Businesses Mono County (CA)

Mammoth Mountain and June Mountain Ski Areas

• This relates to the Mammoth Mountain & June Mountain Ski Areas Trunked Radio System.
• Mammoth Mountain Trunked System (Fleet Map: b0 S11, b2 S11, b6 S4, b7 S4)
  • Location of Repeaters: in the top gondola station on the summit of Mammoth Mountain

Frequencies Used:  860.5125, 859.5125, 858.5125, 857.5125, 856.5125, 860.1625,
                   858.8125, 855.8375 and 854.9375.  Control channels are shown in bold.  

Future frequencies not in use at this time:  860.3125, 857.3125, 855.6875 and 855.3875  

Talk Group	Channel	Department and Function
600-1	1A	Ski Patrol/Bike Park Patrol-First Aid * & Motocross First Aid **
600-2	1B	Ski Patrol Alternate
600-3	1C	Ski Patrol Alternate
200-1	2A	Administration-Lift Operations Supervisors-Ski Host Supervisors/Bike Park Operations *
200-2	2B	Lift Operations
200-3	2C	Ski Hosts (except supervisors)
200-5	3A	Lift Maintenance/Electrical
200-6	3B	Lift Maintenance/Electrical Alternate
200-7	3C	Gondola Operations/Scenic rides & bike transportation at the Bike Park *
200-9	4A	Slope Maintenance (Grooming)
200-10	4B	Slope Maintenance (Grooming) Alternate
200-11	4C	Slope Maintenance (Grooming) Alternate
200-13	5A	Snow Placement- Snowmaking & Snow Plowing (Roads-Parking-Sidewalks)/Lift Heavy Maintenance *
200-14	5B	Snow Placement (Snowmaking & Snow Plowing) Alternate
200-15	5C	Garage Calling (Vehicle Maintenance)
000-9	6A	Race Department
000-10	6B	Events
000-11	6C	Junior Ski Teams - Racing
001-1	7A	Terrain Parks (Snowboard play-obstacle course) (includes terrain park grooming)
001-2	7B	Events
001-3	7C	Events
001-9	8A	Canyon Lodge Sports School/Sierra Star Golf Course Operations *
001-10	8B	Canyon Lodge Sports School Alternate/Sierra Star Golf Course Beverage & Snack Delivery * Note: golfers can order from course locations & have it delivered.
001-11	8C	Main Lodge Sports School/Mammoth Mtn. Adventure Center * Note: this center is located in the Main Lodge area. Climbing walls & a zip line are included.
000-1	9A	Eagle Lodge Sports School/Lift Construction & Heavy Maintenance *
000-2	9B	Eagle Lodge Sports School Alternate/Lift Construction & Heavy Maintenance Alternate *
000-3	9C	Main Lodge Sports School Alternate/Lift Construction & Heavy Maintenance Alternate *
201-1	10A	Security
201-2	10B	Security Alternate
201-3	10C	Mammoth Snowmobile Adventures - Guided snowmobile tours based from the Main Lodge area.
201-5	11A	Building Maintenance.
201-6	11B	Staff Housing.
201-7	11C	Telecommunications & Information Services.
201-9	12A	Junior Ski Teams - Coaching.
201-10	12B	Junior Ski Teams - Coaching Alternate.
201-11	12C	Junior Ski Teams - Coaching Alternate.
700-1	13A	Unknown - Future June Mountain Ski Area Use?
700-2	13B	Unknown - Future June Mountain Ski Area Use?
700-3	13C	Unknown - Future June Mountain Ski Area Use?
201-13	14A	Transportation: Parking Shuttles (Transportation between town & ski area bases provided by Eastern Sierra Transit Authority)/Bus w/bike trailer to/from Village at Mammoth & Main Lodge *
201-14	14B	Transportation: Parking Control/Motocross Shuttle & Parking Control. **
201-15	14C	Transportation Alternate.
700- 04	15A	Unknown - Future June Mountain Ski Area Use?
700-05	15B	Unknown - Future June Mountain Ski Area Use?
700-06	15C	Unknown - Future June Mountain Ski Area Use?
860.1625	16A	Trunking System Backup (Conventional Repeater - for use if the trunking system fails) (DPL 261)
700-08	16B	Tamarack Lodge & Cross Country Skiing
700-09	16C	Radio Test

* Summer channel use (when it differs from winter channel use).
** Motocross Event - Annual, mid to late June, motorcycle racing event held south of town off the Sherwin Creek Road.
NOTE for Channel 14A: The ski area provides the bus for the town's "Orange Line," which is a winter only once per hour service to/from the Tamarack Cross Country Ski Center & the Village at Mammoth.
Lift construction may use additional channels. New lift construction or replacement/upgrade of chairs is not anticipated as of 2021. A proposal for reconstruction of the main lodge area is in the approval process, which will substantially change the entire area, including a reroute of CA Highway 203 north of the area and replacement of many structures.

Mammoth/June Conventional Radio Systems

Old VHF System

1	151.8350	Used at June Mountain for the Sports School (Remote Base June Mtn.) Given that some 800 MHz conventional repeater use was heard in 2020/2021 this is likely changed.
2	151.8050	Mobile use only.
3		Not assigned. Possibly 151.6250 has been programmed into these radios. See "New VHF Radios" below.
4	151.8950	Unknown use (Remote Base at the top of Mammoth Mountain)

• Above used with 82.5, 97.4, 100.0, and 103.5 tones and possibly more. Loaned/rented to large groups in town, both summer and winter.

New VHF Radios

151.6250	Nationwide itinerant frequency licensed for 5 mobiles or handhelds. Likely used when Mammoth Mountain personnel travel to other ski areas for races and other purposes.
151.5275	Junior Race Team ski coaching.
151.6025	Junior Race Team ski coaching.
152.9525	Junior Race Team ski coaching.
153.0125	Junior Race Team ski coaching.

• The last four frequencies can used in radios equipped with headsets. Tones heard include 97.4, 100.0, & 103.5. They might be used for other purposes such as restaurant seating.

June Mountain Ski Area

Old System - Not in place as of winter 2020-2021

1	460.8750	465.8750	June Meadows Chalet Repeater (Administration, Building Maintenance, Snow Removal, Lift Supervisors, Grooming, & Ski School Supervisors) (97.4 Tone)
2	460.8750		Direct
3	452.6500	457.6500	June Meadows Chalet Repeater (Ski Patrol/Lift & Electrical Maintenance) (82.5 Tone)
4	452.6500		Direct
	151.8350		June Mountain Sports School (Remote Base located on June Mountain)

New System- Development in progress.

In the winter of 2020-2021 traffic was heard on conventional repeaters using some of the additional frequencies Mammoth Mountain/June Mountain Ski Areas held licenses for but did not use as well as used for voice only at Mammoth Mountain. These repeaters are likely located at the June Mountain Chalet, the base facility for this ski area.

• Note: Mammoth Mountain holds a license for a trunked system to be used at the June Mountain Ski area. The location of the repeaters is listed as the Interlochen development north of Gull Lake. Only 5 frequencies are licensed, which match the original frequencies used for the Mammoth Mountain trunked system, 860.5125, 859.5125, 858.5125, 857.5125, and 856.5125. It is unknown when this system will be built and used.

Mammoth Mountain Ski Area Lodging

Mammoth Mountain Inn
Situated at the base of the mountain just across from the ski area’s Main Lodge, the Mammoth Mountain Inn consists of 216 units of traditional hotel rooms, suites, a variety of condominiums and a restaurant. It is a year long Inn walking distance from the Panorama Gondola, the Mammoth Mountain Bike Park and the Mammoth Adventure Center.

The Village at Mammoth
The Village at Mammoth consists of a large lodging facility of 205 condominiums, retail stores, ski shops and restaurants as well as the bottom terminus of the Village Gondola. This gondola provides transportation to Canyon Lodge, one of the three base facilities at the ski area.

The Westin Monache Resort
This is a luxury hotel with 204 suites of various sizes on 7 floors adjacent to the "Village at Mammoth." It includes one restaurant.

Juniper Springs Resort
This facility offers 180 units of various sized condominiums and townhomes. It is adjacent to Eagle Lodge, one of the 3 base facilities at the ski area.

Luxury Home Rentals
There are two locations for these: The Hillside Highlands Townhomes located adjacent to "The Village at Mammoth" and "Obsidian Residence." 2 5,000 square foot homes located in a small gated community on Obsidian Place and adjacent to hole 10 of the Sierra Star golf course.

It is thought that all of these lodging facilities use the following UHF business radio system:

1	451.3000	456.3000	Unknown (D152)
2	451.3000	456.3000	Housekeeping (D143)
3	451.3000	456.3000	Security?? (D174)
4	451.3000	456.3000	Front Desk/Guest Services (D631)
5	451.5000	456.5000	Unknown (D023) Channel 5, 6 or 8
6	451.5000	456.5000	Unknown (D?)
7	451.5000	456.5000	Maintenance (D026)
8	451.5000	456.5000	Unknown (D?)
9	451.8250	451.8250	Unknown (D?)
10	452.9750	452.9750	Unknown (D?)

• Note: a repeater is utilized on 451.3000, but the Mountain’s license does not show this.

Unknown Use

451.7875

451.7875

Unknown or not used yet.

Mammoth Mountain Unit/Personnel Identifiers

*Radio Channel Used shown in bold

1	Administration
1-0	CEO 2A and others
1-1	Senior Vice President, Operations 2A and others
1-2	General Manager, Outside Operations 1A, 2A, 2B, 2C, 4A, 5A, 6A, 7A
1-3	Senior Manager, Garage Operations 2A
1-4	--
1-5	--
1-11	Safety Manager 2A
1-14	Facility Manager 11A
2	Slope Maintenance (Grooming) 4A & 4B
3	Ski Patrol
3-1	Ski Patrol Director 1A
3-2 to 3-8	Mammoth Mountain Ski Patrol Managers and Supervisors 1A
3-9	Hill Safety Manager 1A
3-10	Ski Patrol Director June Mountain Radio system under development Other ski patrol personnel identify with their last names
4	Lift Maintenance 3A
5	Lift Operations (Bike Park Ops. Summer) 2A & 2B
6	Snow Placement: Snow Removal (Roads/Parking Lots/Sidewalks)/Snowmaking/Lift Construction 5A & 5C
7	Lift Electrical Maintenance 3A, 3B & 3C
8	Security 10A & 10B
9	Building Maintenance 11A
10	Not Used
11	Telecommunications and Information Systems 11C
12	Race Department 6A
12-10 +	Terrain Parks "Unbound" (Snowboard Play and Skill Areas) 7A
13-1	Main Lodge Sports School Director 8C 9C
13-4	Main Lodge Sports School Supervisor 8C 9C
13-2	Canyon Lodge Sports School Director 8A 8B
13-3	Eagle Lodge Sports School Director 9A 9B
13-5	Canyon Lodge Sports School Supervisor 8A 8B
14-1	Parking 14B
14-2, 14-3	Transportation 14A and Parking 14B - Main Lodge
14-4, & 14-5	Transportation and Parking, Canyon Lodge 14A
15-1 to 15-3	Mammoth Mountain Inn Housekeeping
15-4 to 15-170	Mammoth Mountain Inn Maintenance
15-20 +	Mammoth Mountain Inn Guest Services
19	Mammoth Mountain Host Department
19-1	Host Program Administrator 2A and 2C
19-2	Host Program Administrator Canyon Lodge 2A and 2C
19-3	Host Supervisor Canyon Lodge 2A and 2C
19-4	Host Supervisor Main Lodge 2A and 2C
19-8 & 19-9,	Snowmobile Drivers, Guest Assistance on Slopes
B + # Buses:	14A<br	--	Parking Shuttle (Main Lodge) 14A
--	Parking Control (Main Lodge) 14B
G +	Gondola Operations.
GS-1	Bottom Station Panorama Gondola 2C
GS-2	McCoy Station Panorama Gondola 2C
GS-3	Top Station Panorama Gondola 2C
G-4 & G-5	Supervisors 2C
PB + #	Piston Bully Snow Cats (Grooming) 4A, 4B, & 4C
Last and/or first names:	Seasonal Ski Patrol 1A, Hosts 2C, Maids 451.300 (D143), Village Lodging Guest Services 451.300 (D631), Village Lodging Maintenance 451.500 (D026), Mammoth Mountain Inn Maintenance, Mammoth Mountain Inn Guest Services
Top of Chair + #	Ski Patrol personnel stationed at top of chair lifts 1A
Top of the World	Ski Patrol/first aid station located at the top of the Panorama Gondola 1A
--	Some personnel will use a department number followed their first or last names, or just their last name such as "19 Phil" for a ski host and "Fisher" for a ski patrol person.

Base Stations

Main Lodge		Canyon Lodge		June Mountain
540	Mammoth Mtn. Inn Operator
541	Message Center Operator 1-16	641	Lift/Electrical Maintn 3A	741	Main Office "Radio system under development"
542	Staff Accommodations Base 11B	642	Staff Accommodations 11B
543	Ski Patrol Office 1A (AKA "The Room")	643	Ski Patrol Office 1A	743	Ski Patrol Office "Radio system under development"
544	Garage 5C			744	Ticket Office "Radio system under development"
545	Lift Operations HQ 2A
546	Administration 2A
547	Cat Crew HQ 5C Cat Maintenance 5C			747	Garage ""Radio system under development
549	Housekeeping (Mammoth Mountain Inn)
550	Inn Front Desk Lodging UHF System			760	Cafeteria

Little Eagle Lodge

• Nothing assigned as of 2/16

Tamarack Lodge

• "Tamarack Base" Tamarack Lodge 16B

Other Base Stations

Base 1	Transportation Control, Main Lodge 14A
Base 2	Transportation Control, Canyon 14C
Control	Main Lodge Compressor Building 5A
GS-1	Main Lodge Area Gondola Station 2C
GS-2	McCoy (Mid) Gondola Station 2C
GS-3	Top of Mountain Gondola Station 2C
Gun 1	Avalanche gun near top of chair 1 1A
Gun 2	Avalanche gun near Lincoln Mtn. 1A
Gun 3	Avalanche gun northeast of Red Lake. 1A
19 Office	Host Department Main Lodge 2C
JSL	Juniper Springs Lodge

Codes

• (some thought to be unique to the Mammoth/June Mountains Ski Areas)

Code 2	Urgent
Code 3	Life threatening emergency - stay off radio until Code secured
Code Blue	Toilet stopped up
MFA	Malicious False Alarm * In reference to a reported injury/accident.
RGS	Returned to Groomed Surface * (Used by Mammoth Snowmobile Adventures)
RTB	Returned to Boarding *
RTC	Returned to Carpet * (See magic carpet in the definitions below)
RTD	Meaning Unknown * (Possibly involves a guest who has been driving or drinking)
RTS	Returned to Skiing *
RTW	Returned to Walking *
SFR	Short Form Release * A liability release signed by a guest who decides not to continue in the ski patrol’s care.

• *Ski patrol use for injury/accident disposition after providing first aid or evaluation

DNF	Did Not Finish (Race Department)
DNS	Did Not Start (Race Department)
DQ	Disqualified (Race Department)

Codes

• are standard APCO (Association of Public-safety Communications Officials) except for:

10-21	Call your base
10-43	Message delivered
10-50	Emergency traffic
10-60	Lift stoppage due to unknown reasons
10-C	Non-injured guest carried in toboggan towed behind snowmobile w/ski patrol behind toboggan with a rope attached for control
10-R	Courtesy snowmobile ride for guest
10-75	Accident involving Mountain vehicle/bus
10-83	Lost child
10-100	Bus driver bathroom break

Ski Area Terminology, Slang, and Lingo

• Used almost industry wide.

• These terms are unique to monitoring ski areas. Lift terminology included is only that which is heard on the radio and has been simplified as much as possible. Most avalanche terminology is not included due the complexity of snow physics. Most avalanche terminology is only understood by those who have taken extensive training.

AED	Automatic External Defibrillator
Air	Jumping off the snow.
Alpine	Refers to skiing done at developed ski areas on groomed slopes using skis equipped with bindings in which the entire boot is locked down on the ski. Also known as downhill skiing.
Anti-rollback	A mechanical system, which prevents the weight of passengers from making the lift roll backwards in case the engine or gearbox fails.
APU	Auxiliary Power Unit. A backup power system to run lifts in the event of a power failure.
Avalanche Beacon	A small device that transmits short bursts of low power RF energy and is typically hung around a skier's neck. While skiing all members of a party lock the device into the transmit mode. If an avalanche occurs and someone is caught under the surface, rescuers switch to the receive mode. Using both direction and distance a person can locate a transmitting beacon under the snow.
Avie	Avalanche
Beeper	Avalanche beacon.
Boilerplate	A hard ice pack snow surface that will not allow snowboard and ski edges to carve turns.
Boo	Bamboo sticks. Used to hold hand charge explosives for avalanche triggering, and for many other uses such as holding up fences, marking hazards, placing signs, etc.
Bombing	Skiing or riding a snowboard straight downhill recklessly and out of control.
Bowl	A steep wide run, usually higher on both sides.
Box	A feature in a terrain park that is like a rail, but wider and easier to negotiate.
Bull Wheel	The large diameter sheave (pulley) at the ends of lift, one of which is powered (usually the lower called a drive bull wheel) and one which may be a tension sheave or bull wheel [adding the proper amount of tension to the rope (cable)], or may be just a return for the rope (a fixed return bull wheel). People who do not off-load the chair when they are supposed to are referred to as "going around the bull wheel".
Bump	Moving ski patrol personnel from one station to another to provide variety or to cover an area when ski patrollers there are tied up working a significant injury.
Bump(s)	Mogul(s). See "MOGUL"
Bunny	An inexperienced female skier who is usually more interested in being seen than skiing.
Bunny Hill or Slope	A nearly flat run for beginners.
Burrito	A waterproof blanket/tarp which is folded into a rescue sled. The burrito may contain some or all of the following items: first aid kit, splints, backboard, oxygen, or an AED.
Cable	See "WIRE ROPE"
Carve, Carving	Turning with the edge of the snowboard or skis well dug into the snow surface and producing a stable, smooth turn without significant skidding or side slipping.
Champagne Powder	The lightest, driest snow that is such that it is impossible to make a snowball from it.
Chowder	Powder chopped up by snowboard and ski tracks.
Chute	A steep ski run narrowed by bands of rocks or trees. Quite often the rims of the chute are higher than the run.
Circuit, bypass	A circuit that partially or entirely circumvents monitoring and remote signal inputs of a malfunctioning operating circuit to allow operation of the system under specific conditions.
Circuit, control power	The control power circuit is a normally a de-energized circuit. When energized this circuit provides power to the operating control circuit.
Circuit(s), operating control	When energized these circuits provide power to all electrical control functions which start, stop, run, and control speed for the lift. If it is de-energized, the lift system will stop or remain at rest.
Corn (snow)	A spring type condition where snowflakes have consolidated into pellets. Warm temperatures, freeze/thaw cycles and grooming contribute to this condition.
Cornice	Develops at the top of a ridge or cliff on the lee side and overhangs the slope below. Snow laden heavy wind is the cause.
Couloir	A narrow chute with rock walls on the sides.
Counterweight	A weight used to maintain tension in the rope or a moving part.
Cross-country Skiing	Uses relatively narrow, light skis, and light boots (usually leather), equipped with a binding that allows for heel lift. A forward kick and glide motion, which is very much like walking, is facilitated, and travel over flat, uphill, and downhill terrain is possible.
Crown	The uphill edge of an avalanche where an overlying slab of snow has cracked and slid downhill.
Crud	Wet, heavy, icy, cut up, mashed potato type snow that is hard to turn in.
Crust	A frozen, surface layer on top of loose snow.
Death Cookie	Compact, icy, chunks of snow often develop on a cats track and can be thrown off the cat’s route of travel. If it is not run over on subsequent passes of the cat, and broken up by the tiller, it will remain on the snow surface. Whether this happens on a downhill slope or on a groomed cross-country ski trail, when a ski hits this chunk, the resulting loss of control earns this object its name.
Deropement	When a wire rope leaves its intended position in the groove of a sheave or saddle.
Detachable	A lift where the chair or gondola car detaches from the rope by means of an automatic clamp. Enables slow loading and unloading at the terminals, while running the lift at a high speed.
Diagonal Stride	The traditional form of cross-country skiing where one ski and the opposite hand and pole are moved forward simultaneously, weight is placed on the ski and kicked backwards while the pole is thrust to the rear, providing a forward pushing force. As the pushed ski moves to the rear, the opposite unweighted ski glides forward, while the opposite hand and pole are lifted up and forward. As the opposite ski moves forward, both skis glide, thus the diagonal stride is often called "kick and glide". Once the opposite ski is fully moved forward, the process is then completed for the other side of the body. The tip of the front ski and tail of the back ski form a diagonal line, thus the name of the technique.
Drive	The electronic circuitry that controls the amount of voltage sent to the primary motor of the lift and controls its speed. It is also connected to all of the lift’s safety devices, which shuts down the lift automatically if a problem occurs on the line or at the terminals.
Drive Terminal	Houses the motor gearbox, auxiliary engine, and drive and safety circuitry. It can either be on top or at the bottom of a lift ("top drive", "bottom drive"). Top drive is a bit more energy efficient, but requires the expense of providing electrical service to the top of the lift, which is costly.
Ego Snow	Either groomed "packed powder" or corn snow that holds the edge of a ski very well with little effort. A skier will ski better than in other snow conditions.
Fall Line	A line drawn down a slope in the direction of its maximum steepness.
First Aid Refusal	Skier or rider who declines to have first aid or an evaluation done.
Freshies	Annoying slang for new powder snow fallen on a slope, or transported there by the wind from non-groomed areas.
Gapers	Skiers and boarders who stop to watch others and in so doing make it difficult to travel down the run.
Gearbox	The lift’s transmission, which transfers power from the motor to the bull wheel at the drive terminal.
Gill Net	Refers to the orange plastic fence which is placed to channel skiers and riders, slow them down, or to catch them or their equipment at the bottom of a slope, protecting those in line or in base facility areas.
Goods	Untracked powder, often found in the ungroomed tree areas.
Granular	Snow consists of large, course crystals similar to rock salt.
Gnar (Gnarly)	Extremely challenging snow and/or weather conditions.
Grip	Attaches the chair or car to the rope. They can be fixed or detachable.
Half Pipe	See "PIPE."
Hand Work	Work done on terrain park features that is very precise or is in an area where snow cats and groomers cannot access.
Hardpack	Firm, almost icy snow
Haul Rope	See "WIRE ROPE"
Heimo’s	A Poma lift in the Canyon Lodge area. Named after long term director of lift maintenance and construction at Mammoth Mountain Ski Area, Heimo Ladinig.
Jib (ing)	Skiing or riding a snowboard on a non-snow surface, usually in a terrain park.
Kick Turn	Turning skis, one at a time, 180 degrees while standing in the same place.
Lift	Used here to refer to both chair lifts and gondolas.
Liftie	Ski lift operator.
Manky	Rotten snow. i.e. a layer of snow that is no longer cohesive. It is sometimes used to describe the smell that polypropylene long underwear gives off when after a day on the slopes.
Manual Reset Switch	Used to start the lift after it stops, due to a fault, and must be activated by the lift operator.
Magic Carpet	A brand name for a surface lift that is similar to a conveyor belt. Guests step into the surface, which is a continuous surface. Typically used in children’s instruction areas and located on very gentle slopes.
Magic Wand	Refers to the safety device, which is triggered by people who remain on the chair after passing the unloading ramp. When triggered it stops the lift as most chair lifts are not designed or built for people to ride downhill.
Maze	The area in which the guests gather waiting to get on a lift. Optimizes lift loading by packing people large numbers of people into a relatively small area. More commonly known as a lift line.
Mogul	Bumps on a ski hill are formed when many skiers make turns, throwing loose snow up on the side of each turn. As additional skiers follow the tracks of the previous skier, these deposits eventually harden into a series of fairly evenly spaced, steep bumps, which make skiing a little more difficult. Grooming equipment smoothes these off at night, and they are reformed the next day. Some steep runs are left with moguls, for those who like the challenge of the bumps.
Nordic	Refers to cross-country skiing.
Out of Bounds	Outside the patrolled boundary of a ski area.
Over (his/her) Head	Indicates that a skier or rider has found himself or herself on a ski trail that is too steep or hard packed for the individual’s skill level to handle.
Over Speed Device	An electric or mechanical device that automatically detects lift speed in excess of that intended by the designer or operator.
Packer Bar	Mounted aft of the tiller across the rear of a snow cat. On the outside it resembles a metal culvert, but with parallel ridges and it turns as the cat moves forward, compacting the snow loosened by the tiller, using its own weight. The ridges form the "corduroy" appearance of freshly groomed snow.
Pieps	A brand of avalanche beacon. See "AVALANCHE BEACON."
Pinhead	Slang for a cross country or telemark skier. Refers to the three pin binding that used to be the standard on all cross country skis. See "THREE PINNER."
Pipe	Half pipe in a terrain park, shaped just like a half of a pipe. Skiers and snowboarders then ride or ski up and down the sides while gradually traveling downhill.
Piste	A French word referring to a groomed surface, packed snow or on a designated ski run or slope.
Piston Bully	A brand of snow cat and groomer.
Poaching	Skiing in an area that is outside the patrolled boundary of a ski area. In many areas may be prohibited by state law.
Poma	A type of ski lift where the skier is pulled by a platter placed between the legs that is spring mounted to a wire rope.
Poodle	PSIA ski and snowboard instructors. They are supervised by "head poodles."
Poodle Turns	Showy demonstration ("show dog") turns made by PSIA Instructors sometimes when they are not teaching.
Posse	The people a person usually skis or snowboards with.
Pow	Annoying slang for powder snow. Also, even more annoyingly, referred to as "pow, pow." Powder snow has a low moisture content and thus is light and fluffy.
PSIA	Professional Ski Instructors of America. Among other functions certifies teaching methods, qualifications of instructors, and provides training curriculum.
Quiver	The skis and boards a person owns.
Rake	Comprised of a long, metal handle and a "head" with "groomer teeth" that rake snow and can also move small amounts for grooming in areas that cannot be reached by a groomer or need precise, detailed grooming.
Rail	Made out of metal and raised above the snow surface for skiers and snowboarders to slide down.
Rag Doll	A person who has fallen and is limply sliding or tumbling down the slope, presumably because they are unconscious.
Randonee	(Ran-doe-ney) Refers to skis or skiing with skis that are, or almost are, downhill or alpine in design. The heel portion of the binding can be released for cross country travel and locked down for downhill skiing. Also known as "Alpine Touring." A common joke among telemarkers is that "Randonee" is a French word meaning "can’t Telemark".
Rider	Snowboarder.
Rope	See "WIRE ROPE". Very few "rope tows" exist at ski areas anymore.
Rope Tow	A type of ski lift where a loop of manila rope is strung between two large horizontal wheels, one of which is powered. The skier grabs the rope and is pulled up slope while skiing.
RPD	Rope Position Detector. A safety device, which ensures the rope, is properly aligned. It is essentially a metal detector, which can sense very small (but out of specifications) movements in the rope.
RPD Fault	When the wire rope is out of alignment the control station of the lift will indicate this.
Runaway	A loose ski or snowboard traveling downhill.
Safety Gate	A device that will automatically stop a lift when tripped by a passenger’s weight, contact, or passage. Is usually a light beam or fiberglass wand. Keeps the passenger from going all the way "around the bull wheel".
Scissoring	Getting the tips of the skies crossed with edge to edge contact. In other words a disaster.
SCR	Silicone Controlled Rectifier. Converts the commercial AC (alternating current) for use by a DC (direct current) motor that provides power for the lift.
Shaped Ski	Modern skis with a pronounced side cut or narrowing near the bindings. These are the easiest skis to turn.
Sheaves	Pulleys or wheels grooved for rope. Weight bearing and guidance sheaves are most noticeable on lift towers, where some can make a distinctive noise. They are lined with a special type of rubber when the sheave wheel supports or depresses the rope.
Shredder	An expert snowboarder.
Sierra Cement	Heavy, moist snowfall that often falls in the central Sierra.
Shot, Cut, and Cleared	Indicates that ski patrol personnel have used explosives on a slope, ski cut it, and the slope is ready for grooming, maintenance personnel, and/or guests. Ski cutting consists of long, slope wide traverses, in which the patroller jumps up and down on their skis to place a force in the snowpack and releasing any potential avalanches. "Cut and cleared" refers to avalanche evaluation and control without the use of explosives.
Sitzmark	Divot or depression left in the snow when a skier falls.
Skating	A method of cross-country skiing used primarily for racing that developed in the late 1970’s. The motion of the skis resembles ice-skating. Shorter, stiffer skis, stiffer boots, and much longer poles are used than those used in light touring skiing .
Skating Lane	A smooth, flat, groomed area, adjacent to the twin track grooming used for diagonal stride skiing.
Ski Cut	Ski patrol employees use this technique after explosives (artillery or hand charges) to make sure the slope is stable enough to allow for public ski use. Long, traverse type turns are used while the patroller jumps up and down on the snow with their skis and thus introducing downward forces into the snowpack.
Skier	A person using skis.
Skinny Skis	Cross-country skis, which are used for touring.
Slab	A cohesive layer of snow within the snowpack. This layer may not bond with other layers of snow and may slide (avalanche) if the weight of additional snow layers is added by subsequent storms are added or a force, such as the weight and movement of a skier, hiker, snowmobile or snowcat is added. Slabs will often slide when artillery shells or hand thrown explosives introduce force into the pack. This is done so that the slope will not slide while the public is skiing.
Sled	A plastic sled designed for carrying an injured person in a prone position, with or without a backboard. Towed behind a ski patroller using two handles at the end of poles that are attached to the top of the sled, resembling a tow bar. These handles can be chained together; enabling the patroller to place the sled in front on steep slopes, hands free, where sidestepping, or handing the sled to another down slope patroller, may be necessary. The bottom of the sled has fins, 3-4 inches in depth, enabling the sled to be controlled.
Slider	A skier who falls on a slope of sufficient steepness and does not stop immediately or shortly after the fall.
Snow Gun	The device that mixes water and compressed air to make snow and direct it to where it is needed.
Snowplow(ing)	Pushing skis into a V shape, with the tips narrow and the tails wide and rotating the ankles inwardly. This forces the inner edge of the skis to push into the snow harder. This is a beginning skier’s best method for controlling speed and stopping. Is an effective technique for both cross-country and downhill skiing.
Spork	A combination of a scooper and a rake. Used to hand groom features in a terrain park.
Spring Conditions	Snow is exposed to warm temperatures and cold nights where it melts and refreezes.
Steeps	Double black diamond or steeper runs or slopes.
Sticks	Skis, sometimes called "planks."
Telemarking	A turn used by cross-country skiers when skiing down slope. This turn provides stability for cross-country skiers who are using a binding where the heel does not lock down. A Telemark turn is somewhat difficult to complete using light touring gear, due to the flexibility of the skis and the low cut boots. Advanced Telemarking occurs on the steepest slopes both in the backcountry and at developed ski areas. Often the boots are plastic and are well up the calf of the leg. The skis are often as wide as downhill or alpine skis. Note: not to be confused with "Telemarketing."
Terrain Park	An area where obstacles or features are built from snow or non-snow surfaces for skiers or snowboard riders to slide across are provided. Includes Such things as jumps, rails, boxes, half-pipes and even the tops of small buildings.
Three Pinner	A person using cross-country skis. Refers to the 3-pin binding where the toe of the boot has 3 holes that fit over 3 bins on the binding, to provide additional grip. This term is used in spite of the variety of bindings available for cross country skiing, including cable bindings (mostly used for backcountry skiing), the "NNN" or New Nordic Norm" (Normal) binding where a rod on the front of the boot clips into a spring tensioned portion of the binding, and specialized Telemark bindings.
Tiller	A round cylinder mounted across and at the rear of a snow cat, equipped with Rota-tiller type prongs. The cylinder is hydraulically driven by power from the cat’s engine and independently controlled (both speed and height) by the driver. The tiller de-compacts the snow surface by breaking the snow into small, loose particles. See "PACKER BAR."
Toboggan	Injured skiers used to be carried down the hill on these. Because they are so difficult to control, plastic sleds are now being used. See "SLED"
Transition	The sloped, downhill side of a ski jump.
Traversing	Skiing perpendicular to the fall line or downhill direction of a slope without turning. Kick turns are done after crossing the width of the slope. Often done by skiers that are on slopes too steep for their skill level or comfort.
Tree Well	The unconsolidated snow underneath the foliage of trees, adjacent to the trunk. These can trap skiers who fall into them after skiing too close to trees.
White Room	Deep and very dry powder snow.
Wire Rope	Commonly known as a cable, but actually consists of lengths of wire twisted around a core to form strands. These strands are then twisted around a core in a rope like fashion to form a "wire rope".
Yard Sale	When a skier or rider falls and loses equipment, such as released skis, poles, gloves, hat, goggles, sunglasses, etc., and the equipment slides down the slope.