With winter coming up, the usual snow related lingo is entering our current vocabulary. Stoked, pow, and freshies are already replacing schralp, roost, and gnar. The snow hasn’t even hit the valley floor and we’re now talking about camber and which wax to use for the early season conditions. But how good actually is your winter vocabulary? We’re about to put you to the test!

BETA

A) Information about a selected route.

B) Your cats name.

C) A sandwich from Portobello in Upper Village.

If you chose A, your off to a good start!

SASTRUGI

A) Salami that’s more than a few days old.

B) Parallel wave-like ridges caused by winds on the surface of hard snow, especially in polar regions.

C) Your foreign house mates favourite drink.

If you chose B, you’re right!

MASHED POTATOES

A) A side that usually accompanies turkey dinner.

B) How you feel after a night out on the town.

C) A slang term for wet and heavy snow.

If you chose C, you must be familiar with west coast snow. 

PIT ZIPS

A) Jacket zippers located under the armpits allowing the user to circulate air through jacket on warmer days.

B) A snack you grab at lunch.

C) Those weird pants that unzip at the knee and turn into shorts.

If you chose A, you’re on a roll!

BOMBING

A) What patrol does to remove avalanche hazards.

B) Going down a slope recklessly fast. An apparent danger to others.

C) When you try to smooth talk someone and fail miserably.

If you chose A or B, great work! This was a trick question, and you passed!

EAGLE

A) The Bird, duh.

B) One of the Ziptrek zip lines.

C) An aerial with arms and legs spread apart. Usually happens instinctively when someone is new to the park, and going off one of their first kickers.

If you chose B, you must know your tricks. 

CRUD

A) Mud that has hardened.

B) A nasty crash.

C) Hard, lumpy, and icy. A nightmare to ski on.

If you chose C,  you must be a seasoned skier. 

So how well did you do? Comment and let us know how good your winter vocabualry is. And if you need a brush up, come on into McCoo’s and chat, we eat, sleep, breathe Whistler!