| Term |
Definition |
| Backside |
Refers to the side of the board where the riders' heels are, also known as the Heel Side. |
| Base |
The bottom of a snowboard. |
| Boot out |
A skid or fall as a result of a boot or binding dragging in the snow when the snowboard is tilted on edge. |
| Camber |
The arch in a snowboard that causes the middle of the board to be higher than the tip and the tail when it is placed on a flat surface. |
| Carve |
A turn made with a minimum of skidding, in which the entire length of the snowboard's edge passes through the same point in the snow. |
| Chatter |
The vibration caused by the rapid, repeated bite and release of a snowboard edge on the snow. |
| Countdown |
Also known as the start command: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, GO. |
| Counter Rotation |
The movement of twisting the torso and legs in opposite directions concurrently. |
| DNF |
Did Not Finish |
| DNS |
Did Not Start |
| DSQ or DQ |
Disqualified |
| Edge |
The metal strip that runs down the side of the snowboard along the base. The edge can be sharpened, allowing the rider to slice through hard snow and ice. |
| Fakie |
Riding backward while in the rider's original stance. |
| Fall Line |
The imaginary line down a slope, where gravity and terrain would allow a ball to roll down the hill. Snowboarders achieve their greatest speed when in the fall line. |
| Falling Leaf |
An exercise in which the rider skids back and forth on the same edge in an imaginary corridor, mimicking the shape a leaf makes as it falls from a tree. |
| Finish line |
The line at the end of the race where the time for each rider is stopped and recorded. |
| FIS |
The abbreviation for Federation International de Ski, the organization that regulates all international amateur snowboarding competition. |
| Flex |
A description of the stiffness or softness of a piece of equipment. |
| Forerunner |
A snowboarder who ridess a race course before the competitors do, in order to determine if the course is ready for competition. |
| Frontside |
Refers to the side of the board where the rider's toes are. |
| Garland |
A series of linked partial turns across the slope of the hill on the same edge, mimicking the shape that a garland draped on a tree makes. |
| Gate |
A marker on the course, in the shape of a triangle, that the rider must pass at the smaller side; exists as both blue and red. |
| Giant Slalom |
A type of race course with gates that a rider must pass through. This type of course requires medium-radius linked turns. |
| Goofy-foot Stance |
A directional stance in which the rider's right foot is the front foot. |
| Grab |
To touch and/or hold part of the snowboard while airborne. |
| Grind |
To slide or ride across an object such as a rail. |
| Groomed |
Snow that has been mechanically prepared. |
| Halfpipe |
A terrain park feature that resembles a large pipe with the top half removed. |
| Heelside |
The edge of a snowboard nearest the rider's heels. |
| Inclination |
Deviation from a vertical body position. This term is usually used to describe the overall appearance of the body in relationship to a vertical reference. |
| Leash |
A required device used to keep the snowboard attached to the rider to prevent a runaway snowboard. |
| Line |
The path taken through the gates. |
| Magic Stick |
A short length of tubing or pole that can be used as a training aid. |
| Nose |
The front end, or tip, of the snowboard. |
| Powder |
A type of snow that is dry and fluffy. |
| P.S.I.A. |
Professional Ski Instructors of America. The certifying body of ski instructors in America. |
| P-tex |
A type of plastic material used for the bases of snowboards. |
| Regular-foot Stance |
A directional stance in which the rider's left foot is the front foot. |
| Rotation |
Turning the body in order to turn the snowboard in the same direction. |
| Shovel |
The widest part of the snowboard, usually at the tip. |
| Side-cut |
The hourglass shape of the snowboard in which the middle is narrower than the tip and tail. |
| Skidded Turn |
A turn in which the snowboard slips across the slope throughout the turn. |
| Slalom |
A type of race course with gates that the rider must pass through. This type of course requires short-radius linked turns. |
| Stomp Pad |
A pad located between the bindings to provide traction to the foot that is not clipped in. |
| Super Giant Slalom |
A type of race course with gates that the rider must pass through. The vertical distance between gates is 14 to 16 percent of the total vertical drop, requiring large-radius linked turns. |
| Tail |
The back end of a snowboard. |
| Tip |
The front end, or nose, of a snowboard. |
| Toeside |
The edge of the snowboard nearest the rider's toes. |
| Traverse |
Snowboarding across the hill from one side to the other. |
| Waist |
The narrowest part of a snowboard, near the center of the board. |
