DICTIONARY OF SNOWBOARDING TERMS

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

N's

900 Air (a.k.a. nine)
The snowboarder rotates 900 degrees in the air and lands riding fakie. In the halfpipe, the rider approaches the wall riding forward, rotates 900 degrees, and lands riding forward.

Nollie
Much like an Ollie only you spring off of your nose instead of your tail. See Ollie.

Nollie Frontflip
Springing off of the nose while going off of a jump and leaning forward, allows you to do a frontflip.

Nose
The front tip of the snowboard.

Nose Bonk
To hit an object with the nose of the snowboard.

Nose Grab Air
The front hand grabs the nose of the snowboard.

Nose Poke Air
Any maneuver where you bone your front leg and "poke" the nose of the snowboard in a direction away from your body usually while grabbing, i.e. Indy Nose Poke Air.

Nose Slide
To slide along the ground or an object solely on the nose of the snowboard.

Nuclear Air
The rear hand reaches across the front of the body and grabs the heel edge in front of the front foot.

O's

Ollie
A method to obtain air without a jump by first lifting the front foot then lifting the rear foot as you spring off of the tail. First invented in skateboarding by Alan Gelfand, (Ollie was his nickname).

180 Air
The snowboarder rotates 180 degrees in the air and lands riding fakie. In the halfpipe, the rider approaches the wall riding forward, rotates 180 degrees, and lands riding forward.

P's

Pack
A term used to describe a crash or fall. e.g. "He packed into that snow bank and broke his leg."

Palmer Air
A kind of method where the grab is near the nose, the board is pulled across the front of the body, and the nose is pointed downward. Named after Shaun Palmer.

Phillips 66
An invert where the athlete approaches the halfpipe wall riding fakie, plants the rear hand on the lip of the wall while doing a "front flip" and lands in the transition riding forward. Named after skateboarder Jeff Phillips.

Pipe Dragon
A grooming machine invented by Doug Waugh that shapes the walls of a halfpipe. It has a transitionally shaped cutting arm which is towed behind a snowcat.

Plate Binding
A binding system in which hard shell boots, similar to those used in downhill skiing, are attached to the board by a flat "plate." Similar to ski bindings. However, most snowboard binding are non-releasable.

Poach
If the Halfpipe is closed, or the powder field is roped off... and your rode it anyway... you poached it.

Polyurethane Injection Construction
More common in lower-priced snowboards, this snowboard construction is made by injecting Polyurethane foam into a mold to comprise the core. These snowboards are usually lighter than wood core boards but are also less durable and lose flex and camber after a hard season of riding.

Pop Tart
Airing from fakie to forward in the halfpipe without rotation.

Poseur
One who pretends to be something one is not.

Pro Jump
A drop off built on a race course which is usually two to four feet in height.

Q's

Quadratic Sidecut
Sidecut design shape which is based on a quadratic formula; rather than the arc of a circle. Simply, this design allows for camber and board flex to be integrated into the board design.

Quarterpipe
A halfpipe with only one wall. In other words, a snow sculpted shape which contains a transition and a vertical, and is used as a jump to catch air.

Continue to R-T