Ski & Fitness Glossary

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C

Cadence
The beat, time or measure of rhythmic motion or activity such as pedaling a bicycle. Your cadence is the speed of your pedaling.

Camber
The curve built into the main body of a ski to allow an even distribution of the skier's mass over the whole ski in contact with the snow. A soft-cambered ski will exhibit an even distribution, whilst a stiffer or harder-cambered ski is constructed so that the mid-section (or wax pocket) of the ski is held above the surface of the snow except when it is being heavily weighted (as occurs when kicking).

Camel walk
American term for pass gang.

Cardiovascular
Relating to or involving the heart and blood vessels.

Carving
A method of turning at high speed with minimal skidding of the skis, and determined by edging, plus the side-cut and camber of any given ski.

Catching Air
Catching air is going fast enough to have both lift skis off the snow after skiing over a bump.

Catching an Edge
Catching an edge is a fall or near-fall where the edge of your ski digs into the snow, usually catching a groove made by the ski of another skier.

Centrifugal force
The force produced when a body rotates around the centre of its orbit. A skier will notice this when turning, in the form of an outward force away from the centre of the radius of the turn.

Centripetal force
The opposing force to that of the centrifugal force. This must be applied by the skier to maintain balance and counteract centrifugal force when turning.

Chair Lift
A chair lift is a mechanized, cable-suspended, aerial chair device used to carry skiers up a mountain slope.

Christiania
The original term for a christie, or a turn in which the skis skid for all or part of the turn. Christiania (now Oslo) was the place in which this term originated.

Citizen racing
Recreational ski races (often large), generally over 10-80 kilometer distance, and with a mass start.

Classical skiing
Track skiing without skating, as was more often and generally performed prior to the rise in popularity of snow-skating.

Complex carbohydrates
Starches, such as grains, breads, rice, pasta, vegetables and beans. They get their name from their complex, chainlike structure. During digestion, starches are typically broken down into sugars and used by the body for energy. Complex carbohydrates offer you more sustained energy levels than simple carbohydrates.

Compression
flexing of the legs to absorb bumps, and also to start turns over moguls. The French often call this term 'avalement'.

Converging
When the ski tips are closer together than the tails - as in a snowplough, or when stem turning. See also diverging.

CoolMax
DuPont CoolMax is a high-performance polyester. It uses DuPont's proprietary Dacron fibers to move sweat away from the body to the outer layer of the fabric, where it can evaporate quickly. Learn how to choose fitness clothing.

Cool-down
Slowing down at the end of a workout to allow your body temperature and heart rate to decrease gradually.

Cornice
An overhanging lip or ridge of snow.

Counter-rotation
Rotating the body one-way, and the legs the opposite. When turning, the legs turn into the turn, whilst the body turns outward, creating the effect.

Creatinine
A proteinlike substance manufactured by your muscles (but also found in some meats) that has been found to increase athletic performance and delay fatigue. Gives the muscles strength and a greater ability to do high-intensity exercise such as sprinting. Also helps buffer the lactic acid that accumulates during high-intensity exercise.

Cross-country skiing
A term generally used in most of the world to describe only the track-skiing aspects of Nordic skiing, although sometimes used in Australia and elsewhere to include off-track skiing, XCD, and ski touring.

Cross-training
Mixing different activities into your regular workout routine to avoid overuse injuries and to prevent boredom. Cycling, running and swimming are 3 common activities used to cross-train different muscle groups.

Crud
Difficult snow conditions - often crusty or icy on top, with soft mush underneath.

Curved last
Shoe construction with a curved sole. This shape provides cushioning and promotes inward motion. Good for feet with rigid, high arches that underpronate. Learn how to choose running shoes.