 Members of the US Air Force skiing (and snowboarding) at Keystone Resort's 14th Annual SnoFest Skiing is the activity of gliding over snow using skis (originally wooden planks, now usually made from fiberglass or related composites) strapped to the feet with ski bindings. Originally used primarily for transportation, skiing evolved into a popular recreational and competitive activity during the 20th century. This is a file from the Wikimedia Commons, a repository of free content hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation. ...
This is a file from the Wikimedia Commons, a repository of free content hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation. ...
Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1512x2016, 294 KB) Skiläufer, selbst fotografiert Photographer: Florian Lindner camera: Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ3 shutter speed: n/a lens aperture: n/a date: 09. ...
Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1512x2016, 294 KB) Skiläufer, selbst fotografiert Photographer: Florian Lindner camera: Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ3 shutter speed: n/a lens aperture: n/a date: 09. ...
Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1787x1058, 1458 KB) Summary Licensing File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...
Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1787x1058, 1458 KB) Summary Licensing File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...
Snow is precipitation in the form of crystalline water ice, consisting of a multitude of snowflakes. ...
A twin-tip shaped downhill ski. ...
Glass-reinforced plastic (GRP), is a composite material or fibre reinforced plastic made of a plastic reinforced by fine fibers made of glass. ...
Composite materials (or composites for short) are engineered materials made from two or more constituent materials that remain separate and distinct on a macroscopic level while forming a single component. ...
In skiing, a ski binding is an attachment which anchors the ski boot to the ski. ...
(19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the...
History - Main article: History of skiing
Although skiing probably evolved gradually from snowshoeing, Norwegian Sondre Norheim is often called the "father of modern skiing". In the 19th century, Sondre Norheim invented bindings that enabled the skier to do turns while skiing down hills. This form of skiing was called Slalom (sla låm, Norwegian dialect expression for a difficult track) by Norheim and his contemporaries. This form of skiing is now referred to as Telemark or Telemark skiing. Skiing originally was a practical activity that resembled today's Nordic, or cross-country, style. Skiing, or traveling over snow on wooden runners, has a recorded history of almost five millennia. ...
A pair of modern showshoes Snowshoes, sometimes colloquially referred to as webs, are footwear for walking over snow. ...
Sondre Norheim (June 10, 1825 - March 9, 1897) was the pioneer of modern skiing. ...
Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ...
In skiing, a ski binding is an attachment which anchors the ski boot to the ski. ...
Slalom is an alpine skiing discipline. ...
Telemarker Telemark is a type of skiing that originates from the technique first developed by Sondre Norheim. ...
Nordic skiing is a term that includes the Olympic winter sports: Cross country skiing Ski jumping Nordic combined See also: Telemark skiing ...
Cross-country skiing (also known as XC skiing) is a winter sport popular in many countries with large snowfields, primarily Northern Europe and Canada. ...
The invention of firmer bindings to attach the skier's feet to the ski, likely by Austrian Matthias Zdarsky, enabled the skier to turn more effectively and led to the development of Alpine, or Downhill, skiing. Alpine skiing (or downhill skiing) is a recreational activity and sport involving sliding down snow-covered hills with long, thin skis attached to each foot. ...
Alpine skiing (or downhill skiing) is a recreational activity and sport involving sliding down snow-covered hills with long, thin skis attached to each foot. ...
Shortly thereafter, in the early 20th century, Austrian Hannes Schneider pioneered the idea of rotating the body to help steer the skis. Soon this Arlberg technique, named for his home region, spread around the world and helped make skiing a popular recreational activity. (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the...
Johannes Schneider (1890-April 25, 1955) or Hannes Schneider was an Austrian Ski instructor of the first half of the twentieth century. ...
The stem technique in skiing is usually credited to Mathias Zdarsky, from Austria, who invented it in the 1890s. ...
Types of skiing Many different types of skiing are popular, especially in colder climates, and many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the International Ski Federation (FIS), and other sporting organizations. Skiing is most visible to the public during the Winter Olympic Games where it is a major sport. The International Olympic Committee is an organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on June 23 1894 to reinstate the Ancient Olympic Games held in Greece between 776 BC to 396 AD. Its membership is 202 National Olympic Committees. ...
The International Ski Federation/Fédération Internationale de Ski (FIS) is the main international organisation of ski sports. ...
A runner carries the Olympic torch The Winter Olympic Games, Winter Olympics for short but more correctly The Olympic Winter Games, are the cold-weather counterpart to the Summer Olympic Games. ...
In skiing's traditional core regions in the snowy parts of Scandinavia, as well as in places such as Alaska, both recreational and competitive skiing is as likely to refer to the cross-country variants as to the internationally more well known downhill variants. Scandinavia is a region in Northern Europe named after the Scandinavian Peninsula. ...
Official language(s) English Capital Juneau Largest city Anchorage Area - Total - Width - Length - % water - Latitude - Longitude Ranked 1st 663,267 sq mi 1,717,854 km² 808 miles 1,300 km 1,479 miles 2,380 km 13. ...
Cross-country skiing (also known as XC skiing) is a winter sport popular in many countries with large snowfields, primarily Northern Europe and Canada. ...
Alpine skiing (or downhill skiing) is a recreational activity and sport involving sliding down snow-covered hills with long, thin skis attached to each foot. ...
For many people, "skiing" refers to recreational downhill skiing where one visits a ski resort, purchases a lift ticket, dons cold-weather clothing, skis, ski boots and ski poles, and embarks on a chairlift, gondola lift, or other means of mechanical uphill transport. Upon reaching the summit, the skier disembarks from the ski lift and travels downhill, propelled by gravity, usually along a marked run known as a piste. Ski routes are referred to as 'runs,' 'trails,' or 'slopes'. Most ski resorts use mechanical equipment to 'groom,' or pack down and smooth, the snow surface on certain ski trails. Grooming is normally associated with trails of lesser difficulty. Off-piste skiing includes skiing in unmarked or unpatrolled areas either within the ski resort's boundaries or in the backcountry, frequently amongst trees ("glade skiing"), usually in pursuit of fresh fallen snow, known as powder. A ski resort is a ski area with a village and/or high-end accommodations and other amenities at the base of the mountain. ...
A twin-tip shaped downhill ski. ...
Ski boots are specialized footwear that are used in skiing to provide protection and warmth for the foot in snowy and icy conditions, along with a way to attach the skier to skis using ski bindings so that skiers ski over snow. ...
This skiers poles are tucked under his arms. ...
A chairlift in Bad Hofgastein, Austria A chairlift, also known as a fixed-grip chairlift, is a type of aerial lift, which consists of a constantly moving loop of steel cable strung between two end terminals and generally over intermediate towers. ...
Classic gondola lift in Emmetten, Switzerland A gondola lift is a type of aerial lift, often called a cable car, which consists of a loop of steel cable that is strung between two stations, preferably over intermediate supporting towers. ...
A topographical summit is a point on a surface which is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. ...
Gravity is a force of attraction that acts between bodies that have mass. ...
A piste is the name given to a marked ski-run or path down a mountain for the purposes of skiing, snowboarding, or other mountain sports. ...
A piste is the name given to a marked ski-run or path down a mountain for the purposes of skiing, snowboarding, or other mountain sports. ...
A ski resort is a ski area with a village and/or high-end accommodations and other amenities at the base of the mountain. ...
A backcountry area in general terms is a geographical region that is: isolated remote undeveloped difficult to access The term particularly applies to mountainous regions that are reasonably close to urban areas but are: not immediately accessible by road at relatively high altitude not frequented by human visitors While the...
Snow is precipitation in the form of crystalline water ice, consisting of a multitude of snowflakes. ...
Skiing or snowboarding outside a ski resort's boundaries, also known as out of bounds skiing, is illegal in some ski resorts, due to the danger of avalanches on the un-patrolled areas; or the cost of search-and-rescue for lost or overdue skiers. France and Canada are some of the countries with no restrictions against off-piste skiing. In Canada, lost or overdue backcountry travellers are usually held responsible for the cost of search-and-rescue service. Backcountry skiers traveling in steep terrain prone to avalanches are encouraged to take avalanche training, travel with other experienced people, and carry special equipment for self-rescue. A ski resort is a ski area with a village and/or high-end accommodations and other amenities at the base of the mountain. ...
A Himalayan avalanche. ...
CH-113 Labrador helicopter used by the Canadian Forces for search and rescue from 1962-2004 Search and Rescue (acronym SAR) is an operation mounted by emergency services, often well-trained volunteers, to find someone believed to be in distress, lost, sick or injured either in a remote or difficult...
Skiing technique is difficult to master, and accordingly there are ski schools that teach everything from the basics of turning and stopping safely to more advanced carving, racing, mogul or "bump" skiing and newer freestyle techniques. The venue, speed and technical difficulty associated with the sport can lead to collisions, accidents, hypothermia and other serious injury or illness, including death. Regional Ski Patrol organizations, such as the National Ski Patrol in the U.S., exist as a voluntary organization to provide guidance, help, medical assistance and emergency rescue to those in need of it. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (700x676, 128 KB) Summary In this photograph, emergency medical technicians of the North Lake Tahoe Fire District are loading a patient into an ambulance for transport to a hospital. ...
Image File history File links Download high resolution version (700x676, 128 KB) Summary In this photograph, emergency medical technicians of the North Lake Tahoe Fire District are loading a patient into an ambulance for transport to a hospital. ...
EMTs loading an injured skier into an ambulance An emergency medical technician or EMT (American English) is an emergency responder trained to provide emergency medical services to the critically ill and injured. ...
A ski school is an establishment that trains skiers. ...
Moguls are bumps in a ski slope formed when skiers cut grooves in the snow as they execute turns. ...
A Venue is the location of an event, usually a meeting. ...
Hypothermia is a medical condition in which the victims core body temperature has dropped to significantly below normal and normal metabolism begins to be impaired. ...
Ski patroller with toboggan in tow A ski patrol is an organization that provides first aid and rescue services to skiers and participants of other snow sports, either at a ski area or in a backcountry setting. ...
Many non-skiers wonder why skiers are willing to risk such injury. Skiers have a variety of answers to this question, but a common explanation is that it simply feels good, rather like flying, and that, when done carefully, poses no greater risk of injury compared to other sports. Of course, there is some aspect of danger, but that is part of the appeal. Skiing is the fastest means of land transport possible without mechanical assistance other than skis. Many skiers have had experiences where they have achieved a union of the mind and the body by practising this sport; where the mind trusts the body to perform in an exceptional manner and the body trusts the mind not to lead it off an un-navigable cliff. A sense of harmony and of peak experience can result in a feeling of wholeness of self. Cliffs on the banks of the River Severn, near Bristol, England In geography, a cliff is a significant vertical, or near vertical, rock exposure. ...
In addition to their role in recreation and sport, skiing is also used as a means of transport by the military, and many armies train troops for ski warfare. Ski troops played a key role in retaining Finnish independence from Russia during the Winter War, and from Germany during the Lapland War, although the use of ski troops was recorded by the Danish historian Saxo Grammaticus in the 13th century. The sport of Biathlon was developed from military skiing patrols. A troop is a military unit, originally a small force of cavalry, subordinate to a squadron and headed by the troop leader. ...
Finnish sissi troops on skis. ...
Combatants Finland Soviet Union Commanders Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim Kliment Voroshilov, later Semyon Timoshenko Strength 180,000 450,000 Casualties 22,830 dead 43,557 wounded c. ...
History -- Military history -- War -- History of Germany -- History of Finland -- World War II The Lapland War is a name used for the hostilities between Finland and Germany between September 1944 and April 1945. ...
Saxo, etching by the Danish-Norwegian illustrator Louis Moe (1857 – 1945) Saxo Grammaticus (estimated. ...
(12th century - 13th century - 14th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 13th century was that century which lasted from 1201 to 1300. ...
The name Biathlon is commonly confused with duathlon, the term used to describe any sporting event made up of two disciplines. ...
In military tactics, to patrol, or conduct a patrol, is to conduct reconnaissance of a designated area or route. ...
Skiing was pronounced "she-ing" at the start of the 20th century, after the Norwegian pronunciation, and was usually written "ski-ing". (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the...
Skiing for people with disabilities Downhill skiing for people with disabilities is a recreational pastime open to those with any manner of cognitive and/or physical disabilities. Adaptations include the use of outriggers, ski tip retention devices, ski sliders, sit skis (dual and mono), brightly colored guide bibs, ski guides, and inter-skier communication systems. Recreational skiing programs for people with disabilities exist at mountains across the globe. In the Northeastern part of the United States, Maine Handicapped Skiing is one of the largest, operating out of the Sunday River ski resort. In the western part of the United States, the National Sports Center for the Disabled at Winter Park Resort near Denver, Colorado attracts world-class disabled athletes from Europe, Asia, and North America. Currently the International Ski Federation (FIS) sanctions a number of regional, national, and international disabled skiing events. Skiing for people with disabilities became popular after World War II with the return of injured veterans. The term disability, as it is applied to humans, refers to any condition that impedes the completion of daily tasks using traditional methods. ...
A hobby is a spare-time recreational pursuit. ...
In a canoe or bangca, an outrigger is a thin, long, solid, hull used to stabilise an inherently unstable main hull. ...
Winter Park Resort is a resort in Winter Park, Colorado off U.S. Highway 40 in the Rocky Mountains about an hour and a half from Denver, Colorado. ...
This article is the current U.S. Collaboration of the Week. ...
Europe is conventionally considered one of the seven continents of Earth which, in this case, is more a cultural and political distinction than a physiographic one, leading to some dispute as to Europes actual borders. ...
Asia is the largest and most populous region or continent depending on the definition. ...
World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America. ...
Combatants Allies: Poland, British Commonwealth, France/Free France, Soviet Union, United States, China, and others Axis Powers: Germany, Italy, Japan, and others Casualties Military dead:17 million Civilian dead:33 million Total dead:50 million Military dead:8 million Civilian dead:4 million Total dead:12 million World War II...
A veteran (from Latin vetus, meaning old) is a person who is experienced in a particular area, and is particularly used to refer to people in the armed forces. ...
Skiing and society In some places, particularly in the United States, skiing is often associated with wealth. Some resorts, particularly several in the American state of Colorado, are known as places where the affluent go on vacation. Wealth is an abundance of items of economic value, or the state of controlling or possessing such items, and encompasses money, real estate and personal property. ...
Official language(s) English Capital Denver Largest city Denver Area - Total - Width - Length - % water - Latitude - Longitude Ranked 8th 104,185 sq mi 269 837 km² 280 miles 451 km 380 miles 612 km 0. ...
The term "ski bum" has been used to classify skiers who want to spend the entire skiing season at the resort, engaging in their favorite sport and obtaining simple jobs, mainly in the local tourism industry to make a living; in reality, however, many different types of people engage in skiing. Some people take days off of work occasionally, go after work, after school, or on the weekends, for short trips if the ski resort is near their home. Recently, skiers and snowboarders have engaged in rivalry on and off the slopes, which is usually friendly and increases the notoriety of both sports; snowboarders often share hills with downhill skiers. Tourist redirects here; for the album by Athlete, see Tourist (album) For the Roxette album, see Tourism (album) Tourism is the act of travel for the purpose of recreation and business, and the provision of services for this act. ...
This article or section seems not to be written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia entry. ...
Trail ratings
North America In North America, a color-shape rating system is used to indicate the difficulty of trail or slope. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1024x768, 263 KB) This is a picture that I took while skiing heavenly at Tahoe. ...
Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1024x768, 263 KB) This is a picture that I took while skiing heavenly at Tahoe. ...
Lake Tahoe Lake Tahoe is a freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada, on the border between California and Nevada, near Carson City. ...
There is no governing body that assigns difficulty ratings to ski trails. Instead, resorts assign ratings to their own trails, marking a given trail according to its relative difficulty when compared with other trails at that resort. As a result, identically-pitched trails at different resorts can have different ratings.
Although slope angle is the primary consideration in assigning a trail rating, other factors come into play - including trail width, normal snow conditions and whether or not the resort normally grooms the trail.
The ratings are as follows:
- Green circle: A green circle is used to indicate the easiest pistes at a mountain. Green circles are generally wide and groomed, and, although there is no standard, typically have slope angles ranging from 6% to 25%. A green circle indicates that the trail is 'easier' compared to other trails at the resort. As a result, these trails are typically the most popular trails among newer skiers and snowboarders. Skiers and snowboarders sometimes refer to green circle runs as "beginner trails."
- Blue square: Often called an "intermediate slope," trails marked with a blue square are more difficult than those with a green circle. The slope angle of Blue squares commonly range from 25% to 40% and are usually groomed. Blue runs comprise the bulk of pistes at most ski areas, and are usually among the most heavily trafficked.
- Black diamond: A black diamond indicates that a trail is among the most difficult at a given mountain. Black diamond trails are steep (often 40% and up) and may or may not be groomed, though the introduction of winch cats has made the grooming of steep slopes both possible and more frequent.
- Double black diamond: Until the 1980s, by convention, North American ski resorts limited trail ratings to green circle/blue square/black diamond. But technological improvements in trail construction and maintenance, coupled with intense marketing competition, led to the creation of a new trail rating symbol: the double black diamond. Many North American resorts now use the double-black symbol, although some retain the old three-symbol system. In general, trails marked with a double black diamond are even more challenging than those marked with a single diamond. Usually, this is due to significantly increased slope angle, but other factors such as width, exposure, and the presence or proximity of obstacles such as steep dropoffs, trees or other potential hazards may result in a double-diamond rating. Although the double black diamond is subject to the same lack of standardization as the other three symbols, trails marked with double black diamonds should typically be attempted only by very skilled and experienced skiers and snowboarders.
- Variations: Although the North American trail rating system is a convention used by most resorts, some ski areas have unilaterally made modifications to the system by using combinations of symbols. For example, you might see a trail rating with both a blue square and a black diamond at a given resort, indicating that the trail is more challenging than other blue square runs at the resort but less challenging than the black diamonds. Similarly, two green circles, indicate a trail that is more difficult than a single circle, but less difficult than a blue. Two blue square's also indicate that a trail is more difficult than a single blue, but not as difficult as a black diamond. Several ski areas have also designated trails with a triple black diamond. Most resorts, however, resist this type of symbol proliferation to avoid confusing their customers.
- Terrain Parks: Terrain parks are small parts of trails, or sometimes their own, that have a variation of jumps, halfpipes, and other "extreme" sporting obstacles. The trails are represented by an orange horizontal oval-like shape. Usually, if you want to know how challenging the terrain park will be, notice what level trail it is on. If it is on a diamond or a double diamond, you can deduct that the obstacles will be more challenging than then others in places where the level is a square.
Because of the lack of standardization in trail ratings, it's generally a good idea to start on a given resort's less challenging runs, as indicated by their trail ratings, to develop a sense of how difficult that resort's terrain actually is before moving on to more demanding terrain.
Europe In Europe, pistes or slopes are classified by a similar, colour-coded system, although shapes are not used (all ratings are circles). The ratings are: - Green: Learning or 'baby' slopes. These are usually not marked trails, but tend to be large open, gently sloping areas at the base of the ski area.
- Blue: An easy trail, similar to the North American Green Circle, and are almost always groomed, or on so shallow a slope as not to need it.
- Red: An intermediate slope. Steeper, or narrower than a blue slope, these are usually groomed, unless the narrowness of the trail prohibits it.
- Black: An expert slope. Steep, may or may not be groomed, or may be groomed for mogul. It is worth noting that 'Black' can be a very wide classification, ranging from a slope marginally more difficult than a 'Red' to very steep avalanche chutes like the infamous Couloirs of Courchevel.
- Yellow: In recent years, many resorts reclassified some black slopes to yellow slopes. This signifies a skiroute, an ungroomed and unpatrolled slope which is actually off-piste skiing in a marked area. Famous examples are the Stockhorn area in Zermatt and the Tortin slopes in Verbier.
Courchevel is the name of a ski area located in the Savoie region of the French Alps, and part of Les Trois Vallées, the largest linked ski area in the world. ...
In June, the Matterhorn is still snow-covered, while it is spring in Zermatt below. ...
Verbier is a ski resort in the Swiss Alps, in the canton of Valais. ...
Japan Japan uses a color-coded system, but shapes do not usually accompany them. Some resorts, mainly those catering to foreigners, use the North American or European color-coding system, adding to the confusion. When in doubt, check the map legend. The usual ratings are: - Green: Beginner slopes. These are usually near the base of the mountain, although some follow switchback routes down from the top.
- Red: Intermediate slopes. At most ski areas in Japan, these constitute the majority of the slopes (40% to 60%, depending on how the slopes are accounted).
- Black: Expert slopes. These are the steepest and most difficult slopes at the ski area. The difficulty of these compared to like-classified slopes at other ski areas is heavily dependent on the target audience.
Japan has more than 600 ski areas (108 in Nagano Prefecture alone), many of them small and family-oriented, so comparisons between the three slope classifications in Japan and "equivalent" slopes in Europe or North America should be taken with a grain of salt. Nagano Prefecture (長野県; Nagano-ken) is located on Honshu island, Japan. ...
Snow and weather Skiers and snowboarders can encounter a wide range of snow and weather conditions, in part due to the location of specific resorts and global weather patterns at the time.
Natural snow ranges in consistency from very light and fluffy to dense and heavy, depending upon atmospheric conditions as it falls. Snow is often measured by moisture content, or the amount of water in a given volume of snow. Some areas of the United States' Rocky Mountains, for example, can receive considerable amounts of snow with a moisture content as low as three to five percent; in the Northeastern United States and the Alps, moisture content is more typically 15 percent or more. Snow made by mechanical snowmaking often has moisture content of 35 percent or more. Snow is precipitation in the form of crystalline water ice, consisting of a multitude of snowflakes. ...
Snow cannon at Mölltaler Gletscher, Austria A snow cannon is a device used to produce snow artificially. ...
Temperatures play a critical role in snow moisture content, but other atmospheric conditions are also relevant. Air currents and other factors determine snow crystal shape; obviously, the farther apart given snow crystals are, the more air is contained in the newly settled snow, resulting in lower net moisture content in a given volume of snow. Snow produced mechanically typically has high relative moisture content and low amounts of loft because the crystal structure resembles small, dense pellets.
Even the fluffiest snow has mass, and snow typically settles under its own weight after time. This is one reason why untouched snow measuring 20 cm on the day it falls might be measured at 15 cm the day following. Snow is also subject to sublimation - a process by which water can go directly from a frozen state to a gaseous state without first melting. It's the same process that ultimately makes ice cubes shrink in your freezer. Sublimation of an element or substance is a conversion between the solid and the gaseous phases of matter, with no intermediate liquid stage. ...
There are other factors that impact snow beyond its moisture content and crystal shape, however. Snow is impacted by wind, sunlight, skier traffic, ambient air temperature, relative humidity and grooming equipment; all of these factors combine to change snow crystal shape and density over time.
Thus, skiers and snowboarders typically encounter a wide range of snow conditions over the course of a season. Some of the more common conditions include:
- Powder: Light, fluffy snow, found during and immediately after a snowstorm. Skiing and snowboarding in deep powder snow is a favorite among skilled, experienced skiers and snowboarders; sometimes know as powderhounds.
- Packed Powder: Packed Powder is powder snow that has been compressed, either by means of mechanical snow grooming apparatus or skier traffic. The term can also be used to describe snow that has been properly made with adequate control over snowmaking apparatus. This snow condition is favored by beginners and the majority of recreational skiers, in that it tends to be relatively forgiving, easy to turn upon, and requires less skill to negotiate than powder snow.
- Granular snow: Granular snow crystals are small pellets. Depending on sun and temperature conditions, it may be wet granular snow - meaning that there is a considerable amount of unfrozen water in it, or loose granular snow, which has no unfrozen water. Wet granular snow will form a snowball; loose granular snow will not. Wet granular conditions are often found in the springtime. Loose granular conditions are generally produced when wet granular snow has re-frozen and then been broken up by snowgrooming apparatus.
- Corn snow: Corn snow is the result of repeated daily thaws and nightly re-freezing of the surface. Because of the thaw-refreeze cycle, snow crystal shapes change over time, producing crystal shapes somewhat akin to wet granular, but larger. True corn snow is a delight to ski or ride.
- Ice: skiers and snowboarders typically regard any snow condition that is very hard as 'ice.' In fact, true ice conditions are comparatively rare. Much of what is perceived to be ice is actually a frozen granular condition - wet granular snow that has refrozen to form a very dense surface. Telling the difference is comparatively easy; if one can get a ski pole to stand up in it, the surface is likely to be more of a frozen granular surface than an icy one - and while it's certainly not as enjoyable as many other snow conditions, skilled skiers and snowboarders can successfully negotiate it. In fact, it's a preferred condition among racers, in that the surface tends to be quite fast and race course conditions tend to remain more consistent during the race, with fewer ruts developing on the course. Another form of icy condition can be found at higher elevation resorts in the Rocky Mountains and in Europe; direct sunlight can melt the top layers of snow crystals and subsequent freezing and produce a very shiny, slick surface.
- Crust: Crusts are extremely challenging conditions. A crust condition exists when soft snow is covered by a harder upper layer upon the surface. This crust can be created by freezing rain (precipitation formed in warmer upper levels of the atmosphere, falling into a temperature inversion at which surface temperatures are below freezing, and freezing on contact with the ground), by direct sunlight, and by wind loading which packs down the upper layers of the snowpack but leaves lower layers more or less unaffected.
- Spring Conditions: a catch-all term ski areas use to describe conditions when numerous different surface types can be found on the mountain - usually in the later part of the season, although the term is sometimes used during an extended midwinter thaw. The term also generally reflects the presence of bare spots and/or areas of thin cover. With spring conditions, the snow is usually firm in early morning (even reaching frozen granular status if left ungroomed), breaking a softer corn or wet granular surface mid-day, and is often very soft and mushy in afternoon (many skiers refer to this type of snow condition as 'mashed potatoes," due to its heaviness). The speed with which conditions change on a given spring day is directly related to the exposure of the slope relative to the sun. East- and south-facing slopes tend to soften first; west-facing slopes generally soften by mid-day. North-facing slopes may hold on to their overnight snow conditions throughout the day.
A shrub coated by glaze after a night of freezing rain. ...
New developments The combination of kiteboarding technology with skiing has led to the creation of a new sport, snowkiting. Harnessing the pull of the wind with a kite, snowkiters are able to make very large jumps and travel uphill. Bjørn Kaupang kiting at Hardangervidda Norway. ...
Skiing topics
Types of skiing - Cat skiing is a type of snow skiing that involves the use of a snowcat to transport skiers up mountainous terrain rather than helicopters or ski lifts used at ski resorts. It is considered a form of backcountry skiing or off-piste skiing, as the hazards encountered in a backcountry mountain environment are the same and professionals often guide participants.
Alpine skiing (or downhill skiing) is a recreational activity and sport involving sliding down snow-covered hills with long, thin skis attached to each foot. ...
Backcountry sking near the Arlberg, Austria Backcountry skiing or off-piste skiing is skiing in a sparsely inhabited rural region over ungroomed and unmarked slopes (i. ...
Cross-country skiing (also known as XC skiing) is a winter sport popular in many countries with large snowfields, primarily Northern Europe and Canada. ...
Nordic skiing is a term that includes the Olympic winter sports: Cross country skiing Ski jumping Nordic combined See also: Telemark skiing ...
Extreme skiing is skiing performed on steep (typically over 60 degrees) and or dangerous terrain. ...
The factual accuracy of this article is disputed. ...
Heliskiing is the practice of alpine skiing using a helicopter to gain altitude instead of ski lifts. ...
To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...
Telemarker Telemark is a type of skiing that originates from the technique first developed by Sondre Norheim. ...
Speed skiing is the sport of skiing fastest in a straight line downhill. ...
Ski jumping is a winter sport in which skiers go down a hill with a take-off ramp (the jump), attempting to go as far as possible. ...
Ski mountaineering is a sport that combines the techniques of skiing (often ski touring) with those of mountaineering. ...
Ski touring is a form of backcountry skiing (off-piste skiing) involving trekking from place to place in the wilderness, that has parallels with hiking and backpacking. ...
This article or section seems not to be written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia entry. ...
Bjørn Kaupang kiting at Hardangervidda Norway. ...
Freestyle skiing began in the 1930s, when Norwegian skiers began using ski acrobatics in alpine and cross country training. ...
Pisten Bully 300 Polar snowcat moving snow A Snowcat is an enclosed-cab, truck sized, fully tracked vehicle designed to move on snow. ...
Backcountry skiing or off-piste skiing is skiing in a sparsely inhabited rural region, where fixed mechanical means of ascent (chairlifts, cable cars etc. ...
Turning techniques The stem technique in skiing is usually credited to Mathias Zdarsky, from Austria, who invented it in the 1890s. ...
Terminology Uphill ski refers in this case to the back end of the ski, i. ...
The Stem Christie in skiing is a development of the stem technique, where the uphill ski is stemmed or pushed out from being parallel with the downhill ski to form a V shape. ...
The invention of the Parallel turn in skiing is credited to Austrian Toni Seelos in the 1930s. ...
A Carve Turn happens when a skier on shaped (parabolic) skis shifts his/her weight to one side or the other and lets the ski turn itself while not losing any speed as happens in a normal parallel turn. ...
Telemarker Telemark is a type of skiing that originates from the technique first developed by Sondre Norheim. ...
Equipment A twin-tip shaped downhill ski. ...
In skiing, a ski binding is an attachment which anchors the ski boot to the ski. ...
Ski boots are specialized footwear that are used in skiing to provide protection and warmth for the foot in snowy and icy conditions, along with a way to attach the skier to skis using ski bindings so that skiers ski over snow. ...
This skiers poles are tucked behind him. ...
Ski wax is a material applied to the bottom of skis or snowboards to help them perform on snow. ...
A woman in a one-piece ski suit (what could also be called a ski jumpsuit). ...
Competition events A runner carries the Olympic torch The Winter Olympic Games, Winter Olympics for short but more correctly The Olympic Winter Games, are the cold-weather counterpart to the Summer Olympic Games. ...
Silver 2004 The Paralympic Games are an elite multi-sport event for athletes with a disability. ...
The Four Hills Tournament (Vierschanzentournee) is composed of four Ski Jumping World Cup events and has taken place in Germany and Austria each year since 1952. ...
ESPN X Games logo The X Games are an annual multi-sport event with a focus on action sports. ...
Alpine events The alpine skiing World Cup is a circuit of alpine skiing competitions regulated by the FIS. Held at ski resorts across Europe, the continental US, and Canada, competitors compete to achieve the best time in four disciplines: Slalom, Giant Slalom, Super-G, and Downhill. ...
The Alpine Skiing World Championships took place first time in 1931. ...
Freestyle skiing began in the 1930s, when Norwegian skiers began using ski acrobatics in alpine and cross country training. ...
Slalom is an alpine skiing discipline. ...
Giant Slalom is an alpine skiing discipline. ...
The Super Giant Slalom is an alpine skiing discipline. ...
The downhill is an alpine skiing discipline. ...
Combined is an alpine skiing discipline. ...
Speed skiing is the sport of skiing fastest in a straight line downhill. ...
Moguls are bumps in a ski slope formed when skiers cut grooves in the snow as they execute turns. ...
Nordic events The name Biathlon is commonly confused with duathlon, the term used to describe any sporting event made up of two disciplines. ...
The Nordic combined is a winter sport in which competitors involve in both cross-country skiing and ski jumping. ...
Ski jumping is a winter sport in which skiers go down a hill with a take-off ramp (the jump), attempting to go as far as possible. ...
Cross-country skiing (also known as XC skiing) is a winter sport popular in many countries with large snowfields, primarily Northern Europe and Canada. ...
Skiing organizations International organizations: National organizations: The International Ski Federation/Fédération Internationale de Ski (FIS) is the main international organisation of ski sports. ...
The U.S. National Ski Hall of Fame and Museum is located in the City of Ishpeming in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, the birthplace of organized skiing in the United States. ...
The Professional Ski Instructors of America (PSIA) is an organization offering training and certification for U.S. Ski Instructors. ...
The Ski Club of Great Britain is the UKs leading snowsports club, founded on May 6, 1903. ...
The National Ski Patrol (NSP), founded in 1938 by Charles M. (Minnie) Dole, had followed its creed of Service and Safety since the establishment of skiing as a popular sport in the United States. ...
Ski safety A Himalayan avalanche. ...
This article is about the snow formation. ...
Crevasse on the Gorner Glacier, Zermatt, Switzerland. ...
Mountain rescue refers to search and rescue activities that occur in a mountainous environment, although the term is sometimes also used to apply to search and rescue in other wilderness environments. ...
Ski patroller with toboggan in tow A ski patrol is an organization that provides first aid and rescue services to skiers and participants of other snow sports, either at a ski area or in a backcountry setting. ...
Ski lifts Cable car at Zell am See in the Austrian Alps. ...
A chairlift in Bad Hofgastein, Austria A chairlift, also known as a fixed-grip chairlift, is a type of aerial lift, which consists of a constantly moving loop of steel cable strung between two end terminals and generally over intermediate towers. ...
A detachable chairlift A detachable chairlift or high-speed chairlift is a type of aerial lift, which, like a chairlift, consists of numerous chairs that are connected to a constantly moving steel cable that is strung between two terminals over intermediate towers. ...
Squaw Valley Funitel, Jan 2005 A funitel is a type of aerial lift used to transport skiiers. ...
Angels Flight, Los Angeles, California with gantlet track configuration Duquesne Incline, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with full length parallel tracks The Gütschbahn in Lucerne, Switzerland – from an 1893 guidebook A funicular, also called funicular railway, inclined railway, inclined plane, or, in the United Kingdom, a cliff railway, is a system of...
Classic gondola lift in Emmetten, Switzerland A gondola lift is a type of aerial lift, often called a cable car, which consists of a loop of steel cable that is strung between two stations, preferably over intermediate supporting towers. ...
A ski tow, also called rope tow, is a mechanised system for pulling skiers uphill. ...
A platter lift, or just platter, is a mechanised system for pulling skiers uphill. ...
A t-bar lift, also called t-bar, is a mechanised system for pulling skiers uphill. ...
The Telemix is a relatively new innovation in the world of Ski Lifts. ...
A Magic Carpet is a type of surface lift seen at ski areas to transport skiers up the grade. ...
Other Skiing, or traveling over snow on wooden runners, has a recorded history of almost five millennia. ...
Dry ski slopes are an attempt to mimic the attributes of snow using materials that are usable at normal summer temperatures. ...
Indoor ski slopes are found in several countries, proving a climate controlled environment can be maintained in which snow can be manufactured using a snow cannon, enabling skiing to take place year-round. ...
To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...
This is a list of ski areas around the world. ...
A piste is the name given to a marked ski-run or path down a mountain for the purposes of skiing, snowboarding, or other mountain sports. ...
A ski resort is a ski area with a village and/or high-end accommodations and other amenities at the base of the mountain. ...
A ski school is an establishment that trains skiers. ...
Finnish sissi troops on skis. ...
Snow is precipitation in the form of crystalline water ice, consisting of a multitude of snowflakes. ...
Snow cannon at Mölltaler Gletscher, Austria A snow cannon is a device used to make artificial snow. ...
Frozen Waterfall in the Rhön mountains A natural, 4 tonne, block of ice on a beach in Iceland Ice can refer any of the 14 known solid phases of water. ...
Pisten Bully 300 Polar snowcat moving snow A Snowcat is an enclosed-cab, truck sized, fully tracked vehicle designed to move on snow. ...
The Physics of skiing refers to the analysis of forces applied on a skier using the discipline of physics. ...
Après-ski (French: after skiing) refers to going out, having drinks, and dancing after skiing. ...
Health and injuries Altitude sickness, also known as acute mountain sickness (AMS) or altitude illness is a pathological condition that is caused by lack of adaptation to high altitudes. ...
Injury is damage or harm caused to the structure or function of the body caused by an outside agent or force, which may be physical or chemical. ...
Diagram of the right knee Grays Fig. ...
A fractured bone in a living person is typically treated by restoring the fractured pieces of bone to their natural positions (if necessary), and maintaining those positions while the bone heals. ...
First aid is a series of simple, life-saving medical techniques that a non-doctor or layman can be trained to perform. ...
It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into First aid. ...
Frostbite - or Congelatio in medical terminology - is the medical condition where damage is caused to skin and other tissues due to extreme cold. ...
Hypothermia is a medical condition in which the victims core body temperature has dropped to significantly below normal and normal metabolism begins to be impaired. ...
Physical fitness is an attribute required for service in virtually all militaries. ...
(for options, see option exercise) U.S. marine emerges from the water upon completing the swimming portion of the triathlon. ...
Snowblind redirects here. ...
Related lists Lists of people by cause of death Skiing and skiing topics Categories: Skiing | Lists of people by cause of death ...
Shin-bang is a slang term for a medical condition developed in snow skiing. ...
Ski videos and movies Skiing and snowboarding video and movies as a genre, emerged with such classics as Otto Lang (film producer) Ski Flight, Warren Miller, Dirk Collins and other now famous ski movie makers. Otto Lang (January 21, 1908 – January 30, 2006) was the founder of ski schools on Mt. ...
Warren Miller was born in Hollywood, California in 1924. ...
Ski video podcasts With the new wave of podcasting, ski video podcasts started to appear, with pioneers such as:
Northeast Ski Podcast - Kevin Ashley's video podcast about skiing in the Northeast of the US.
Snowflix - A TV-style weekly podcast featuring plenty of riding, competitions, how-to's, rider interviews, reviews, top 5's and more.
Ridertech.com - Skiing and snowboarding video blog from the Pacific Northwest.
Related sports Grass skiing was started in the mid-1980s as a method for training for alpine skiing. ...
A monoski is the main piece of equipment used in monoskiing, a form of skiing. ...
A skwal is the main piece of equipment used for skwalling, a form of Skiing. ...
Skiboarding is a winter sport which combines inline skating and skiing. ...
This article or section seems not to be written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia entry. ...
A pair of modern showshoes Snowshoes, sometimes colloquially referred to as webs, are footwear for walking over snow. ...
Bjørn Kaupang kiting at Hardangervidda Norway. ...
Recreational skiiers typically use two skis — other techniques abound. ...
A winter sport is a sport commonly played during winter. ...
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