Below are a few terms you will encounter whilst skiing and possibly in conversation when booking a ski holiday.

• Binding - Toe and heel mechanism for fixing the boot to the ski. It is equipped with a built-in adjustable release function.
• Camber - The curved arch of the ski designed to distribute the skier's weight.
• Canting - Adjustment of the boot sole relative to the ski to obtain a better edge-grip.
• D.I.N. - The rating scale for release binding settings and other standardised safety features on equipment.
• Edges - The steel edges down the sides of the ski's running surface. Flex pattern - The distribution of flexing stiffness along the length of the ski.
• Mono ski - Wide single ski for both feet primarily for use in deep snow.
• Poles - Ski sticks; tapered tube poles used for balance and as an aid to climbing and turning.
• Reverse camber - The shape taken by the ski when it is under load during turning.
• Short ski - Skis of a shorter than normal length, used in the learning progression.
• Shovel -The forepart of the ski including the tip.
• Side - The waisting shape of the ski to assist turning.
• Ski brake - Device attached with the binding for arresting the ski should the binding release.
• Sole - The under running surface of the polyethylene material within the steel edges.
• Torsional stiffness - Degree of resistance to twisting along the ski length.
• Waisting - The narrower centre section of the ski, formed by the side cut.
• Waxes - Applied to the sole of the ski to improve gliding according to snow conditions. Either melted on hot or rubbed on. Also refers to grip-waxes applied to Nordic skis.

Below are terms in skiing associated with technique.

• Angulations - The shape of the body used to control turning and edge-grip - leaning out from the slope with the upper body, the hips and legs leaning inwards.
• Anticipation - The pre-turning of the body before initiating a turning movement.
• Basic swing - Turning manoeuvre beginning with a plough and finishing with a parallel swing.
• Carving - Turning and steering the skis with minimum sideways skid.
• Christiania - `Christie' turns are made with the skis in a parallel position.
• Compression - Bending the legs to absorb bumps and initiate turns.
• Down-flex - The downward flexing of the legs - a hip, knee, ankle-bending movement.
• Dynamic balance - Maintaining balance control while in motion.
• Edge change - The changing over from one edge to the other as the skis turn.
• Edge-set - The degree of the edge grip or bite on the snow.
• Fall-line - The line of least resistance down a slope - the steepest angle.
• Herringbone - Stepping uphill with the ski tips apart and the tails together.
• Inside ski - The ski on the inside of a turning arc.
• Inward lean - The leaning inward of the legs, or body, to the inside of a turn.
• Lower ski - The ski to the downhill side of the skier.
• Outside ski -The ski to the outside of a turning arc.
• Parallel turn or swing - A turning arc across the slope with the skis in a parallel position to one another.
• Pivot - Rotating or twisting action by the legs to turn the skis.
• Plough - With the skis angled out in a `V' form as when snowploughing.
• Pole-plant - The action of placing a pole in the snow to aid turning.
• Pressure - The application of the skier's weight pressure on the ski.
• Schuss - Skiing straight downhill without braking.
• Short swings - Short radius turns in a continuous action down steep slope.
• Side slip - Releasing the edge grip to slip or skid sideways downhill.
• Skidding - Allowing the skis to skid sideways, usually when turning.
• Snowplough - Basic controlling technique, the skis in a `V' form from the tips.
• Stance - The body position over the moving skis, the joint flexed.
• Steering - The guiding of the skis (or ski) in a given turn or direction.
• Stern - Moving one ski out at an angle from the tip, onto its inside edge.
• Straight run - Skiing straight down the fall - line with skis parallel.
• Swing - Turning the skis in a curving arc with skis parallel.
• Track - (1) the mark in the snow left by the skier; also (2) directing the skis.
• Traverse - Skiing across the slope at an angle to the fall - line.
• Turn - Changing direction with the skis usually through the fall - line.
• Turn phrases - Any ski turn has three distinct phases through which the skier applies the movements of the particular technique:
1. Preparation phase - making movements to get ready for turning the skis.
2. Initiation phase - the moment the skis are turned into the change of direction.
3. Steering phase - all the turning movements have been completed and the rest of the turn is steered round the slope into the next turn.
• Unweighting - A brief reduction of the weight pressure on the skis to enable the initiation of turning movements by upward extension of the body.
• Upper ski - The ski to the uphill side of the skier.
• Wedge - As for snowploughing, this usually refers to skis placed at a narrow plough.
• Weight change - The shifting of the skier's weight pressure from one ski to the other, particularly when initiating a turn.
• Weighting - The application of the skier's weight pressure to the ski(s).

Below are terms in skiing you're likely to hear around the ski resort.

• Alpine skiing - Term used for sport of downhill skiing using lifts, etc., as distinct from Nordic skiing using free - heel equipment for cross - country and touring.
• Artificial snow - Man made snow blowing onto ski run.
• Avalanche - Breakaway and slide of mass of snow - dangerous areas which should be avoided.
• Courtesy code - Guideline for safe skiing - the skier's Highway Code.
• Downhill race - A timed speed event over a prepared course with few control markers, usually over a descent in vertical height of 800 to 1000 metres; speeds over 60 mph - Crash helmets a must.
• Gate - Marker poles for racecourses.
• Giant Slalom race - A more open and longer slalom race, with the gates spread wider apart. Run twice.
• Lifts - Uphill transport for skiers can be found in several forms.
• Moguls - Rounded bumps formed on ski runs by the constant turning of skis scouring the snow away.
• Nordic Skiing - Cross country skiing as developed in the Nordic Scandinavian countries, it covers ski wandering, langlauf racing, Biathlon racing. Citizens Events, Telemark skiing and ski Touring. This is also referred to as loose heel' skiing because the boot is only secured by a toe piece, making it possible to ascend as well as descending.
• Piste - The ski run - the area prepared for skiing.
• Piste basher - A large tracked vehicle used for grooming the snow.
• Ski patrol - Service responsible for patrolling the ski area, summoned in the event of an accident.
• Ski run - The prepared run, marked and patrolled, graded according to difficulty.
• Ski trail - As Ski run, but usually a trail cut through trees.
• Slalom race - A ski race over a steep prepared course of closely set gate (55 to 75 over 200in vertical descent). Run twice.
• Super - G race - A type of downhill race with more control gates. Run once only.