highmarking n.— «The man is believed to have been killed after triggering an avalanche Saturday afternoon by driving straight up the side of a hill, a practice called highmarking.» —“Alberta snowmobiler’s body...
ski cutting n.— «On Monday, the injured man and a partner were doing what is called “ski cutting,” which is a daily procedure at the resort. Cutting first involves the ski patrol testing the slope to check avalanche...
pizza n.— «Wolski, alone in the right circle, one-timed a slap shot past Backstrom to the short side, after a saucer crossing pass from John-Michael Liles. In hockey parlance, Liles’ pass is known as a “pizza,” and...
sidecountry n.— «Of the 43 deaths recorded by avalanche researchers in North American this season, almost a fifth have been in what is sometimes called the sidecountry, the areas adjacent to ski areas.» —“Around the Mountains: Cold...
sluff n.— «Loose-snow avalanches: Also known as “point releases,” typically start from a single point and fan outward as they descend. Also known as sluffs, these types of avalanches are common but generally less dangerous...
snow roller n.— «Stanford found frozen doughnuts of snow on the top of Washington Pass in the North Cascades this week when he was doing avalanche-control work. At first he couldn’t believe his eyes: Perfectly shaped doughnuts had rolled...