Distinctly Montana Magazine

W W W. D I S T I N C T LY M O N TA NA . C O M 19 SCISSORING: Crossing one's ski tips, with edge-to-edge contact, which can cause quite a kafuffle. SHREDDER: An accomplished snowboarder who knows exactly what they are doing. SICK: Extreme, hairy, amazing, dangerous, awesome, radical. SKI BUM: Someone who has discovered the best alternative to working. SNOWPLOW: A beginner's technique for slowing down on skis. Done by bringing the front tips of a pair of skis together, pushing the tails apart, and applying pressure on the skis' inside edges. STEAZY: Style + Ease = Steaz. For example, Olympic athlete Shawn White is the reigning godfather of steaz. STOKE: Excited for the season. STOMP: is term is used when you land a trick. For example you would say, "He just stomped that landing." SWITCH: Skiing/riding backwards. For skiing this means backwards along the skis; for snowboarding it means you ride the board with the opposite foot forward of how you normally ride. If you ride "regular" (left foot in front), when you ride switch you will have your right foot in front. TRACKED OUT: Slang for a slope of once fresh snow that has been ridden over repeatedly and boy are you sad. TRAVERSE: Skiing across a slope, often in a zigzag pattern, as op- posed to straight down; typically done to keep speeds down on steep surface or to cut across a mountain. WHITEOUT: When the conditions on the mountain are severely reduced by falling snow or/and cloud cover. e layering cloud can seem to merge into the white snow surface making the horizon and surface irregularities impossible to see. (A good time to stay warm in the lodge.) WIPE OUT: A pretty un-poetic and painful fall. Although this isn't an all-inclusive guide, perhaps you can casually slip a few of these words as you ride the lift or converse with friends—to show that you've learned to talk the talk. With a little luck, some perseverance, and a lot of steaz, you just might be smashing the gnar by the end of the season. GOING DOWNHILL AT A STUPID-FAST RATE OF SPEED WITHOUT REGARD FOR YOUR OWN BODY. OR ANYONE ELSE'S BODY. A MAJOR FALL IN WHICH A "GAPER" LOSES HIS OR HER BOARD, GLOVES, HAT, AND BOOTS ACROSS THE RUN. bombing yard sale

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