness, inspired by nearby ski magazine photographers.

Liftie (Lift Op) - Ski lift operator.

Lift-Lickers - Children who can't resist freezing their tongues to the chairlift.

Lunch Tray (aka "Launch" Tray) - Snowboard.

Manky - The nasty odor of polyester underwear after a strenuous day on the slopes.

Mid-Fat (Low-Fat) - A wider shaped ski, designed for both on- and off-piste skiing.

NASTAR - Acronym for NAtional STAndards Race, a group of small-scale standardized race courses at resorts across the country.

Noodle - A ski that lacks torsional rigidity, making it unstable at speed.

Nordic Skiing - Usually meant as cross-country ski touring on skinny skis with free-heel bindings; the Nordic skiing events in the Winter Olympics are something quite different.

Nosebone - Snowboard jump with front leg straight and rear leg flexed.

Off-Piste - Ungroomed portion of the ski area.

Ollie - Snowboard pre-jump move, where one foot is lifted before the other.

Out-of-Bounds - Unpatrolled regions outside the designated ski area.

Pack - To slam hard.

Parabolic - Hourglass-shaped ski, with a much wider tip and tail to increase ease of turning and carving.

Park - The snowboard terrain area, with hits and half-pipes.

Pin-Head - Dedicated telemark skier.

Pipe - Half-pipe in a terrain park; also, drug paraphernalia used by snowboarders on long chairlift rides.

Piste - Packed snow.

Planker (Two-Planker) - A skier.

Poaching - Skiing out of bounds.

Poodle Turns - Show-dog demo turns made by PSIA Instructors, even when they're not teaching.

Poma - Mr. Pomagalski's brand name, now a generic term for platter-pull lifts.

Pooping - Sitting back on the skis, while bent at the waist.

Pop - Ski rebound, which catapults you from one turn into the next.

Posing - Trying to get noticed.

Posse - The group of people you usually ski or ride with.

Pow (Pow-Pow, Powder) - Light, dry, fluffy snow.

Powder Elevens - Schussing in powder.

Powder Hound - Skier preoccupied with sniffing out powder stashes.

Powder Pig - Skier prone to wallowing in the deep, white stuff.

Pre-jump - To lift skis or board into the air before reaching the crest of a jump.

PSIA - Acronym for Professional Ski Instructors of America.

P-tex - Polyethylene ski base material.

Quiver - One's collection of skis, each pair specialized for a different purpose.

Rag Doll - Someone who tumbles downhill while limp and presumably unconscious.

Railing - When an edged ski runs uncontrollably straight instead of turning.

Rebound - Kinetic energy released by a decambered ski; pop.

Retraction - Pulling the skis up towards the body with the legs, to change edges or absorb bumps.

Ripper - An accomplished, carving skier.

Rolls - Sudden drop-offs, where the slope rolls over an edge.

Royal - Carved turn made only on the inside ski.

Ruade - Turn made by lifting both ski tails and pivoting on their tips.

Run - Designated ski slope or trail.

Run Rubbish - Packs of snowboarders blocking runs.

Scissoring - Crossing one's ski tips, with edge-to-edge contact.

Scrapers - Snowboarders who sit on their butts and scrape their way down steep slopes.

Screaming Starfish - Someone cartwheeling downhill while yelling for help.

Shaped Ski - Modern ski with a pronounced sidecut.

Shovel - Upturned portion of a ski's tip.

Shredder - An accomplished, carving snowboarder.

Sick - Extreme, hairy, dangerous.

Sideslip - Sliding sideways down the hill by releasing the edges.

Sierra Cement - Central California's heavy, moist powder.

Sitzmark (Bathtub) - Impression left in the snow by a fall.

Skiboards - Very short shaped skis with non-releasing bindings, designed for tricks and skating on snow.

Ski Bum - Someone who has discovered the best alternative to working.

Ski Patroller Turns - Linked short-swing parallel turns down the fall line, using heel-thrust edge-checks.

Slam - To crash or fall hard.

Slash-'n-Burn Turn - A carved, banked turn off a wall.

Slow-Dog Noodle Turn - Going over a bump while sitting way back on your skis.

Smack (Talking Smack) - Bragging.

Smear - To scrub off speed on the steeps by dragging your hip across the snow.

Snotsicle - Frozen nasal discharge, usually the result of cold-induced rhinorrhea.

Snow Farm - Ski area depending primarily upon man-made snow.

Snow Gun - Device used to mix water and compressed air to produce ersatz snow.

Snow Scum - Skiers or snowboarders who ignore the Responsibility Code.

Snow Toys - Devices used for gliding on snow by those who are unable to ski.

Spring Conditions - When snow freezes at night and thaws during the day.

Sproing (Gelandesprung) - Using your momentum and a double pole plant to lift your skis off the snow and clear an obstacle.

Stack - To land a jump on a flat area.

Steeps - From double black diamond runs to the snow-holding limit of vertical, about 55 degrees.

Stem - To push out or wedge the tail of the uphill ski.

Sticks (Planks) - Skis; sticks are also what beginning children call their ski poles.

Style - The individual expression of technique.

Sucker Hole - Fleeting patch of blue in an otherwise overcast sky.

Super-Sidecut - Modern recreational ski, with a sidecut of at least 14 mm.

Sweet Spot - The balance point on a ski that produces optimum turning; the bigger sweet spot, the more forgiving the ski and the lower its performance in demanding situations.

Swing Turns - Tip-pivoted parallel turns down the fall-line, with quick edge-checks.

Take-off - The lip of a jump's in-run.

Telemarking - Skiing alpine runs on free-heel skis, making turns by kneeling on one ski.

Ten-Eighty - Aerial spin with three complete revolutions.

Ten Eighty-Three - Ski School radio code for a lost child.

Terrain Features - Natural or man-made obstacles on a run.

Toilet Turns - Sloppy turns made from the pooping position.

Torsional Rigidity - The resistance of a ski to twisting about its long axis, considered a desirable feature.

Trail - Marked ski run.

Transition - The sloped back side of a man-made jump, beyond the table-top.

Traverse - Skiing across the fall line, without turning.

Tree Well - Skier-trapping depression in the snow that surrounds a tree trunk.

Trench - Deeply-carved track of a ski or snowboard.

Trustafarian - Rich but ragged ski bum, pretending to be poor.

Unweighting - Any movement, up or down, that reduces the downward pressure on a ski or snowboard.

USSA - Acronym for United States Ski Association, a national race organization.

Vermin - Groups of snowboarders or skiers blocking access to the lift lines.

Vorlage - Moving one's weight forward just before a turn.

Wedeln - Linking hip-wiggling turns down the fall line, feet and knees locked together, edge-set minimal.

Wedge - Snowplow or double-stem position.

Wide-Track - Parallel skiing with feet 12 to 18 inches apart.

Winter Theme Park - A former ski area that has become over-run with snow toys.

White Room - Deep, dry powder.

Windshield Wipers - Sloppy, heavily skidded turns.

Worm Turn - A turn initiated with a biff.

Yard Sale - Losing articles of gear and clothing while tumbling downhill.

Zipper Line - The fastest route down through a mogul field.

Zorb - A huge sphere that rolls down the slope with a person inside; the worst of all snow toys.

[systemsguy 0]

Frozen Chicken Heads - What you get when spring slush freezes

 

[hellyer 216]

Re Skiers Slang - this is not limited to the Southern Hemisphere so I think I will give it it's own topic

 

It's now here. http://www.snowjapanforums.com/index.php/topic/21872-skiers-dictionary/

[gozaimaas 61]

Well they are seriously talking up the snow the next low pressure system is going to deliver. Its a double header low with freeze levels around 800m in the nsw resorts. Talk is 60cm at this stage with thursday being the start. I am going to do sunday monday to get on the end of the system and will definately report back with some pics etc.

[Mike Pow 52]

Valle Nevado, Chile opens on 23 June.

 

Looks like a good start in S America

[hellyer 216]

Have you ski'd in SA Mike?

 

It's on my bucket list.

[JA2340 16]

Not sure I know what being obtuse is, was just joshing.

No stairs at home is surely a problem there!

Time for a year 5 mathemetics lesson, then?

Look up "obtuse angle" then "acute angle" - then tell me what the difference between obtuse and acute is!

 

Then ... look at my earlier post and tell me you don't understand. (if you do, I will comment - under my breath, of course - that you are much more obtuse that first suspected!)

[JA2340 16]

Have you ski'd in SA Mike?

 

It's on my bucket list.

Souf Austraya doesn't have any hills that get snow!

[hellyer 216]

ha ha

 

Then why do they call Mount Lofty Mount Lofty if it's not

[HelperElfMissy 42]

Did I ask why he was moving to the dark side Mamabear?

Someone did..

 

It is all about multiskilling to actually land a job in the currently tight market.

He will have a better chance if he is ski and snowboard crossover qualified.

Once he gets the first foot in the door it will be plain sailing, but we have had difficulty getting that first break.

 

He has skied before, and his original plan was to land a job instructing on a board and spend his downtime working on his skiing and getting crossover qualified so it is not such a big jump....just it is happening without the job part.

 

He is quite excited by the challenge.

[JA2340 16]

ha ha

 

Then why do they call Mount Lofty Mount Lofty if it's not

All relative, mate! "Lofty" compared to the surroundings, for sure! Bit short on snow, but!

[Mike Pow 52]

Have you ski'd in SA Mike?

 

It's on my bucket list.

 

 

Yeah a couple of times. It's definitely worth a trip.

 

Portillo, Chillan, Antillanca in Chile

Caviahue, Cerro Bayo, La Hoya, Las Lenas in Argentina

[frannyo 2]

You been around Mike!

[Mike Pow 52]

Been fortunate to work and play on skis on five of the seven continents.

 

Africa and Antarctica to go

[HelperElfMissy 42]

You have to do it Mike! What an awesome thing to be able to claim!

 

[Mike Pow 52]

Hopefully one day. Africa is very doable. Antarctica is super expensive

[gozaimaas 61]

25cm+ across all the aussie resorts last night with 3 more days of snowfall to come!