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Freestyle, Park & Pipe

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Glossary

Terms

Approach: 1. The in-run and line to a feature. 2. The movements and tactics a rider uses before reaching the takeoff zone of a feature.Areas in the park and pipe designed for setting speed and preparing to use a feature; not good places to stand

Landing/landing zone: The area of a jump that includes the landing and the runout where rider lands after having completed their maneuver and are still moving at high velocity. Not the ideal place to hang out in a park. Also known as a pillow

Maneuver: Your trick, jib, air-time, grab, or whatever mad, stylie thing you throw down between takeoff and landing. Simply put, what a rider does to look cool after leaving the snow (takeoff zone) when using a terrain feature

Takeoff: 1. Movements that riders make to set them into a maneuver on any terrain feature. 2. The rider's action at a feature's takeoff (see pop). 3. The point on a feature where the rider leaves the ground­also know as the lip on a jump or the coping of a halfpipe. The part of a terrain feature that assists riders into the air or onto an alternative sliding surface

Trajectory: The path your body will take through the air or over a rail. It's important to adjust your perpendicularity relative to the change in slope beneath you while moving along your trajectory

Lingo

Airtime: Time spent not attached to earth

Boost: Developing big air off a takeoff. Most commonly associated with boosting out of the pipe-airing far above the deck of the pipe. Pop, when a rider makes movements to get into the air and go big

Busting: Throwing down a mad trick. Performing a maneuver, going big, and looking cool

Deck out: While riding up a pipe wall, airing out onto the deck

Dropping/dropping in: The act of starting your approach to a feature. What you say to your fellow parkmates as a courtesy and way of queuing up who's next when the park gets a little busy. Don't bogart someone else's drop

Feature: All the man-made goodies available in the park-each rail, box, jump, spine, halfpipe, quarter-pipe, picnic table, etc., is an element or feature available to jib on

Grab: A general term for the variety of moves where the rider intentionally uses a hand to grab their board(s). These add style to the rider's maneuver and can actually enhance balance and/or spin control. Listen for terms like tip, tail, mute, indy, toxic, safety, japan, stalefish, and others to name grabs that describe specific grab combinations

Hucking: Associated with throwing your body into the air-big air, perhaps beyond one's skill level. Huckers may or may not lack skill, but don't lack fear. A huckfest is where there is a quorum of huckers hucking

New school: Current image, stylo. The movement of the newer freestyle influence found in the pipe and park. A culture and attitude describing the progression of skiing/riding style, transcending lingo, riding, clothing, competitions, etc.

Riding: Generic term to describe what skiers and snowboarder do

Switch: Riding backwards, with the non-dominant foot forward. Also known as fakie, cab

Features/Terrain

Apex: Crest of the turn; top of the arc above a pipe

Basin: Enclosed bowl. Good practice for acceleration by staying with the moving tool and catching up to it, absorption exercises, pumping, speed control, playing with direction change, and decking out. Just as the name suggests, the feature is in the shape of a bowl or spoon-shaped

Deck: 1. The top horizontal portion of a halfpipe wall, past the lip, where one can "deck out" while riding a pipe or ride alongside the lip and drop in. 2. A walkway to hike to the top of a halfpipe. 3. The flat portion of a tabletop or step-down between the lip and landing zone. Also known as a rollout deck.

Flat-bottom: The snow between the trannys of a halfpipe

Fun box: Usually square or rectangular, slightly higher than snow, and wider than a rail. Also called an icebox

Halfpipe: A snow structure consisting of opposing radical transition walls of the same height and size. Ditch-like feature running down the fall line with a relatively flat bottom, transitions on both sides, and a rollout deck. Riders travel back and forth from wall to wall while moving down the line

Hit:Jump

Jump: Bump of some sort or small tabletop that can be used to practice pipe entry and exit

Types

Kicker: The jump's ramp. Specifically, the takeoff area. Also known as a booter

Knuckle: The top of the landing zone on a tabletop jump. Also called the crown of the landing

Lip: the top of the takeoff ramp of a feature

Quarter-pipe: A half U-shaped transition, facing uphill. Commonly found at the bottom of a halfpipe or on the sides of tabletops. Good practice for acceleration by staying with the moving tool and catching up to it, absorption exercises, pumping, speed control, playing with direction change, and decking out

Rail: Short for handrail. Any piece of material set up to slide on. Can be made of wood, metal, or plastic. Made to ride with flat and neutral tool

Types

Shapes:

Rollers: Series of undulations. Aids in absorption, pumping, speed control and awareness, jumping, and landing. Also known as rhythm section, camelbacks, camel humps, and pump bumps

Spine: 1. A manmade snow feature resembling the shape of an oblong pyramid. The peak, is usually parallel to the fall line and the base has a smooth, radial transition to the immediately surrounding terrain. Comes to a point on the top, with two smooth edges leading up to the point. Jumping takes place where the takeoff and landing meet. Aids in sliding, schmearing, pivoting, flexion and extension movements, adjusting alignment within body relative to terrain, and introduction to halfpipe

Transition/tranny: Can either be a takeoff or landing zone. Transitions progressively arc from flat to steep, or steep to flat, and enable a rider to acclimate without great compression from the snow

Vert: Steepest section of the wall in a quarter- or halfpipe, angled to keep rider in the pipe