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Terminology

When learning any new sport, it is always essential to understand the jargon that goes along with it. Here is a basic list of terms that one would need to know when beginning to learn how to snowboard:
Backside The backside of the snowboard is the side where your heels sit. The backside of a snowboarder is the side to which his/her back faces.
Baseless bindings Snowboard bindings that don’t use a base plate, so the boot sits directly on the snowboard. Some riders say it gives them a better feel for the snow and more control. Others find them just a worthless gimmick, no better than base plates.
Blindside Any rotation where the rider approaches or lands “blind” to the direction of travel such that he/she must look over his/her shoulder. An air performed with this technique usually increases the level of difficulty.
Boarder Cross Competition Like their motorcycle counterparts in motocross, boarder cross participants race through turns and obstacles and jumps in heats of 4-6 riders.
Bonk To hit a non-snow object with the snowboard while riding as part of a trick.
Boost To catch air off a jump or a half pipe.
Bust A more enthusiastic version of to the verb “to do”, e.g. “Check out this shot of Ryan busting a huge air!”
Camber The amount of space beneath the center of a snowboard when it lays on a flat surface and its weight rests on the tip and tail.
Cant The angle at which either foot points pigeon-toed or duck-footed. The angle of your feet affects whether your knees bend toward or away from each other.
Centered stance Your stance is centered when your bindings are mounted on the snowboard so the distance between the tip and the front binding is the same as that between the tail and the rear binding. With your bindings set this way, you would have similar control riding forwards or backwards.
Chatter Vibration of the snowboard as a result of high speed, tight turns, and/or icy conditions.
Corduroy A term to describe the tracks left by a snowcat grooming a trail. Corduroy is usually great for laying out clean turns.
Dampening Reducing vibration (chatter) to increase handling. A shock-absorbent material like rubber is sometimes laminated into boards for this purpose.
Delaminate Separation of the layers in your snowboard, usually the result of long-term usage, impact from crashes, or a board defect.
Directional stance Your stance is directional when your bindings are mounted on the snowboard so the distance between the tip and the front binding is different from that between the tail and the rear binding. With your bindings set this way, you would ride more easily in your preferred direction.
Duckfoot You are duckfooted if your stance angles have your toes pointing outward like a duck.
Effective edge The length of your snowboard’s metal edge that makes contact with the snow. When you turn, you shift your weight to your effective edge.
Fakie Riding backwards, meaning the opposite direction than your usual stance.
Fall line Like a plumb line is to wallpaper, the fall line is to a slope. It’s the path of gravity’s pull on you down the hill.
Flat bottom The part of the half pipe between the two walls.
Flex Describes the stiffness of a snowboard. Different degrees of flex are better for different styles of riding.
Forward Lean The degree to which the highbacks of traditional bindings or the boots of plate bindings keep your ankles and calves bent over your toes.
Freeriding Snowboarding for fun on any terrain, not including a half pipe.
Freestyle snowboarding Usually associated with riding a half pipe, but encompasses any kind of riding that includes tricks.
Front hand/foot The hand/foot closest to the nose of the snowboard. For regular-footed riders, the front is the left hand and foot. For goofy footed riders, the front is the right hand and foot.
Frontside The frontside of the snowboard is the side where your toes sit. The frontside of a snowboarder is the side to which his/her front faces
Goofy footed Riding with the right foot closest to the nose of the snowboard.
Grab To hold the edge of the snowboard with one or both hands during an air or other trick.
Half pipe Built with snow, a half pipe is a vertical U-shaped structure used in freestyle snowboarding. Like a skateboarding half pipe, riders use the opposing walls to get air and perform tricks as they travel down the fall line of the slope.
Hard boots Similar to ski boots, hard boots are rigid and made from hard plastic. They are typically used for carving and racing. Many freeriders dislike the stiffness and prefer the soft boots typically used with strap bindings. The Belligerent" Sinch Strap gives the convenience of step-ins without sacrificing the comfort of soft boots.
Heel Drag/Overhang Bindings should as centered as possible between the toe and heel edges. When they are placed too far toward the heel side, the heels drag in the snow while riding and interfere with turns, etc.
Heel edge The edge of the snowboard where the heels sit.
Heelside turn A turn made on the heelside edge.
Highback bindings This type of binding includes a piece that supports the ankle and calf while edging and making heelside turns.
Hole Pattern The layout of holes on the top of a snowboard, through which the bindings are fastened. Both three- and four-hole patterns are standard, but most snowboard companies use the 4-hole pattern.
Insert The piece of metal laminated within a snowboard in order to secure the screws that attach the bindings.
Jib To ride on a non-snow surface, e.g. rails, logs etc.
Leash A lasso-like device used to attach the snowboard to the front foot so it won’t slide away while getting in or out of the bindings.
Lip The top edge of the half pipe wall.
Nose The front end of the snowboard, specifically the tip.
Ollie Borrowed from skateboarding, to Ollie is to get air by first lifting the front foot, springing off the back foot, then landing on both feet.
Pipe Dragon A grooming machine used to groom halfpipes.
Plate Binding Similar to ski bindings, a plate binding requires hard boots that connect directly to the snowboard through a flat plate. Unlike ski bindings, however, plate bindings are typically not designed to release the foot.
Poach To ride regardless of posted signage; e.g. when the powder is out-of-bounds or the half pipe is closed.
Poseur Someone who pretends to be something he/she is not, in an attempt to impress his/her audience.
Quarterpipe Designed like a half pipe but with only one wall.
Rail Part of a snowboard, consisting of a sidewall and an edge. Snowboards have two rails.
Railing To make hard, fast turns. Not to be confused with railing (n.), which is a handrail- type structure on which freestyle riders might jib.
Rear hand/foot The hand/foot closest to the tail of the snowboard. For regular-footed riders, the rear is the right hand and foot. For goofy-footed riders, the rear is the left hand and foot.
Regular footed Riding with the left foot closest to the nose of the snowboard.
Rocker The opposite of camber, so when the snowboard is placed on a flat surface, it rests only on the center portion.
Roll down the windows What it looks like a person is trying to do when he/she is off-balance or out of control and rotate his/her arms in an attempt to recover.
Rollout deck The horizontal part of the half pipe wall that serves as a vantage point, waiting area, or walkway to the uphill end of the pipe.
Running length The range of the bottom of the snowboard that comes in contact with the snow.
Session Nonspecific length of time for which someone rides, e.g. “We had a great session this morning before it started storming.”
Sinch Strap An innovative solution by Belligerent" to the hassles of conventional straps and the shortcomings of step-ins. The Sinch Strap keeps your desired ratchet setting and allows you to get in and out one-handed, without sitting down. The patented system retrofits to any existing baseplate and is also a feature of Belligerents" new complete binding line. (Visit www.belligerent.com or call 619.581.5080 for more information.)
Slope-Style Competition A freestyle event where the participant is judged on tricks performed while riding over a series of assorted jumps.
Soft boots Boots worn for freestyle and freeride snowboarding. Most riders prefer the comfort and range of motion of soft boots to the rigidity of hard boots.
Speed check To slide sideways in order to quickly slow down before a jump or other situation where speed control is necessary.
Stance How one’s feet are positioned on the snowboard, as in regular or goofy-footed, but also including the width and angles of the placement.
Step-in binding Like a ski binding, the rider steps into the step-in binding to engage it and pulls a lever to disengage. Special boots with compatible mechanisms are required for this kind of binding. Although some riders prefer step-ins, one of the largest problems is that the mechanism clogs with snow. The rider then has to sit down and clean it out before the binding will engage properly. The "Belligerent" Sinch Strap, however, allows the convenience of step-ins without the clog.
Stomp pad The piece of non-slip material on the snowboard, attached next to the back binding. The stomp pad gives you a place to rest your back foot when you’re getting on or off the lift.
Tail The end of the snowboard closest to your back foot.
Toe edge The edge of the snowboard where your toes sit.
Toeside turn A turn made on the toeside edge.
Transition a.k.a. Tranny The initial curved part of a half pipe wall between the flat of the bottom and the vertical section of the wall.
Traverse As in skiing, to ride perpendicular to the fall line of the slope. In the half pipe, a freestyle rider traverses the flat bottom in order to perform tricks on either wall.
Twin tip A snowboard whose nose and tail are shaped identically, so the board will ride equally well in either direction.
Vertical a.k.a. Vert The topmost portion of the walls of a half pipe. They are vertical in order to allow the rider to fly straight up from the half pipe wall.
Wall The opposing sections of the half pipe. A wall is comprised of a transition (where the rider begins the ascent) and vertical section (where the rider launches and performs a trick)

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