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Ski slang.

ski diva

Administrator
Staff member
What's your favorite bit of ski slang? Or your least?

I love "white ribbon of death." What could be more picturesque? Don't you get a charge just using it, as in "Oh yes, I skied the white ribbon of death this morning"? Makes you sound positively death-defying!

And I could do without "gaper." An ugly word that's just plain mean.
 

SnowHot

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
"land it"

When my nephew or one of his buddies from above a jump yells to me, while I'm taking pics of them, "Did he land it"...........
My Punny side always wants to say........Of course, its called GRAVITY!
 

BackCountryGirl

Angel Diva
This is slang that another instructor and I are trying to coin -- when you see a runaway ski or board, shout "bullet!" to warn those below.
 

Lola

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
How about 'death cookies'?

What are death cookies? Well here in the east, where the slopes can get icy . . . and after the grooming machines try to break-up the icy spots . . . there are little hard rocks of ice all across the trail that are affectionately known as death cookies.
 

ISki

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Sheet of ice - my favorite
Mogul mouse
Snow snake
Face plant
Sierra cement - heavy wet snow. The opposite of Champagne Powder. Tahoe.
Corn
Mush
Straight skis

I agree about gaper.
 

BackCountryGirl

Angel Diva
How about the term "yard sale," to describe a spectacular wipe-out that results in gloves, pools, poles, and skis sprawled along the hill?
 

Jilly

Moderator
Staff member
Least favorite - Snow Bunny and bunny slope. I've a great T-shirt with double black diamonds (as 2 on a trail map) are a girls best friend on it. Gaper at Mt. Tremblant is a british kid who is on the "ski le gap" or "ride le gap" program. So up here its not so bad.
 

altagirl

Moderator
Staff member
And I could do without "gaper." An ugly word that's just plain mean.

What's your preferred term for the clueless who endanger themselves and others as they stop to gape at the scenery around blind corners, under jumps, or in the middle of a high speed traverse?

Yes, it's mean if someone is making fun of others clothing and gear - I'm glad to see people getting out skiing no matter what they're wearing, or if their skis are 15 years old. But the ones who stand around on a traverse to look around when there is a huge line of people who can't get by and will now have to hike because you made them scrub all of their speed - all because you're too lazy and clueless to move off of the traverse to stop... they deserve a derogatory name. And "gaper" is one of the nicer things that come to mind.
 

ski diva

Administrator
Staff member
What's your preferred term for the clueless who endanger themselves and others as they stop to gape at the scenery around blind corners, under jumps, or in the middle of a high speed traverse?

How about "clueless idiot?" :becky:

I've always heard the term "gaper" comes from the gap that can occur between one's goggles and hat and/or helmet. Though if that's the case, shouldn't it be "gapper"?

BTW, I think it's mean when it refers to someone's, shall we say, fashion sense.
 

altagirl

Moderator
Staff member
How about "clueless idiot?" :becky:

I've always heard the term "gaper" comes from the gap that can occur between one's goggles and hat and/or helmet. Though if that's the case, shouldn't it be "gapper"?

BTW, I think it's mean when it refers to someone's, shall we say, fashion sense.

I've always had it as explained as a person who is standing there "gaping" at something. As in jaw dropped, looking around at other skiers, the scenery, while blocking the entry to the lift line, etc.

And the gaper gap is just the gap between goggles and helmet that seems to happen regularly to the same people standing around gaping at things and generally being in the way... (Otherwise, I agree with you - it should be a "gapper" not a "gaper".)

Not that it isn't understandable to want, or even NEED to check out the scenery or watch someone jumping off of a cliff. We all do it. But hopefully we all have the presence of mind to find a safe vantage point to watch or take pictures from without being a public nuisance. (And can manage to keep our foreheads covered while wearing goggles and a helmet.) ;)
 

sibhusky

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I also find "gaper" extraordinarily irritating. It's okay when I refer to myself as not minding looking like a gaper due to my clothing, but beyond that, I would only use it in family discussions in private. Many of the sitting-in-the-middle-of-the-trail type people are not in fact true "gapers" as that refers to people who use Ski Totes and rent their helmets, etc. Many of these a***oles doing these things have in fact been skiing for YEARS and are just as clueless or inconsiderate when they drive, play golf, whatever.

One of the topics over at EpicSki, where I came from, revolved around what constituted a gaper and I complained over there, too. The problem is, the more you have others around you using the term, the more it seems like a concept that should be accepted. But there are creeps over there who like to throw the word at anyone whose point of view they disagree with.
 

altagirl

Moderator
Staff member
I also find "gaper" extraordinarily irritating. It's okay when I refer to myself as not minding looking like a gaper due to my clothing, but beyond that, I would only use it in family discussions in private. Many of the sitting-in-the-middle-of-the-trail type people are not in fact true "gapers" as that refers to people who use Ski Totes and rent their helmets, etc. Many of these a***oles doing these things have in fact been skiing for YEARS and are just as clueless or inconsiderate when they drive, play golf, whatever.

One of the topics over at EpicSki, where I came from, revolved around what constituted a gaper and I complained over there, too. The problem is, the more you have others around you using the term, the more it seems like a concept that should be accepted. But there are creeps over there who like to throw the word at anyone whose point of view they disagree with.

I agree with you - except that the definition/usage gets distorted. It's one of those offensive words like "retarded" and "gay" that has an actual meaning though it's often not used to even describe anything remotely similar to the original meaning. Calling someone a gaper for disagreeing with your political views makes as much sense as a traffic jam being "gay" or some such thing. And calling someone a gaper for wearing out of date clothing isn't much better.

Personally - I'm not editing "gaper" out of my vocabulary. You won't hear me making fun of peoples attire (okay, unless you paint leopard spots on everything you own or are wearing some ridiculous pretentious fur thing on your head with a Bogner one piece... or are otherwise begging for attention - I don't make fun of people who just have older gear), but if I refer to someone as a gaper for blocking a narrow traverse, everyone should be happy I edited out the first few words that came to mind that weren't as nice. :p (I am a reasonably patient person, really....)
 

pinto

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Did I ever tell the story of coming upon about six skiers, in racing bibs, standing across -- yes, across -- a narrow trail connector? I had to scrub speed and ski up into the trees to pass them, muttering to myself, "What kind of IDIOTS would stop right there?" I almost said it to them, because it really was egregious.

After I passed them and came out onto the wider slope, it was indeed a race course ... a Special Olympics race course.

I'm so glad I didn't yell at them for being idiots. I still feel ashamed for even thinking it.
 

pisani5772

Diva in Training
Poaching the cords

I don't know if it is a favorite or a least favorite...just interesting how some describe their snow...While at Steamboat one day, I was listening to two snowboarders on the lift bitching about the "non local" skiers. One turned to the other and said, "Dude and when we got there some A__hole had poached my corduroy".....

Funny really...I am sure you can imagine the accent and dialect..
 

tradygirl

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
How about "clueless idiot?" :becky:

I prefer the term "beater". It tends to put a much funnier picture in my head.

As in "Hey, check out that out-of-control beater coming down Extrovert", or "Dude, that beater with the tight pink stretch pants sure has got some keen fashion sense."

"Gaper" is SOOOO last year. :rolleyes:
 

tradygirl

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I also like the terms "gnar", "ripping", "sick", and "core".

"Cold smoke", "bottomless", and "balls-deep" also come to mind....
 

SnowHot

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Here's one I love:
Bluebird day!
 

altagirl

Moderator
Staff member
I also like the terms "gnar", "ripping", "sick", and "core".

"Cold smoke", "bottomless", and "balls-deep" also come to mind....

Have you skied Gnarnia? To get the full effect you have to be on a lift with Xover yelling about how "freaking sick" "gnarnia" is going to be. That boy needs to try decaf. ;)
 

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