mountain slang decoded: your guide to speaking ski bum

ever been on a chairlift when someone drops off an exposed cliff and you hear "SEND IT!" echo across the mountain? you're left wondering... send what exactly?

turns out, mountain culture has its own language, and we're here to translate. not that I originated any of this vocab of the mountain-bum here, but thought I'd share them with you

this whole thing started with a game called G.N.A.R. - gaffney's numerical assessment of radness - invented by professional skier Dr. Robb Gaffney and the legendary Shane McConkey

skiers scored points for skiing gnarly lines... and doing absolutely ridiculous stunts!

quick G.N.A.R. highlights:

nudity: 10,000 points for skiing down a line naked

hot tub: 10,000 points for skiing into a hot tub fully clothed

phone call: 1,000 points for calling your mum while skiing a line

extras: 500 points for eating a snowball, 1,000 points for peeing on another skier, 1,000 points for cooking breakfast in the lift line

penalties: -1,000 points for losing a ski/pole/goggle, -500 points for backslapping

but before you can play the game, you gotta speak the language. here's your decoder ring 👇

the starter pack: master these 5 and you're 80% fluent

gnar: anything impressively intense, dangerous, or awesome. "let's shred the gnar" = let's tackle something epic

send it: full commitment. no hesitation. just go

gaper: someone whose outfit screams "i don't belong here" - but plot twist: some gapers can absolutely rip

face shots: powder so deep it hits you in the face as you carve through it. this is what dreams are made of

safety break: ducking into the trees with your crew to reset before attempting something ambitious. sometimes herbally enhanced, not always necessary

the conditions

dumping / puking / nuking

when the sky opens up and delivers the goods. "it's absolutely nuking up there" means cancel your plans and grab your gear

goose nectar / hot cheese

poetic terms for pristine, fresh powder. because "good snow" is too boring in Tahoe

chowder (or chunder)

what happens to perfect powder after everyone's carved it up - chunky, chopped, but still rideable. think powder soup

boilerplate

that soul-crushing ice layer that laughs at your edges and sends you sliding. east coast skiers know this pain intimately.

tracked-out / bombed-out

when fresh powder has been completely skied over, leaving nothing but tracks and disappointment

the moves

huck

to launch yourself off something with complete commitment and minimal concern for consequences. courage or stupidity? you decide.

juice it / stick it / milk it / stomp it / shred it

all variations of nailing a landing or riding out a challenging line. canadians just say "give 'er"

billy-goat

hopping across sketchy, exposed terrain like you're part mountain goat, part adrenaline junkie. usually involves questionable decision-making and excellent balance. if you're really cool, you have the word 'billy' tacked to your name

harvesting

the art of laying down parallel turns in fresh powder so everyone gets their share of untouched snow. when done right, it looks like a perfectly ploughed field

rooster tail

that beautiful spray of powder that follows your turn. nowadays that's called instagram gold

run a train

hitting a popular feature one after another with your crew

the people

gimli

a legitimately skilled rider sporting an impressive beard. named after the dwarf warrior, naturally

park rat

someone who lives in the terrain park. not always a compliment, but most park rats I see at Blackcomb Terrain Park have skills most of us can only dream of - they are seriously next level when they're casually doing a dub-cork 1080

the terrain & features

kicker / booter

a jump built by hand (and shovel) rather than nature. if it's shaped like a right triangle, it's a cheese-wedge

slackcountry

backcountry terrain you can access from the lift without the full hike. for those who want the experience without the cardio

sketchy

anything that makes you second-guess your life choices. unstable snow, questionable lines, or features that look like they're actively trying to hurt you

the aftermath

eat it

to fall. hard. spectacularly. the kind of wipeout that makes strangers on the lift wince.

tomahawk

a spectacular head-over-heels tumble down a steep slope, skis and poles flying. named for the spinning motion. if you see one, check if they're okay before you laugh

bomb-hole

the human-shaped crater left behind when someone spectacularly fails a landing

the vibe

bomber

anything solid, reliable, or downright excellent. borrowed from climbers who need their gear to be absolutely bomb-proof (because cliffs don't forgive). now applies to everything from snow conditions to your mate's new setup

rad

short for radical. yes, it's back. no, we're not sorry

steezy / dope / gangster / tall / sick

park culture's vocabulary of approval. if someone calls your trick steezy, you've made it

brewski

a cold one. a beer. the reward waiting at the lodge 🍺🏔️

fart suit

one-piece ski suit. retro, practical, and impossible to use the bathroom in

hose-off

when backcountry sessions turn into a competition of who can pull the gnarliest move. often leads to questionable choices and legendary stories

so next time you're on that chairlift and someone yells "send it", you'll know exactly what's about to go down. and more importantly, you'll know whether to watch... or look away 🏔️

where it all began: the squallywood deep-dive

for the true nerds who want the full origin story...

professional skier Dr. Robb Gaffney created 'Squallywood' and collaborated with the legend Shane McConkey to create G.N.A.R.

Gaffney's Squallywood: A Guide to Squaw Valley's Most Exposed Lines is a cult classic written and published in 2003, known for its witty, detailed breakdown of the most dangerous and challenging ski lines at the Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows ski resort (now Palisades Tahoe because 'squaw' is a derogatory term in the Lake Tahoe indigenous region) in California.

I had a good look for the Gaffney book online and couldn't find a copy anywhere, not even on the shark, Amazon - often considered the "bible of skiing", this mythical Squallywood book is out of print, making original copies valuable to collectors.

the name: "Squallywood" is a play on "Hollywood" and "Squaw Valley," referencing the high-stakes, "show-off" culture of extreme skiing on the resort's prominent rock cliffs (the Palisades)

the content: the book documents over 150 of the most extreme ski and snowboard lines, providing photos, maps, and detailed descriptions. It rates lines based on "difficulty," "fun factor," and "hero factor"

G.N.A.R. (Gaffney's Numerical Assessment of Radness): the book famously introduced the game of G.N.A.R., created by Shane McConkey and Robb Gaffney. this game encourages skiers to score points by performing, filming, and bragging about skiing difficult lines or doing absurd, sometimes embarrassing, stunts

cultural impact: the book and the associated GNAR movie are considered legendary in the ski world for promoting a fun, unpretentious, yet highly skilled approach to extreme skiing

each line featured in Squallywood typically includes the line's name, a photo with an overlay showing the route, a description detailing required maneuvers like "straight-line" or "mandatory air," and a "G.N.A.R." score reflecting its difficulty and danger

the full G.N.A.R. rules

the goal is to accumulate the highest score through 'lines', skiing specific difficult routes and extra points for embarrassing oneself

radness yell: you must loudly declare RIP THE SHI out of the line before skiing it to get full points

proclaiming rule: you must openly declare how good you are "quote the best skier on the mountain" to gain points

THE SHOWDOWN: often a 'Game of H-O-R-S-E', is played where a skier completes a stunt, often with others following behind that must replicate their jump or stunt, with those unable to complete the stunt receiving a penalty and the loser is the one with the most penalties, ie: H, O, R, S, E

CAVEAT: with rules encouraging landing difficult lines, humiliating oneself, with bonus points for nudity, calling out tricks or calling one's parents, winning by the one with the most points, or losing points with gaper behaviour or safety violations, we are legally advised to state we in no way atone such behaviour!

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made with love near whistler, bc 🏔️