A listener in Park City, Utah, says she and her fellow ski enthusiasts are having heated debates about the word nonplussed. It originally meant “at a loss,” from Latin non plus, meaning “no more,” suggesting a situation in which one can go no...
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 vulnerability and later...
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, partially because most...
sweet spot n.— «Like the snowflakes that fall on the mountain, no two days are alike in the avalanche-control business.…The explosives come in two forms.…The method of delivery depends on the accessibility of the “sweet spots,” the places on a...
nar n.—Gloss: snow. Note: The long form is “nar nar.” «Come winter, when (or if) snow blankets the temperate zone, the Wesleyan Ski Team will hit the slopes to “shred the nar,” as they say in ski jargon.» —“Students take to the outdoors for sports...
quinfecta n.— «Our goal today was to climb all five of the Flatirons that dot the east slope of Green Mountain.…Getting around and onto the Pullman Car was one of the hardest section of climbing in the Quinfecta.…he entire Quinfecta had taken us 9...