Sports Glossaries
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A-frame

A position in which the skier's thighs are together but the legs are split from the knees down.

absorption/extension

The technique of absorbing the front side of a mogul with the knees, then extending and driving the hips forward over the backside of the mogul.

acro

One of the three competitive disciplines in freestyle skiing, formerly known as ballet. Short for "acrobatic," this discipline consists of a choreographed routine made up of spins, jumps, steps, and acrobatic maneuvers done to music. Competitors are judged for technical difficulty, composition, and style.

aerial

A maneuver or stunt done while in the air.

aerials

One of the three competitive disciplines in freestyle skiing. Skiers launch themselves off air bumps to perform acrobatic jumps, including single, double, and triple flips with a variety of twists. Each skier does two jumps, which are judges for quality of takeoff, height achieved, form, and accuracy of landing.

air

A jump and flight during which the skier performs acrobatic moves in both moguls and aerials. Two airs are required during each mogul run.

air bump

A mogul that has been shaped as a launch for airs.

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back flip

A backward somersault performed in the air.

back full

A back flip with a full twist, in the layout position.

back layout

A back flip in the layout position.

back seat

An undesirable situation in which the skier's weight isn't centered over the skis in the stacked position.

backside

The side of a mogul that faces downhill.

back tuck

A single back flip in the tuck position.

backscratcher

A trick in which the skier touches his or her back with the tails of the skis.

ballet

The former name for acro.

birani

A front flip with a half-twist.

boiler plate

ice.

bump

A mogul.

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carve

To make a turn crisply by applying weight and pressure to the ski edges.

cat out the window

Description of a skier completely out of control during an aerial.

catch an edge

To have a ski dig too deeply into the snow, throwing the skier out of control and often leading to a fall.

competition ruts

Ruts that are formed during mogul contests, as opposed to those that are designed into the course.

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daffy

A mid-air split, in which the skier kicks one leg forward, the other backward, so that the front ski points straight up and the back ski points straight down.

daffy twister

A daffy followed by a twister.

daffy twister spread

A sequence of a daffy, a twister, and a spread eagle.

direct

Descriptive of a route taken straight down the fall line.

double flip

Two flips done in rapid succession.

double front tuck

A double forward flip in the tuck position.

double full

A layout flip with two twists.

double full full full

A sequence of three flips with four twists, including two on the first flip.

double layout

A sequence of two flips in the layout position.

double twister

A sequence of two twisters.

double twister spread

A sequence of two twisters followed by a spread eagle.

drive the tips

To press the tips of the skis down on the backside of a mogul for better speed control.

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early initiation

Beginning a turn early.

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fall line

The quickest path to the bottom of a run.

finish the turn

To make rounder turns in order to control speed.

forward flip

A front flip.

four-point landing

A landing on which the ski poles are planted as the skis hit the snow.

four-point takeoff

A takeoff from an air bump with the skis slightly less than shoulder length apart and the ski poles planted in front.

front side

The side of a mogul that faces uphill.

front flip

A single forward somersault performed in the air.

front tuck

A single front flip in the tuck position.

full

A flip with a full twist.

full double full

A sequence of two flips with three twists, including a double twist in the second flip.

full double full full

A sequence of three flips with four twists, including two on the second flip.

full double full tuck

A sequence of three flips in the tuck postion, with three twists, including a double twist in the second flip.

full full

A double flip with a full twist on each.

full full full

A sequence of three flips with three twists, one in each flip.

full in

A double or triple flip with a full twist on the first flip.

full in full out

A sequence of two flips with two twists, one in each flip.

full lay

A sequence of two flips in the layout position, with one twist in the first flip.

full out

A double or triple flip with a full twist on the last flip.

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half

A flip with a half twist.

half full half

A sequence of three flips with two twists, including a full twist on the second flip.

half half

A sequence of two flips with a half-twist in each.

half half full

A sequence of three flips with two twists, including a full twist on the final flip.

half in

A double or triple flip with a half-twist on the first flip.

half out

A double or triple flip with a half-twist on the last flip.

half randy full

A sequence of three flips with a total of five twists. See also randy.

half rudy

Two backward flips with a half twist on the first and a one-and-one-half twist on the second. See also rudy.

half rudy full

A triple back flip, with a half-twist on the first, one and a half in the second, and a full twist in the third.

half twist

A 180-degree rotation of the body around the skier's vertical axis.

helicopter

A mid-air maneuver in which the skier rotates the body 360 degrees.

heli-spread

A helicopter that includes a spread eagle. See also 180 spread 180.

hero bumps

Soft consistent moguls, so called because they're easy to ski and can make any skier look like a hero.

highline

To ski a line toward the crest of a mogul rather than in the trough.

hole

A deep, depressed area created where most of the skiers land after an air bump.

hot dog skiing

The original name for freestyle skiing.

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iron cross

A trick in which the skier crosses the skis while in the air.

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kicker

An air bump.

kosak

A trick combining a spread eagle and a zudnik.

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landing pad

A flat area on the rut line, usually just before or after the hole, which is the best spot to land.

lay full

A double flip in the layout position with a full twist in the second flip.

lay full full

A triple flip in the layout position, with a full twist in each of the last two flips.

lay full tuck

A triple flip, the first in the layout position, the second in the layout position with a twist, the third in the tuck position.

lay lay

See double layout.

lay lay full

A triple flip in the layout position, with a twist in the third flip.

lay tuck

A double flip, with the first in the layout position and the second in the tuck position.

lay tuck full

A triple flip, with the first in the layout position, the second in the tuck position, and the third in the layout position with a twist.

lay tuck tuck

A triple flip, with the first in the layout position and the last two in the tuck position.

layout

An air position in which the body is extended and totally straight, with the skis held together and parallel.

lead change

Transferring the lead from one ski to the other.

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match

A skiing position in which the knees and feet are pinned together.

mogul

A hump of snow created by many skiers turning in the same spot. In freestyle skiing, though, the moguls are artificial.

moguls

One of the three competitive disciplines in freestyle skiing. Each skier descends a course containing high-speed turns and covered with large bumps, or moguls. Two jumps have to be executed during the run. Scoring is based on the speed of the run, technical quality of turns, and the form of the jumps.

mule kick

A maneuver that's similar to a backscratcher, but with the skis to the side of the twisted body.

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180 spread 180

A helicopter with a spread eagle in the middle, when the skier is facing uphill.

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pike

An air position in which the body is "jackknifed," bent forward at the waist with the legs straight.

piston knees

Very rapid absorption/extension.

platform

Said of the skis when they are kept very close together with little or no lead change.

pop

A quick, sharp extension of the body that furnishes momentum for a flip.

puck

An air position in which the legs are pulled up 45 degrees. A compression of "partial tuck."

punch and release

To plant the ski poles with a forward punching movement of the hands, then release the plant quickly.

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randy

A single flip with two and a half twists.

rudy

A single flip with a one and a half twist.

ruts

A deep area between moguls.

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scissoring

Moving the skis back and forth, parallel to each other, to initiate a turn.

slapback

A landing in which the skier hits the snow on his or her back as well as on both skis.

sling

A poor takeoff caused by over-rotation.

somersault

A 360-degree rotation of the body around the hips, forward or backward, while in the air. Generally called a flip.

speed check

A quick reduction in speed, usually in preparation for an aerial; similar to a hockey stop in ice skating.

spread eagle

A trick in which the skier stretches the arms and legs out, away from the body.

stacked

The body position in which the knees are directly over the ski bindings, the back is straight, and the skier's weight is centered over the skis.

sugar snow

Soft snow with a sugar-like consistency.

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takeoff

The launch of a jump.

tip cross

A maneuver similar to the iron cross, except that the skier remains upright while crossing the tips of the skis.

triple twister

A sequence of three twisters.

trough

A deep path, full of ruts, between moguls.

tuck

An air position in which the knees are brought up and into the chest, while the hands are placed on the knees or legs, with the skis held together and parallel.

twist

A 360-degree rotation of the body around the skier's vertical axis.

twister

A maneuver in which the skier turns the body in one direction and the skis in the other.

twister spread

A twister followed by a spread eagle.

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zudnik

A trick in which the skier bends both the upper and lower body forward at the waist, toward each other.

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