Sicktionary: Your Guide to Snowboarding Terms

Sicktionary is a monthly column in SNOWBOARDER Magazine in which we define snowboarding terms, lingo, and slang. In Snowboarder's November 2007 Issue we highlight some Superpark terms. Keep reading to learn some shredtacular vernacular.

Eighteen years ago, Dustin Craven’s parents had a choice to make…as it turned out, the coathanger’s loss was snowboarding’s gain. Since he first showed up at Superpark 8 in Lake Louise as a naïve fifteen-year-old, Dustin has gone through many changes. His voice is deeper, his morals weaker, and his skills are significantly improved. Though he spends a lot of time at contests, he isn’t a jock. As a matter of fact, he was sleeping one off in a slopeside van when one of his team managers woke him up to compete at the most recent Empire Shakedown in Québec. In true Canadian fashion, this Skid suited up, strutted out onto the snow, strapped in with questionable equilibrium, and won the whole show. Victory is always the best chaser!
-Pat Bridges

Fisheye (Phish-i), noun: Video or photo lens that provides the widest perspective of any given angle.

Coping (Cop-eng), noun: In skateboarding, it is the tube-shaped protrusion at the top of a transition. In snowboarding, it is the part of any transitioned feature (i.e., quarterpipe, wallride, etc.) where the vert meets the deck. In order to properly perform a handplant, one’s palm must be on the coping.

Handplant (hahnd-plant), noun: Mostly found on transitions or mini-shred zones. Whenever one intentionally puts a hand on the snow and both feet in the air. Dozens of variations.

Bluebird (Blu-burd), adj.: Used to describe a day on the hill when there isn’t a cloud in sight and the blue color of the sky is especially enhanced. These are perfect days to shoot photos or to film.

Ho-ho (Hoe-hoe), noun: A handplant made famous by pro skater Steve Schneer in the late eighties, where both arms are used to plant. Anyone who claims this is a trick in snowboarding is an idiot. Ho-ho-ers deserve to be bitch-slapped by the pimp hand of a real planter.

Helen Keller (Hell-in Kell-urr), noun: Any time a rider starts sliding across the surface of the snow on their planting hand as if they are trying to read a brail Playboy.

Foreplay (For-play), noun: When a person plants their hand below the coping of a feature.

Layback (Lay-bak), noun: Placing the rear hand on a frontside wall while grabbing slob with your lead hand before coming back in forward. Done by old-school dudes and new-school girls.

Iridium (Ih-rid-deeyum), noun: Thermonuclear protection for your eyes.

More Sicktionary Terms:
Sicktionary: Your Guide to Snowboarding Terms - Pipe Pro
Sicktionary: Your Guide to Snowboarding Terms - Quebec Edition