Cable Car – A large aerial lift, attached to a cable, that moves diagonally up and down the mountain. Perfect for transporting groups of skiers and snowboarders at the same time.

Carving – If you’re carving on a regular basis, you’ve moved well beyond the beginner phase for skiing. To carve successfully, the skier/snowboarder must be turning on the edges of their skis/snowboard.

Chair Lift – Effectively, a park bench that moves skiers and snowboarders back up the slopes. With that in mind, here’s 23 ways to make a chairlift ride incredibly awkward.

Clamps – Another term for bindings.

Couloir – A narrow chute with rock walls either side. Back country skiers have made an art out of nailing couloir-based lines.

Crevasse – A deep, and often hidden, crack in the glacier. Potentially lethal to any skier unlucky enough to fall down one.

Cross Country Skiing – Cross country skiing is done on flat tracks and gentle hills, rather than traditional ski slopes. The heel of a cross-country skier differs from that of a normal skier in that it isn’t attached to the ski. With over 107 medals won, including 40 golds, Norway are the undisputed kings of cross country skiing at the Olympics.

Crud – Hard, lumpy, and icy. A nightmare to ski on.

Gaper –  A novice who, through bad skiing and bad style choices, inadvertently signposts to others on the slope that they have no idea what they’re doing.

Goggles – Worn to protect your eyes from harmful things like the sun’s UV, as well as wind, glare, and ice. Those who don’t protect their eyes on the mountain risk snow blindness, a painful and temporary loss of vision. Look after your peepers, skiers.

Gondola – An enclosed aerial lift to get you and your buddies up the mountain. Not to be mistaken with those things you see floating around the canals of Venice (also called ‘gondolas’).

Grab – A grab is when a skier or snowboarder grabs onto any part of their ski or snowboard while in the air. It’s a fundamental part of freestyle, and an essential weapon in the arsenal of the skiers and snowboarders who enjoy pulling tricks.

Grooming – The smoothing of slope-based snow, usually done overnight, by enormous piste bashing machines. Useful if there’s been heavy snowfall.

Groomer – A term used to describe a machine capable of snow grooming.

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Halfpipe – A place dedicated to tricks and freestyle. A halfpipe is a u-shaped channel with vertical walls, where people like Kevin Rolland and Shaun White can show off their aerial moves.

Hard Pack – Hard pack is snow that’s been pressed down as far as it will go.

Heliskiing – If you can afford the services of a helicopter and know what you’re doing in the back country, heliskiing involves being taken to remote inaccessible off-piste areas by a chopper so that you can ski incredible lines on untouched powder.

Ice – Come on. If you don’t know what ice is by now, we can’t help you. Ice on the slopes usually occurs when temperatures are low, and it hasn’t snowed for a while.

Inside Edge – Literally, the ski edge on the inside of your turn.

Jib (Jibber) – To jib is to ski or snowboard on a surface not made of snow, usually as part of a freestyle run on a box or rail. Essentially, it means to slide down something that isn’t snow. A ‘jibber’ is the term used to describe someone who skis these types of non-snow features.

Kicker – A purpose-built wedge in the snow, used by skiers and snowboarders to get air. Not to be called a ramp under any circumstances.

Packed Powder – New snow that’s been groomed or ridden over. The perfect surface to ski on.

Park Rat – Someone who can’t get enough of hitting the parks, and showing off their tricks. With their, shall we say, “unique” clothing style…you can usually spot them a mile off.

Piste – Designated ski slopes. Comes from the French word for “ski slope.”

Piste Basher – Big machine that grooms the ski slopes (also known as a ‘groomer’).

Planker – A slang term for a skier.

Pooping – Sitting back while skiing, so it looks like you’re sitting on the toilet.

Powder – Found off-piste, or on the slopes after a heavy snowfall, powder is fresh, untouched, snow.

Powder Hound – A skier who’s addicted to powder (the snow variety, not cocaine).

Pow Pow – Slang for powder. Used excitably by skiers when skiing through some first-class white stuff. “Dude, check out this pow pow. We are slaying this pow pow.”

Rag Doll – Someone who tumbles down over and over again after falling.

Rail – A metal bar, found in parks, used for freestyle.

Red Run – Not as hard as a black run and not as easy a blue, these are the perfect ski runs for intermediates.

Ripper – Someone who is particularly good at skiing could be called a “ripper.”

Rope Lift – A moving rope that skiers and snowboarders hold onto to get them back up the slope.

Salopettes – Salopettes and ski pants are waterproof trousers, purposed for snow sports, that keep you warm and dry while skiing.

Schussing – Skiing straight. No turns. Like a bullet from gun.

Shred – A term used by skiers and snowboarder of a good standard, to describe the action of skiing or snowboarding.

Ski Area – The area of the mountain designated for snow sports. Marked off by flags or ropes.

Ski Bum – A work shy layabout who does nothing with their time but ski.

Slalom – The event where skiers weave between closely spaced out gates at speed. An iconic winter olympic event.

Slope – Part of the ski area. A marked off, on-piste, hill for skiing and snowboarding.

Slush – Wet snow that’s in the process of melting.

Snow Cannon – A machine that turns water into artificial snow, and then fires it out onto the slopes. Especially useful when it hasn’t snowed for a while.

Snowplough – A skiing technique used by beginner’s to control speed when turning. The front tips of the skis point inwards to create a’v’ shape. The slang term for snowplough is “pizza,” the slang term for parallel skis is “french fries.”

Steeze – Doing something and making it look both stylish and easy.

T-Bar – Like a button lift, but shaped like a ‘T’.

Telemark Skiing – A combination of cross-country skiing and downhill. The skier’s heels are detached, like they are in cross-country skiing, but the skis are wide enough to make sharp turns and quick descents.

Tips – The skis’ front ends.

Traverse – Skiing across the mountain, rather than down it.

Twin Tips – Great for freestyle. Twin tip skis effectively have two front ends, allowing skiers to ski down a hill backwards. Ideal if you want to hit a kicker, or land off a kicker, facing the “wrong” way.

Uphill Edge – The edge on your uphill ski that’s, funnily enough, facing up the hill.

Uphill Ski – As you traverse the slope, your uphill ski is the one that’s higher up the hill.

Wax – Applied to the underside of your ski or snowboard to help it glide more smoothly over the snow.

White Out – Heavy snowfall, and the accompanying conditions, making it impossible to see more than a few yards in any direction.

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