30 Must-Know Snowboarding Terms, Phrases and Slang

63 snowboarding terms explained, from carve, butter and switch to jerry, yard sale and catching an edge, plus the slang riders use.

Snowboarding terminology arrived with the sport itself, borrowed part from surfing and part from skateboarding, then grown on chairlifts ever since. Some of it is precise, like piste, kicker and switch. Some of it is pure snowboard slang, like shred, jerry and stomp. The words related to snowboarding below run from the parts of the board to the features in the terrain park, and the words associated with mountain life come with them. The snowboarding glossary sorts the lot alphabetically.

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Must-Know Snowboarding Terms, Phrases and Slang:

1. Backcountry
2. Bonk
3. Buttering
4. Carve
5. Half-pipe
6. Jibbing
7. Nose
8. Powder
9. Rail
10. Regular Stance
11. Ripper
12. Shred
13. Slopestyle
14. Tail
15. Freeride
16. Goofy Stance
17. Grab
18. Kicker
19. Piste
20. Stomp
21. Switch
22. Terrain Park
23. Vert
24. Wax
25. Chairlift
26. Gondola
27. Catching an Edge
28. Falling leaf
29. Face Plant
30. Snowcat

Snowboarding Glossary: Every Term A to Z

Numbers and Terms B to D

Term	What It Means
50-50	Sliding a rail with the board pointed straight along it.
Backcountry	Terrain outside the patrolled resort boundary. Untouched snow, and avalanche risk that is yours to manage.
Base	The plastic underside of the board that runs on the snow and holds the wax.
Big air	A competition with one huge jump, judged on the single best tricks.
Bindings	The mounts that hold the boots to the board, adjustable for angle and width.
Boardslide	Sliding a rail with the board across it.
Bonk	Deliberately tapping the board off an object such as a tree stump or a rail while riding past.
Box	A flat-topped park feature, wider than a rail and the usual first step into jibbing.
Buttering	Pressing on the nose or tail and spinning on it, with the rest of the board off the snow.
Camber	The upward arch in a board between the feet, which loads energy into a turn.
Carve	Riding on the edge so the board cuts a clean arc instead of skidding.
Catching an Edge	The uphill edge biting into the snow unintentionally, which puts a rider down fast.
Chairlift	The open lift with a looped cable and hanging chairs that carries riders back up.
Corduroy	The ribbed surface left by the grooming machines. Best carving snow of the day, early.
Cork	An off-axis spin, as in cork 1080.
Directional	A board with a longer nose than tail, made to ride mainly in one direction.
Drop In	Starting a run down a steep face or a pipe wall. Also the call made before doing it.

Terms E to K

Term	What It Means
Edge	The steel strip along each side of the board that holds the snow in a turn.
Face Plant	Landing face first in the snow, usually after catching an edge.
Fall Line	The most direct line down the slope, the way a ball would roll.
Falling leaf	The first way beginners control speed: the board stays across the slope on one edge while the rider slides nose first, then tail first, zigzagging down. The skier’s wedge is not possible on a snowboard.
Freeride	Riding natural terrain for its own sake rather than for park features or competition.
Gnar	Steep, scary or difficult terrain, from gnarly.
Gondola	An enclosed cabin lift, used on longer or more exposed routes than a chairlift.
Goofy Stance	Riding with the right foot forward.
Grab	Taking hold of the board in the air, named by which hand grabs which edge.
Half-pipe	A U-shaped snow channel ridden wall to wall for airs above the lip.
Heel edge	The edge of the board under the heels.
Indy	A grab with the back hand on the toe edge between the feet.
Jerry	A rider whose mistakes give away their inexperience. Usually said with affection.
Jibbing	Sliding or grinding on anything that is not snow: rails, boxes, logs, whatever is there.
Kicker	A built jump, shaped to launch a rider into the air on a set trajectory.
Knuckle	The rounded edge between the top of a jump and its landing.

Terms L to S

Term	What It Means
Leash	The strap connecting the board to the leg, required by some resorts to stop runaway boards.
Method	A grab with the front hand on the heel edge, with the board pulled up behind the rider.
Nose	The front end of the board.
Off-piste	Everything outside the marked and groomed runs.
Ollie	Popping off the tail to get airborne with no jump under you.
One-footing	Riding or skating with only the front foot strapped in, as when getting off a lift.
Park Rat	Someone who spends the whole day in the terrain park and never leaves it.
Piste	A marked, prepared run. From the French, and used across European resorts.
Pow	Short for powder.
Powder	Fresh, light, untracked snow. The reason people set alarms.
Rail	A metal bar in the park to slide or grind along.
Regular Stance	Riding with the left foot forward. The more common of the two stances.
Ripper	A rider who is genuinely good, at ease on any terrain.
Rocker	The reverse of camber, curving up at nose and tail. Easier to spin and float in powder.
Shred	To ride hard and well. Also just to go snowboarding, said with enthusiasm.
Sidecut	The curve of the board’s edge from tip to tail, which sets how tightly it can turn.
Slopestyle	A contest format on a course of jumps, rails and other features, judged on the whole run.
Slush	Wet, soft afternoon snow late in the season. Slow, forgiving and easy to fall in.
Snowcat	The tracked machine that grooms the runs overnight, and carries riders uphill in cat skiing.
Splitboard	A board that splits into two skis for climbing in the backcountry and locks together for riding down.
Stomp	To land a trick cleanly and hold it, with no hand down and no slide out.
Superpipe	A large competition half-pipe with walls about 22 feet high.
Switch	Riding with the other foot forward than usual. Doing tricks switch counts for more.

Terms T to Y

Term	What It Means
Tail	The back end of the board.
Terrain Park	The section of a resort built for freestyle riding, with jumps, rails, boxes and often a pipe.
Toe edge	The edge of the board under the toes.
Twin tip	A board with the same shape at both ends, so it rides the same in either direction.
Vert	The steep upper part of a pipe wall, and by extension the airtime it makes possible.
Wax	The coating melted into the base to cut friction. Matched to snow temperature.
Yard Sale	A crash bad enough to leave gear scattered across the slope behind you.

What Is It Called When…? Snowboarding Terms by Situation

Know what happened but not the word for it? Find the situation on the left and the snowboarding term on the right.

When…	It Is Called
You slide down the slope sideways on the heel edge	Side slipping
You press on the nose or tail and spin on the flat	Buttering
You ride with the wrong foot forward	Riding switch
You dig the downhill edge in and slam	Catching an edge
You crash and your gear is scattered all over the slope	Yard sale
You ride with only one foot strapped in	One-footing
You land a trick perfectly	Stomp
You jump from flat ground by popping off the tail	Ollie
You slide on rails and boxes	Jibbing
You hold the board in the air	Grab
You turn on the edge without skidding	Carve
You drift left and right on one edge as a beginner	Falling leaf
You fall face first into the snow	Face plant
You ride fresh, untouched snow	Powder
You ride fresh grooming in the morning	Corduroy
You leave the marked runs	Off-piste
You spin off axis in the air	Cork
You bounce off an object with the board	Bonk

#1 Backcountry

Terrain outside the resort boundary that is not patrolled, groomed or controlled for avalanches. Riders reach it by hiking, splitboarding or snowmobile, and carry an avalanche beacon, shovel and probe. Riding through a backcountry gate means leaving the resort’s safety net behind.

In a sentence: “Fresh snow up top, but we’re not going backcountry without beacons.”

#2 Bonk

Tapping or bouncing off an object with the board, such as a tree stump, a barrel or the end of a rail. Bonks are a staple of park and street riding because almost any obstacle can be bonked.

In a sentence: “He bonked the trash can and rode away clean.”

#3 Buttering

Pressing on the nose or tail so the other end lifts off the snow, then pivoting or spinning on the flex of the board. Butters are done on flat snow and need a soft, flexible board. A nose butter 360 is a common park trick.

In a sentence: “Watch her butter that 360 off the side of the run.”

#4 Carve

A turn made on the edge alone, so the board cuts a clean line in the snow without sliding sideways. A good carve leaves a pencil-thin track. Deep, laid-over carves with a hand on the snow are called eurocarves.

In a sentence: “Those carves on the corduroy are perfect, two thin lines and no skid.”

#5 Half-pipe

A U-shaped channel of snow with walls on both sides that riders use to launch tricks above the lip. Olympic superpipes have walls about 22 feet high. Halfpipe has been an Olympic snowboard event since Nagano 1998.

In a sentence: “Five hits in the half-pipe and every one above the lip.”

#6 Jibbing

Riding on anything that is not snow, such as rails, boxes, logs or benches. Jibbing grew out of skateboarding and is the core of park and street snowboarding. Jib parks at resorts are built mostly from rails and boxes.

In a sentence: “No jumps today, we’re jibbing the rail line all afternoon.”

#7 Nose

The front end of the board in the direction of travel. On twin-tip boards the nose and tail are the same shape, so the board rides the same both ways. Directional boards have a longer, softer nose that floats better in powder.

In a sentence: “Lean on the nose and the board turns faster.”

#8 Powder

Fresh, untracked snow, often called pow. Riders set their bindings back and lean on the tail so the nose floats on top instead of diving under. A powder day is one after a big overnight snowfall.

In a sentence: “Thirty centimeters overnight, it’s a powder day.”

#9 Rail

A metal pipe or bar set up in the terrain park for sliding. Riders slide them sideways in a boardslide or along the board in a 50-50. Down rails, flat rails and kinked rails all need different timing.

In a sentence: “Hit the flat rail first before you try the kink.”

#10 Regular Stance

Riding with the left foot in front. It is the more common stance, and the word comes from surfing and skateboarding. A quick test is to see which foot steps forward to catch a fall.

In a sentence: “You’re regular, so your left foot goes up front.”

#11 Ripper

A rider who is very good, fast and confident on any terrain. To rip means to ride hard and well. It is high praise, and it is not reserved for professionals.

In a sentence: “That ten-year-old is a total ripper.”

#12 Shred

To snowboard, especially hard and with style. A shredder is a snowboarder, and “shred the gnar” means riding steep, difficult terrain. The word is used in skateboarding and surfing too.

In a sentence: “Let’s shred until the lifts close.”

#13 Slopestyle

A competition on a course of rails, boxes and big jumps, riding from top to bottom with tricks on each feature. Judges score the whole run. Slopestyle joined the Olympics at Sochi 2014.

In a sentence: “She went big on every jump in the slopestyle final.”

#14 Tail

The back end of the board. Riders lean on it for ollies, tail presses and turns in deep snow. On a directional board the tail is shorter and stiffer than the nose.

In a sentence: “Load the tail, then pop.”

#15 Freeride

Riding the whole mountain off the groomed runs: steeps, trees, couloirs and powder. Freeride boards are directional and stiffer. The Freeride World Tour is the main competition series.

In a sentence: “He’s a freeride guy, you’ll never see him in the park.”

#16 Goofy Stance

Riding with the right foot in front, the opposite of regular. The name comes from surfing, often linked to a 1930s Disney cartoon in which Goofy surfs right foot forward. Goofy riders are a minority, but there is nothing wrong with it.

In a sentence: “She’s goofy, so set her bindings the other way round.”

#17 Grab

Holding the board with a hand in the air. Each grab has a name depending on hand and place, such as indy, melon, mute, stalefish and method. Grabs are scored by judges and add style to a jump.

In a sentence: “Grab longer, that indy was barely a tap.”

#18 Kicker

A jump built of snow with a steep ramp at the end that throws the rider into the air. Park kickers come in small, medium and large lines. The flat part at the top of the landing is called the knuckle, and landing on it hurts.

In a sentence: “Start on the small kicker until you clear the knuckle.”

#19 Piste

A marked and groomed run at a ski resort, from the French word for track. Pistes are graded by color, which differs between Europe and North America. Off-piste means everything outside the marked runs.

In a sentence: “We stayed on the piste because the avalanche risk was high.”

#20 Stomp

To land a trick cleanly and solidly, with both feet balanced and no hand drag. A stomped landing is the goal of every jump. Riders also say they stuck it.

In a sentence: “He stomped the 1080, not even a wobble.”

#21 Switch

Riding with the weaker foot in front, the opposite of the natural stance. Switch riding doubles the number of tricks a rider can do, and judges reward switch takeoffs. Beginners usually find it like learning to ride again.

In a sentence: “Ride switch down the cat track to practice.”

#22 Terrain Park

An area of the resort with built features like jumps, rails, boxes and a half-pipe. Features are graded by size, and park etiquette asks riders to call their drop before going.

In a sentence: “Meet you at the top of the terrain park.”

#23 Vert

The vertical drop of a run or resort, measured in feet or meters from top to bottom. Riders log their daily vertical with apps. Vert also refers to the near-vertical top of the half-pipe walls.

In a sentence: “We rode over 10,000 feet of vert today.”

#24 Wax

A coating ironed or rubbed onto the base so the board glides and does not stick. Temperature-specific waxes work best in warm, cold or very cold snow. A dry, white base is a sign that the board needs waxing.

In a sentence: “Your base is bone dry, it needs a wax.”

#25 Chairlift

A lift of chairs on a cable. Snowboarders ride up with the front foot strapped in and the back foot free, then push off the ramp with one foot. Getting off the chair without falling is one of the first skills beginners learn.

In a sentence: “Keep your back foot on the board as the chairlift unloads.”

#26 Gondola

An enclosed lift cabin hanging from a cable, often taking riders from the valley to the upper mountain. Boards are carried in racks outside or taken inside. Gondolas run in weather that closes open chairlifts.

In a sentence: “The gondola takes you straight up from the village.”

#27 Catching an Edge

Letting the downhill edge of the board dig into the snow by accident, usually while riding flat or turning. The board stops while the rider keeps going, often in a hard slam onto the back or face. It is the most common cause of beginner falls.

In a sentence: “Ride on your uphill edge or you’ll catch an edge.”

#28 Falling leaf

A beginner exercise in which the rider slides down the slope on one edge, drifting left and right like a falling leaf without turning. It teaches edge control and speed control before linked turns.

In a sentence: “Two runs of falling leaf on the heel edge, then try the toes.”

#29 Face Plant

A fall straight onto the face, usually from catching the toe edge or diving into deep powder. It is more embarrassing than dangerous in soft snow.

In a sentence: “He caught his toe edge and did a full face plant.”

#30 Snowcat

A tracked vehicle that grooms the runs at night and leaves the corduroy pattern. Some operators also use snowcats to take riders to untouched powder, called cat skiing or cat boarding.

In a sentence: “We booked a day of snowcat riding in the backcountry.”

Snowboarding Slang Players and Fans Actually Use

Slang	What It Means
Jerry	A clueless or kooky rider, often in poor gear and making obvious mistakes. A big crash can be called a jerry too.
Shredder	A snowboarder, especially a good one.
Yard sale	A crash that leaves gear, gloves and goggles spread across the slope.
Park rat	A rider who spends all day in the terrain park.
Pow day	A day with fresh powder snow.
Bluebird	A clear, sunny day after a snowfall.
Steezy	Stylish and easy, from style plus ease.
Sick	Excellent, impressive.
Send it	To commit fully to a jump or line.
Gaper	A clueless tourist on the slopes, often given away by the gaper gap of bare forehead between goggles and helmet.
Corduroy	Freshly groomed snow with its ridged pattern, named after the fabric.
Huck	To throw yourself off a jump or cliff, often without much control.

Snowboarding Expressions and Sayings in Everyday English

• Send it: Go for it without holding back. Used far beyond the slopes for any bold decision.
• No friends on a powder day: Riders’ rule that nobody waits for anyone when fresh snow has fallen. Often joked about, sometimes taken seriously.
• Shred the gnar: Ride the steepest, most difficult terrain, now a jokey phrase for doing anything with gusto.
• Yard sale: Used outside the sport for any messy, scattered situation, borrowed from the image of gear spread across the snow after a crash.

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