More Snow Sports Lingo
For this piece, I’m channeling some Travis Rice energy: poetic, raw, stoked, but with that grounded backcountry respect he’s known for. In defining these terms, here’s how he might lay it down:
“It’s nuking”
When the sky just opens up and starts dumping snow so hard it feels like a full-on storm mission. Flakes are flying sideways, piling up fast — the mountain’s getting reset in real time.
“Dog fight”
That moment when the wind’s ripping, snow’s swirling, and goggles are icing up. It’s you versus the elements, you’re battling for every turn — but also exactly where you want to be.
“Short & sweet”
A quick hit. A couloir, maybe a pillow line. Not the biggest run on the mountain, but it delivers all the flavor in a tight little package—pure satisfaction in just a few turns.
“Snow is starting to stack”
Those magic words — the storm’s been cooking and the layers are building. Every lap, every hour, it’s getting deeper, softer, dreamier—a blank canvas to get after.
“Ski cut”
A safety move. You slice across the top of a suspect slope with speed, trying to see if the snow pack will release. It’s controlled risk — using momentum and terrain to test stability before dropping in for real.
“Z cut”
When you’re climbing with skins and the pitch is steep, you switch back in a zig-zag pattern to gain ground. Efficient, steady, like drawing Z’s across the face of the mountain.
“Boot pack”
The grind. Boards or skis on your back, toes punching steps into the snow, climbing with nothing but grit and lungs. It’s primal, it’s humbling — but it’s the price of admission for the kind of lines you’ll never forget.
Ride on!
Watch This:
Ski Cutting into a Couloir, Jackson Hole, Wyoming
