A little bit of Freestyle 1x1
Locals: The local people. They are probably the easiest to recognise in the resort as they know all the lines and know which event is coming up next. Therefore, it is always good to get into conversation with them.
Shredding: Shredding = snowboarding / skiing
Cool expression: “Let’s go shredding“ e.g. = let’ go skiing
Obstacles: The various obstacles in the snowpark can be divided into four main categories: Jibs, Jumps, Pipes and Kicker. Furthermore, there are further very special elements, such as Hips, Spines or Urban Features.
Jumps: This is about doing various jumps over different obstacles.
Kicker: As a general rule of thumb this means a jump. Regardless whether it is big or small.
Jibs: Fixtures of various length and width. On these surfaces, different tricks, such as spins or going backwards can be carried out. The most popular jibs are, for example, Rails, Boxes, Tabletops or Wall Rides.
Rails: Derived from the English word, handrail. These are the metal poles, which you slide over with skis or a snowboard.
Boxes: These are similar to the rails, but are a bit wider and therefore are more suitable for beginners.
Pipes: We distinguish between Half-Pipes and Quarter-Pipes. The Half-Pipes are like a “U“ in the slope and have wide surfaces at both upper ends, on which one can land. So-called lips. The Quarter-Pipes, on the other hand, are vertical, so that you can jump straight up in the air from the lip, do tricks and then finally you can land on the same lip again.
Picture – The Halfpipe is called, internally on the modern Freestyle scene, as the King’s discipline. This is how an Indygrab in the Pipe should look like. Boarder: Thomas Minichberger
Grabs: Jumps in the air are mainly accompanied with grabs. Here, you try to grab your skis or snowboard with your hands. There are many different types of grabs. By a Nosegrab, for example, you try to reach the ends of the skis/snowboard, by a Tailgrab, on the other hand, you try to grab the back end of the skis/snowboard.
Picture – Double grabs are also possible. When doing a “Venom“ Grab, the skis are crossed over and are grabbed on the front side. Skier: Toni Höllwart
Tricks:
one-eighty = half a turn (180 degrees)
three-sixty = a full turn (360 degrees)
five-forty = one and a half turns (540 degrees)
And you can even do more … :D
Bail: It is a fall on a kicker or a rail, whereby you are not seriously hurt. Ouch...
Stompt: When you land a trick nicely.
Switch: Means skiing backwards, so going down the slope the wrong way around. By snowboarding it means boarding with your difficult foot at the front.
Cork/Double Cork: Means going at an angle in the air or flipping directly over your head and that you turn on your own axis. For a double one, you spin yourself twice over your head in the air.
And to finish off everything, here is a bit of jargon on the subject of Freeride (skiing powder):
Backcountry: another term for skiing in the open terrain, or rather off-piste skiing. This means skiing or snowboarding through untouched snow away from the marked and controlled slopes.
Powder: Fresh fallen powder snow.
Lines: Are tracks, which you can see after skiing down a slope. This is often a nice sight from the foot of the mountain.
Sharks: Are rocks or stones which have a light covering of snow over them and therefore cannot be seen. When you ask yourself where the scratches came from, then it was most certainly from a shark.
LVS Device: Avalanche burial device. Without an LVS device and an avalanche rucksack, please never go off-piste. This is not up for discussion even for locals, pros and everybody in the know.
Avalanche danger level: Should be checked every time before heading off into the powder, so that you can avoid any nasty surprises.
Regardless, whether in the park or in the powder, respect your limits and do not place yourself in unnecessary danger. Everybody started off somewhere, so take it step by step. So, wear a helmet and have fun shredding on the mountain.
Picture – Old school Freeride pure. Today, unthinkable – protectors and helmets were still a foreign word.
