DICTIONARY OF SNOWBOARDING TERMS

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D's

Dampening
The technique of reducing vibration of the snowboard in order to increase handling at high speeds. Some boards have a dampening material such as rubber laminated into the snowboard. As an alternative, some racers attach various materials to the topsheet.

Delaminate
When the layers in your snowboard come apart. It usually happens from crashing, long term use, or a defect in the snowboard.

Detune
The process of "unsharpening" the edges of the snowboard. Most people detune the edges around the nose and tail so they don't catch in the snow.

Directional Stance
Having a stance on a snowboard which allows one to ride differently in one direction than the other. In otherwise, your feet may be situated so that riding forwards is easier than riding backwards.

Disaster
A halfpipe lip trick where one lands with the coping perpendicular to the snowboard. Originated in skateboarding when skaters would land on the coping and allow their skateboard trucks (axle) to hang-up. With no trucks it's really not a disaster, but we'll call it that anyway.

Double Grab
Doing two separate tricks while in the air. One goes off of a jump, grabs the board one way, then grabs it in another way, then lands.

Double Handed Grab
Simultaneously grabbing the snowboard with both hands while in the air.

Duckfoot
A term used to describe stance angles with toes pointing outward like a duck.

E's

Effective Edge
The length of metal edge on the snowboard which touches the snow; it is the effective part which is used to make a turn. Therefore, it does not include the edge of the tip and tail.

Eggflip
An Eggplant where the athlete chooses to flip over in order to re-enter the pipe instead of rotating 180 degrees. Thus, this trick is performed forward to fakie......or switchstance (fakie to forward).

Eggplant
A one handed 180 degree backside rotated invert in which the front hand is planted on the lip of the halfpipe wall.

Elgeurial (BFM)
An invert where the halfpipe wall is approached fakie, the rear hand is planted, a 360 degree backside rotation is made, and the rider lands going forward.

Eurocarve
A term used to describe a certain mode of riding in which the rider makes large and hard carving turns; usually riding high on the edge and leaning the body parallel to the ground. Certain equipment may also be associated with the eurocarver such as hard shell boots, plate bindings, and certain clothing. The style was popularized by Peter Bauer and Jean Nerva, two of the best slalom racers ever.

Extruded Base
P-tex base of a snowboard which is formed by extrusion of sheets. It is of lower quality, doesn't hold and absorb wax very well, and is less durable.

F's

Fakie
A term for riding backwards. See also Switchstance.

Fall Line
The path of least resistance down any given slope, the direction that gravity would pull you.

Fat/Phat (slang)
Used to describe how exceptional something is like a "Phat Air" might be a really styled out trick as well as being "large", that is, very high.

50/50
To slide with the board parallel to the coping. Also see Grind.

540 Air (a.k.a. five)
The snowboarder rotates 540 degrees in the air and lands riding fakie. In the halfpipe, the rider approaches the wall riding forward, rotates 540 degrees, and lands riding forward.

Flail
A term used to describe riding badly and out of control. e.g. "He flailed off the jump and hit a tree."

Flat Bottom
The area in a halfpipe between the two opposing transitional walls.

Flatland
Term used to describe tricks performed on a flat slope without obstacles. (e.g. nose slide, blunt slide, tail wheelie, etc...)

Flex
Term used to describe the stiffness and pattern of how a snowboard flexes. i.e...stiff, medium, soft.

Flow
If someone gives you free product, they "flowed" you some stuff. a.k.a. Bro-form.

Flying Squirrel Air
Bending at the knees and grabbing the heel edge of the snowboard with both hands; the front hand near the front foot, and the rear hand near the rear foot.

Forward Lean
The angle of degree to which the highbacks of soft bindings, (or the boots of plate bindings), keep your ankles bent in a forward leaning position.

Freeriding
Snowboarding on all types of terrain for fun...no contests, no halfpipe, no gates, no rules, etc...

Freestyle Snowboarding
The kind of snowboarding which is mostly associated with riding the halfpipe, but which may also be used to describe any type of snowboarding which includes tricks and maneuvers.

Fresh Fish Air
The backside version of the Stale Fish. See Stale Fish.

Front Hand
The hand closest to the nose of the snowboard. In other words, the left hand for regular footers and the right hand for goofy footers.

Front Foot
The foot mounted closest to the nose of the board

Frontside Air
A true Frontside Air is performed on the toeside wall of a halfpipe with a grab to the toeside edge between the feet. A frontside air can be any air performed on the toeside wall of the halfpipe.

Frontside Rotation
Rotating the direction your front heel points.

Frontside Wall
The wall that your toes point to when you're riding straight down a halfpipe. For goofy-footers it's the left wall, for regular footers it's the right.

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