I write for a living and absolutely love words (not as much as skiing)!

Anyhoo, every interest has its own particular slang. Lately I been getting a kick out of some terms bandied about here. My latest favorite is gaper -- which I take as someone who stops, goes slack jawed and stares at the monster mogul field they've committed to.

What is a picker?
And anyone have any favorite terms to share? I'd definitely appreciate a vocab lesson.

Here's a sentence of terms I learned from a Scottish couple recently. The spelling is loose.

I was really pissed so put on my pants instead of a dooker, so when I queued people thought I was monged.

Translation: I was really drunk and put on underwear instead of a swimming suit and when I got in line people thought I was retarded.

mm

from www.urbandictionary.com

. Picker
An earlybird who hunt swap meets, estate sales, thrift stores, etc and scoops up the good deals - often for resale in antique shops or on ebay.'Ole Craig has been a picker for eighteen years and he's still looking for a ten-dollar original Van Gogh!


2. picker

An illegal immigrant, usually a Mexican. Derived from a popular job for these immigrants, picking the fields of Southern California."You stupid picker!"
Source: J Dudley, Dec 22, 2003


Gotta love the urban dictionary for us 30somethings on the edge of losing coolness and touch!


Gaper is a fairly old term (i first heard in around '86 describing non local skiers flopping around the resort with boots wide open buckles flailing (rear entry wide open in those days) pants pulled up sitting on top cuff of boots, straps flapping in the breeze. This species of skier also usually were dressed in the Bogner 1 piece and skied a stem christy, stiff legged, one arm out front one to the side, wedge consited of one ski pointed directly down the fallline and the other turned enough to slow progression. Does that paint a picture?
I saw a full on gaper this last weekend at wintergreen, a guy was skiing down dobie with his boots TOTALLY unbuckled with only the strap atached?

also from urbandictionary
1. Gaper
1) noun: One who cannot do, and is generally found as an amazed onlooker when viewing any display of actual skill. Often relating to snowsports. syn; jong, nOOb

2) adj: As pertaining to one who is a gaper.saw some gaper come up way short on that gap, looked really painful.

I can't believe I ate it on a gaper slope like that.
Source: El ka-JONG, Dec 8, 2004

2. gaper

A beginner skier or snowboarder who has no clue as to what they're doing on the mountain. They crash all over the place and get in your way. Refered to as a gaper because of the gap between their hat and goggles, also known as a gaper-gap. See also GuppyI couldn't ski fast because I was too busy dodging all the gapers
Source: BDP, Dec 9, 2004

3. gaper

A non-local snowboarder who has no clue as to what they're doing on the mountain. They stick to the green runs and are found crashing the 3 miles to the bottom.The bar was empty because all the gapers are on Schoolmarm.
Source: spykjnij, Dec 14, 2003


This person if riding a bike would also be known as a Fred!

JONG(TGR Favorite) - Jerk of newbie Gaper

SPORE - Stupid People On Rental Equiment

Touron(7S favorite) - Tourist Morons

A gaper is one who stops (usually in the middle of the best line) and gapes. Gapes at good skiers/riders. Gapes at the scenery. Gapes at the terrain they have just ridden/have to ride.

Atleast that is how I understand it.

Good topic MM.
One basic concept I struggled with is what to call the collective group of people recreating on a ski hill; i.e., alpine skiers, snowboarders, telemarkers, snowbladers, etc.? I've adopted SNOWRIDERS for lack of a better term.

Other ski slang in my vocab, mostly oldie but goodies:
yardsale: big wipeout with gear flying everywhere
flatlander: people/skiers residing near sea level elevations, often used in the context of how they are adapting to high altitude ski areas
pow: powder snow
stash: secret place on mtn where untracked pow is often found
poser: person who thinks or acts like they are a skilled snowrider, but aren't quite there yet
freeheelers: telemark skier (can someone explain the origin of related term pinhead?)
air: the space between you and the snow when you take a jump
huck: jumping off a rock or cliff for big air
bombhole: crater left behind in deep pow by hucking skier or boarder

When I write for public consumption on DCSki I'm always leery of misusing ski slang, but I'm sure I do. Which reveals that I'm just a flatlander gaper poser picker moments away from my next yardsale.


Here's a thread from epicski.com with tons more tidbits: http://forums.epicski.com/showthread.php?t=20829&highlight=ski+slang

flatlander: I use it to describe anyone who doesnt ski.

freeheelers: telemark skier (can someone explain the origin of related term pinhead?)

pinhead has to do with the type of binding some telemarker use I am sure someone who actually does tele will be able to fill you in better

Pinhead (or 3 pinner) does come from the bindings. Older style 75mm tele and xc bindings had 3 metal pins sticking up from the base plate. Those match up with 3 holes in the extended sole part on the toe of the boot. Thats what kept the boot attached to the binding. With the addition of cables on bindings they aren't really needed as the cable and toe bar hold the boot in the binding. Some models of bindings do have both though and tele boots still have the holes in the sole. Simple huh?

Jim, something tells me Poser doesn't fit.

To me, the truly offensive posers are those who don't know they're not there yet.

Jim,

I love the sentence using the terms!

I'd figure the poser is the guy sharing in the gondola with all new gear: Spyder shell; carrera goggles, altimeter watch, hat with horns, never used platinum plated skis etc who brags about boffing some hottie in the jacuzzi last night. (Really, my only visit to Vail included such a buffoon... I pretended I was a broke ass ho from Eastern Europe and grunted a few comments in Russian so he wouldn't try to talk to me).

So what do you call a fantastic skier (or boarder) if you actually want to compliment them? Any good ones?

If you ever happen to see a Russian on a trail who's really good or nails a jump or something, you can say mahl-ah-DYEHTS -- that's rougly like saying DOOOOOD! with a bit of admiration tossed in. The literal translation is youth.

mm

Good rider/skier = ripper, conjugate with me
i rip
You rip
he rips
she rips
they rip
we all rip

Holy s**t that dude was ripping.