Mogul skiing is the technique and discipline of skiing moguls — the series of bumps that form on steep slopes as many skiers carve turns in the same places, pushing snow into mounds. It demands quick, rhythmic turns, absorption of the bumps with the legs, and good balance, making it one of the more advanced and physically demanding skills in alpine skiing.
Freestyle skiing is a branch of skiing focused on performing tricks, jumps, spins, and aerial maneuvers rather than simply descending. It encompasses several disciplines — including moguls, aerials, halfpipe, slopestyle, and big air — many of which are Olympic events. Freestyle is performed in terrain parks, halfpipes, mogul fields, and on jumps, and emphasizes style, difficulty, and execution over speed.
Snowshoeing is the activity of walking over snow wearing snowshoes — frames that spread your body weight over a larger area so you stay on top of soft snow instead of sinking in (a principle called flotation). One of the most accessible winter activities, it requires little skill, uses inexpensive gear, and turns summer hiking trails into winter routes.
Splitboarding is the snowboard equivalent of backcountry ski touring: a splitboard separates lengthwise into two ski-like halves that, fitted with climbing skins and touring bindings, let a snowboarder climb uphill, then reassemble into a single board to ride down. It opens unpatrolled backcountry terrain to snowboarders, and like all backcountry travel demands avalanche education and rescue gear.
Snowboarding is a winter sport in which a rider descends a snow-covered slope on a single board with both feet secured to it by bindings, standing sideways to the direction of travel. It spans styles from all-mountain and freestyle (parks and tricks) to freeride (off-piste) and splitboarding (backcountry touring), and riders ride either 'regular' (left foot forward) or 'goofy' (right foot forward).
Ski mountaineering (often shortened to skimo) is the discipline of climbing mountains and skiing down them, combining backcountry skiing with mountaineering skills such as glacier travel, steep snow and ice climbing, and avalanche assessment. It uses specialized lightweight touring gear with climbing skins and releasable-heel bindings, and demands a broad, advanced skill set for serious alpine terrain.
Telemark skiing is a downhill skiing style that uses bindings attaching only at the toe, leaving the heel free, and a distinctive turn in which the skier drops into a lunge — leading knee bent, trailing heel lifted — to initiate each turn. Combining elements of alpine and cross-country skiing, 'tele' is prized for its graceful, athletic technique and free-heel versatility, though it has a steep learning curve.
Backcountry skiing is skiing outside the boundaries and control of a ski resort, on unpatrolled, ungroomed natural terrain — typically climbing up under your own power (using climbing skins and touring gear) to ski back down. It offers untracked snow and solitude, but takes place in avalanche terrain with no patrol or grooming, demanding avalanche education, rescue gear, and sound judgment.
Ski touring (also called alpine touring or AT) is the practice of traveling over snow on skis under your own power — climbing uphill with the heel free and climbing skins for grip, then locking the heel to ski down. It spans groomed-resort uphill travel to remote backcountry tours. Touring gear (AT/tech bindings, skins, and lighter boots and skis) makes both the climb and the descent possible, and backcountry touring requires avalanche skills.
Cross-country skiing (also called Nordic skiing) is a human-powered form of skiing in which the skier propels themselves across flat and rolling snow-covered terrain using long, lightweight skis with a free (unattached) heel. Its two main styles are classic, with skis gliding in parallel tracks, and skate, which mimics ice skating. It is one of the best aerobic winter workouts.
