Snowboard and freestyle skiing words · Beginner
The words you will hear in your first match, grouped the way you meet them.
B · Beginner · 27 words · Step 1 of 2General terms
Board
The snowboard, or the pair of skis in freeski. The FIS Specifications for Competition Equipment set the sizes; the ICR only refers to them. In freeski, poles are mandatory in Level 1 and 2 competitions, and a competitor without them is scored in the crash range.
Also called: skis
See also: Crash range
Stance
Which foot leads on the board: regular (left foot forward) or goofy (right foot forward). The judging rules talk about switch and forward riding, frontside and backside spins, but not stance names.
See also: Board
Run
One judged or timed attempt. A park and pipe phase counts only if at least two runs are completed; heat rankings come from the best score, or the best two or more scores, depending on the format.
Judges
In halfpipe, slopestyle and big air, three to seven judges each score a run 0 to 100 on five criteria: execution, difficulty, amplitude, variety and progression. With six or more judges the highest and lowest scores are dropped; with up to five all count. Judges also take falls, mistakes and stops into account.
See also: Amplitude
Event types
Halfpipe
A channel constructed in the snow. At the top level (Level A) the pipe is 22 ft (6.7 m) high, at least 160 m long and at least 19 m wide, with a gradient of at least 17 degrees. Runs are judged on tricks off both walls and the use of the whole pipe.
Slopestyle
A course with a variety of hits, jumps, rails, tables and other features and two or more lines to choose from. At top level it needs at least three jump sections and six judged hits. Judging is either overall impression or section by section.
See also: Overall Impression, Section by section, Variety
Big air
A single large kicker (at least 2 m high, take-off angle at least 25 degrees, landing at least 20 m wide) with a drop-in ramp. Athletes make several jumps in a phase; in the best 2 of 3 format the counting tricks must be different types.
See also: Stomp
Snowboard cross and ski cross
A race down a course with obstacles, marked by gates, in heats of four or six who start from a special starting device. The first part of the body or the board over the finish line decides the rank. The ski cross rules are a separate series (7000) and were not read in detail.
See also: Board
Moguls
One run of free skiing on a steep, heavily moguled course, scored 60 per cent on turns, 20 per cent on air (two jumps) and 20 per cent on speed.
Aerials
Skiers launch off a built jump and perform flips and twists. The score is air (20 per cent), form (50 per cent) and landing (30 per cent), multiplied by a degree of difficulty (DD). Inverted manoeuvres are limited to three somersaults.
See also: Stomp
Alpine snowboarding
Snowboard slalom, giant slalom and parallel events, with gated courses. A single format event is decided by two runs on two courses. Parallel events have a qualification and a knock-out with heats of two.
Also called: parallel giant slalom
The ruleHow does parallel giant slalom qualifying work?Judging
Overall Impression
The judging system in which each judge scores a whole run 0 to 100 from start to finish, without decimals, using the five criteria. Judges score to rank runs, using the first five to ten scores as anchor scores to establish the range for the event.
Also called: OI
See also: Judges, Anchor scores
Execution
How well tricks are done: control, take-off with a clean pop, landing, grabs, style, flow, course or pipe use, reverts and, on rails, balance. A well executed run shows stability and fluidity with minimal insecurities.
See also: Stomp
Difficulty
The difficulty of each trick and the run: amount, direction and axis of rotation, blind landings, grabs, use of the course, risk taking, combinations and the feature type. Judges discuss difficulty at the team captains' meeting.
Variety
A run with many different tricks, grabs, rotations and axes, switch and forward takeoffs and landings, spins in both directions, and different features of the course. Repeating a trick, grab or manoeuvre lowers the score.
See also: Grab
Progression
New, rare or creative tricks, grabs or line choices for the level of competition. It can decide between two runs of similar execution, difficulty, amplitude and variety.
See also: Execution, Difficulty, Variety, Amplitude
Trick and technique terms
Grab
Holding the board or skis with a hand in the air. Judges look for the grab on the board or ski (not boot or binding), held for most of the trick, and a missed or short grab counts against execution.
See also: Board
Spin
Rotation in the air in degrees. Judges consider the amount, direction and axis of rotation: clockwise or counterclockwise, frontside, backside, switch and alley-oop. More rotation does not always mean more difficulty.
Also called: rotation
See also: Judges, Difficulty
Flip
An inverted rotation. In big air a forward or switch front flip and a back flip are different types of trick, and once 180 degrees or more of rotation is added, it counts as a rotational trick.
Amplitude
How high and how far a trick travels. In halfpipe it is the height above the lip and the distance down the pipe, and should be maintained through the run; on jumps it comes from speed, a clean pop and a high arc, landing in the sweet spot of the landing.
See also: Halfpipe
Rail
A feature slid along, a metal or plastic rail or similar. Judges consider the trajectory onto it, being balanced and locked on, sliding it to the end, and the difficulty of the type: down, kink, wide or narrow, gap to rail and others.
Also called: jib
See also: Slopestyle, Feature
Stomp
Landing a trick cleanly in control. The rules describe a clean landing as on the balls of the feet or lightly on edge with no other part touching the snow.
Also called: landing
Bail
Failing to land a trick. The rules call it a fall, mistake or crash and set deductions or the crash score range.
Aerials and moguls
Degree of difficulty
The factor from the FIS Degree of Difficulty chart that multiplies the judges' total for each aerials jump. The Jury may limit a competition to a maximum DD of 3.55 or 4.175 for men and 3.55 for women.
Also called: DD
See also: Judges, Aerials, Difficulty
Air, form and landing
The three components of an aerials jump: air (20 per cent, up to 2.0 points: take-off and height and distance), form (50 per cent, up to 5.0, the body position and timing of the manoeuvre) and landing (30 per cent, up to 3.0). Five judges score each, the high and low are dropped and the rest added, up to 30, times DD.
Cross events
Gate passage (cross)
A gate is passed correctly when the competitor has both feet fixed in the bindings and the entire board crosses the gate line outside the turning pole. A competitor who does not pass a gate correctly receives a DNF and must not continue or climb back.
See also: Board
Heat (cross)
Four or six competitors race from a starting device down the course. The top two (four-person format) or three (six-person) advance. A competitor who does not finish and ranks high enough still advances, and others are ranked by gates completed.