 Poster: A snowHead
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Little bit confused by the following terms:
Frontside, backside, backcountry.
It looks like to me these are coming from America, and for those who never been there its quite confusing what they are talking about.
I guess we never use these terms here in the Alps.
Anyone knows little bit of history or little bit more description what they mean?
Thanks
Ed
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Frontside and backside are snowboarding terms used to describe a spin, depending on which way you turn when you jump.
Backcountry is a N American term for terrain not served by a lift - I think it came from literally going the other side of a ridge from the main skiing bowl. In N American resorts it might also mean area outside the patrolled resort area, which is more of a formal concept in N America than in European resorts.
I've never find myself actually needing to use these terms, unless I want to sound like a total bellend.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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ed48, Yep tend to be North American terminology
Frontside - the face of the mtn that the base area is located - backside - after going over the peak - easiest way to think of it.
Or take Utah - the mtn range is the Wasatch and its a line of mtns running broadly north to south - the Wasatch Front is the SLC side, containing the ski areas of Alta, Snowbird, Brighton and Solitude. The Wasatch Back is the other side of the range and has Park City/Canyons and Deer Valley.
Backcountry is land outside of the resort boundary that isn't patrolled or covered in any way by the resort. So you are on your own and if get into difficulties must rely on SAR.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Very North America.
In general front side tends to be the runs heading down to the main lodge. They'll have more lifts and more traffic. So they tend to be more groomed.
Backside is descending away from the main lodge. In general less traffic, less lifts but steeper and ungroomed.
Backcountry is anything outside the resort boundary. So not avalanche controlled and no ski patrol.
Look at a map of lake Louise for a classic example of how it's all laid out.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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There's also slack country, side country and off the back.
Slack Country / Off the back is when you take lifts and then go off the back of the resort and then maybe ski down into a valley and hitch back or have a car there.
Or as we often do is then after a descent climb back into the resort up into another sector.
And then Side Country is what we've been doing in Japan the last couple of days, the "guides" use that term when you take lifts and then lap off piste runs but have to then climb back up each time.
I do agree that they are very much N American terms, where as for many years we said off piste or ski touring
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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I live in North America.
I’ve never heard the term “backside” use for anything else except when a mountain literally straddles a ridge. In which case, the “backside” is typically on a separate map, as you can’t put it on the same map as the “front side” of the mountain.
Back country is pretty obvious. It means you’re skiing anywhere that’s NOT part of the ski resort. (Now, that can be subdivide into side/slack country or what not)
“Front side” as a terminology, I’ve only heard it used to describe skis. Groomer oriented skis, that is. (but I’ve rarely heard its opposite — backside, used to describe skis)
Last edited by You'll need to Register first of course. on Tue 11-02-20 20:51; edited 1 time in total
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There's on piste, off piste and touring. Whether you tour having taken a lift first or driven up and parked in a layby is irrelevant as you are 'on your own'.
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