Short videos of a particular ski trick or a couple of turns are referred to as ‘clips’. This type of short form media production has taken social media apps like Instagram and TikTok by storm.
Plenty of ski days have been taken over by friends asking for ‘clips’ all day long, and this concept has now been affectionately coined ‘clip-farming’. People have begun to spend days skiing laps with the intention of getting the perfect clip, rather enjoying a day with friends or trying a new trick for the sole purpose of personal success.
‘Hesh’ is also a popular new ski term. While hard to pin down an exact definition, hesh refers to a particular vibe of next-gen skiers who fancy themselves to be a certain kind of cool. Typically you can find hesh skiers in incredibly baggy clothes and often without helmets on. I would say hesh skiers are most often in the terrain park and the guiltiest of clip-farming, though a skier from any discipline could be called hesh.
Another popular internet term that I even use is ‘core’ or ‘core-lord’. Core means exemplifying the soul of ski culture. Opposite to hesh, core-lords ski for the love of the sport. Being core is generally regarded as a complement but is still another example of internet terms merging with ski culture. Matěj Švancer is no stranger to laughing at himself, I would definitely classify him as core.
As the next generation of skiers are emerging the internet is an undeniable aspect of modern ski culture. In my experience I feel as though these terms, amongst others, are dominating the language I hear on the resort. I can’t say whether this is a bad thing because I participate in the use of slang, but the culture is certainly shifting as social media begins to play a bigger role.