Learn some new vocabulary courtesy of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics (this information can be found on the Vancouver 2010 website)



Snowboard Dictionary

180 Air
An aerial manoeuvre in which the snowboard rotates 180 degrees — half of a spin.

360 Air
An aerial manoeuvre in which the snowboard rotates 360 degrees — one full spin.

540 Air
An aerial manoeuvre in which the snowboarder rotates 540 degrees — one-and-a-half spins.

Alley-Oop
Any manoeuvre in the halfpipe in which the rider rotates 180 degrees or more in an uphill direction.

Andrecht
A handplant using the rear hand while grabbing the board with the other.

Backside
The side of the snowboard on which the athlete’s heels rest.

Backside Air
A trick performed on the backside wall of the halfpipe where the athlete grabs the heel edge of the board with the front hand.


Blindside
Any rotation in which the snowboarder has oriented himself blind to his takeoff or landing and must stretch to look over his shoulder. Such a technique usually increases the level of difficulty.

Bone
To extend out one or both legs.

Bonk
Hitting an object while riding a snowboard. To hit a non-snow object with the snowboard while riding as part of a trick.

Boost
To become airborne off of a jump or halfpipe.

Bust
A more enthusiastic version of to the verb “to do”. To “bust a move”.


Cant
The angle at which either foot points pigeon-toed or duck-footed. Foot angle affects whether the snowboarder’s knees bend toward or away from each other.

Carve
To snowboard fast through corners.

Chatter
Vibration of the snowboard as a result of high speed, tight turns or icy conditions.

Corduroy
A term to describe the tracks left on a trail by a snowcat groomer. Corduroy is usually great for making clean turns.

Crail Air
An aerial manoeuvre in which the athlete’s rear hand grabs the toe edge in front of the front foot while the rear leg is straight.

Crippler Air
An aerial manoeuvre in which the snowboarder performs a 180-degree flip. The athlete approaches the wall of the halfpipe riding forward and lands riding forward.

Double Grab
Performing two separate grab tricks in one aerial manoeuvre.


Duckfoot
A snowboard stance where the athlete’s toes point outward.

Effective Edge
The length of the snowboard’s metal edge that makes contact with the snow.

Eggplant
A one-handed 180-degree invert in which the front hand is planted on the lip of the halfpipe wall and the rotation is backside.

Elgeurial
An invert in which the halfpipe wall is approached fakie, the rear hand is planted, a 360-degree backside rotation is made, and the rider lands going forward.

Fakie
Riding backwards.

Flat bottom
The area in the halfpipe between the two walls.

Flatground
Tricks performed on a flat slope.

Frontside Air
Any air performed on the frontside wall of the halfpipe.

Frontside Handplant
A manoeuvre in which the rider places the front hand on the lip of the halfpipe and rotates 180 degrees in the frontside direction.

Frontside Rotation
Rotating counter-clockwise for a regular-footed snowboarder or rotating clockwise for a goofy-footed snowboarder.

GoofyFooted
Riding a snowboard with the right foot forward.

Grab
To hold the edge of the snowboard with one or both hands during an air or other trick.

Haaken Flip
An inverted aerial in which the snowboarder approaches the wall of the halfpipe riding backwards. At the lip of the halfpipe, the athlete flips backwards into the pipe and rotates 720 degrees, landing forward down in the pipe. Named after its originator Terje Haakonsen.

Halfpipe
A vertical U-shaped snow structure used in freestyle snowboarding to catch air and perform tricks by travelling back and forth from one side of the halfpipe to the other.

Ho Ho
Any two-handed handplant.

HolePattern
The pattern of holes on the top of a snowboard through which the bindings are fastened.

Indy Air
An aerial manoeuvre performed on the backside wall with the rear hand grabbing the board between the bindings. Indy can also be used to describe the location of the grab.

JapanAir
An aerial manoeuvre in which the athlete’s front hand grabs the toe edge between the feet, the front knee is tucked, the board is pulled up and the back is arched.

Jib
To ride on a non-snow surface such as rails and logs.

J-Tear
Named after its originator Mike Jacoby, this maneuver involves an invert in which the athlete rotates roughly 540 degrees in a front-side direction while planting one or both hands on the lip of the wall.

Leash
A device used to attach the snowboard to the athlete’s front foot stopping it from sliding away while getting in or out of the bindings.

Layback Handplant
A manoeuvre in which the rider places the rear hand on the lip of the halfpipe and rotates 180 degrees in the frontside direction.

Lien Air
An aerial manoeuvre on the frontside wall where the rider grabs the snowboard’s heel edge with his front hand and leans over the nose of the board.


McEgg
An invert in which the athlete plants the front hand on the wall, rotates 540 degrees in a backside direction and lands riding forward.

McTwist
Named after skateboarder Mike McGill, the athlete approaches the halfpipe wall riding forward, becomes airborne, rotates 540 degrees in a backside direction while performing a front flip, and lands riding forward.Melonchollie Air
An aerial manoeuvre where the rider reaches behind the front leg with the front hand and grabs the heel edge between the bindings while the front leg is boned.

Michalchuk
Named after its originator Mike Michalchuk, an invert done on the backside wall of the halfpipe where the rider does a backflip with a 180-degree backside rotation.

Miller Flip
An invert where the halfpipe wall is approached riding forward, the front hand is planted, a 360-degree front-side rotation is made, and the rider lands riding fakie (backwards).

Mosquito Air
An aerial trick in which the athlete reaches behind the front leg with his front hand and grabs the heel edge between the bindings. The front knee is then bent to touch the board.

Mute Air
An aerial manoeuvre where the rider grabs the snowboard’s toe edge with his front hand either between the bindings or at the front of the board.

Nollie
A method of obtaining air without jumping. It is performed by first lifting the rear foot, then lifting the front foot as the rider springs off the nose.

Ollie
A method to obtain air without jumping by first lifting the front foot, then lifting the rear foot as the rider springs off the tail.

Palmer Air
Named after its originator Shawn Palmer, an aerial manoeuvre in which the board is grabbed near the nose, pulled across the front of the body and pointed downward.

Phillips 66
Named after skateboarder Jeff Phillips, an invert in which the athlete approaches the halfpipe wall riding fakie, plants the rear hand on the lip of the halfpipe while doing a front flip, and lands in the transition area riding forward.

Pipe Dragon
A grooming machine used to groom halfpipes.

PlateBinding
A binding system in which hard boots are attached to the snowboard by a flat plate similar to ski bindings.Pop Tart
An aerial move in which the rider goes up backwards and lands going forward, without rotating.

Roast Beef Air
An aerial manoeuvre in which the rider grabs the snowboard’s heel edge between the bindings with the rear hand and straightens the rear leg.

Ride
Another term for snowboarding.

Rocket Air
An aerial manoeuvre in which the rider grabs the toe edge in front of the front foot with the front hand, the back leg is straightened and the board points perpendicular to the ground.

Rocker
The opposite of camber. When the snowboard is placed on a flat surface, it rests only on the centre portion.Rodeo Flip
An invert where the athlete rotates diagonally over his/her shoulder while flipping.

RollDown the Windows
A phrase used to describe when a snowboarder is caught off-balance and they rotate their arms wildly in the air to try to recover.

RolloutDeck
The horizontal part of the halfpipe wall that serves as a vantage point, waiting area, or walkway to the uphill end of the pipe.

Sato Flip
An invert done on the front-side wall of a halfpipe in which the rider does a front flip with a 180-degree rotation front-side.

Seatbelt Air
An aerial manoeuvre in which the rider reaches across his/her body with the front hand and grabs the snowboard’s tail while the front leg is straightened.

Shifty Air
An aerial manoeuvre in which the upper torso and lower body are twisted in opposite directions and then returned to normal. The front leg is usually straight.

Sidecut Radius
The measure of the circle's radius to which the sidecut of the snowboard corresponds. A small radius will make for tighter turning than a large radius.

Slob Air
The athlete performs a mute grab with the front hand while the back leg is straightened and the board is kept parallel to the ground.

Snowboard Cross
A competition in which four snowboard racers start in a pack down a course, racing against each other over rolling terrain and a series of jumps and ramps.

Speed Check
To slide sideways in order to quickly slow down before a jump or other situation where speed control is necessary.

Stalefish Air
An aerial manoeuvre in which the athlete grabs the heel edge behind the rear leg with the rear hand, while the rear leg is straightened.

Stance
The position of the feet, regular or goofy-foot, on the snowboard.

Stiffy Air
Any aerial in which both legs are straightened and a grab is done.

Stomp Pad
The piece of non-slip material on the snowboard, attached to the back binding. The stomp pad provides a place to rest your back foot when getting on or off a lift.

Switchstance
Performing a trick while riding backwards when the manoeuvre is performed exactly like it would be if riding forward.

Tail Wheelie
To ride solely on the tail of the snowboard with the nose in the air.

Taipan Air
An aerial manoeuvre in which the athlete reaches behind his/her front foot and grabs the toe edge between the bindings with the front hand. The front knee is then bent to touch the board.

Traverse
To ride perpendicular to the fall line. In the halfpipe, a freestyle rider traverses the flat bottom in order to perform tricks on either wall.

Twin Tip
A snowboard with an identically shaped nose and tail which enables the board to ride equally well in either direction.

Vertical
The vertical topmost portion of the walls of a halfpipe which allows the snowboarder to fly straight up into the air.

Wet Cat
An inverted aerial in which the athlete plants the front hand on the wall, rotates 900 degrees in a backside direction and lands riding forward. It is a 900-degree McTwist.