Snowboard Glossary

The big air format: three jumps, and the two best scores are added. The two counting tricks must be different (ICR 3502.3.1), and the World Cup uses it in big air semifinals and finals (WCR 2.7.2). JudgeMate adds the best two with Sum of best rounds, but it does not check whether the tricks differ; that stays with the judges. There is no separate snowboard big air category type, so the contest is set up as Snowboarding Slopestyle.

A big air variant in which the counting tricks must go in different directions. For snowboard the four are frontside, backside, switch backside and switch frontside (Judges Handbook 9.5.2). The version is chosen at the team captains' meeting before the first training, and men and women may use different versions at the same event.

The first 5 to 10 scores a judge gives in a contest. Every later run is placed above or below them, so judges set the below-average, average and above-average range while watching practice (Judges Handbook 9.1). A first score that is too high leaves no room for the better runs that follow.

A trick spun uphill, against the direction of travel down the pipe. A frontside alley-oop is done on the backside wall and the reverse (Judges Handbook 16). Any trick can be done alley-oop.

Two runs, the higher score counts (ICR 3502.1). The 2026/27 World Cup rules use it for halfpipe and slopestyle qualification and semifinals; finals are best of 2 or best of 3 (WCR 2.7.1). In JudgeMate this is the Best round format with 2 runs.

The start number a rider wears. ICR 3701.1 puts it first among the rider details on every official start and result list. JudgeMate shows the bib next to the name on the judge's screen and can print it as a PDF column.

Sitting on the snow for a moment and bouncing back up (Judges Handbook 11.5). In halfpipe a light butt check is a medium mistake (11–20) and a heavy one is major (21–25).

The official who coordinates timing and calculations. In judged events the chief of results checks the scoring results together with the head judge (ICR 2004.3).

Short for caballerial, a fakie 360 around the vertical axis. A backside cab is just called a cab. On rails, the word cab replaces switch frontside only from a 180 rotation upward; a switch 50-50 stays switch frontside (Judges Handbook 16).

Points a judge takes off for a landing mistake, counted from the score the run would have earned with a clean landing. The scale is for snowboard only (Judges Handbook 11). Halfpipe: 1–10 small, 11–20 medium, 21–25 major. Big air goes up to 30 when the body hits the snow first. The handbook example gives a run worth 45 a 20-point deduction, leaving 25.

Does Not Improve. When the best run of a phase counts, a run that does not beat the rider's earlier score is not scored and gets a DNI (ICR 3703.4). In 2 best of 3 big air, DNI can also mark a repeated trick. The abbreviations list of the FIS results database spells it out as Did Not Improve. In JudgeMate DNI is a run status in the FIS snow types, offered from run 2 with the best-run formats; the judge sets it and nothing marks it automatically.

Did Not Start. A rider who is on the start list but never starts gets no rank and is listed separately. Missing a single run means DNS for that run while the others still count. A DNS in a semifinal or final ranks last in that phase (ICR 3703.1). JudgeMate has DNS as a run status.

Did Not Finish, one of the result marks in ICR 2022.1. ICR 2022.2 lists it among the invalid results together with DNS, DQB, DSQ and NPS. JudgeMate has DNF as a run status.

Disqualified. A rider disqualified under rule 2025 is not ranked in any phase and is listed separately (ICR 3703.2). JudgeMate has DSQ as a run status.

On a jump, the flat zone between the take-off and the knuckle. In the halfpipe, the flat surface on top of each wall, usually lined with spectators (Judges Handbook 11.5 and 15). A deck landing is listed among the small halfpipe mistakes, 1–10 points of deduction.

The FIS points for the winner of an event. The scale depends on the level: 1000 to 500 at World Cups, World Championships and the Olympics, 360 to 120 at Continental Cups, 220 to 50 at FIS and junior competitions (FPR 5.2.2). Where a contest lands within its scale depends on the ranking of the best riders who start.

The rider's FIS number, required on official start and result lists (ICR 3701.1). JudgeMate has no import from the FIS database. The organizer adds the FIS code as a custom field or as a column in the spreadsheet import, and can make it public.

Riding backwards in your basic stance, tail first. The Judges Handbook keeps it apart from switch: in fakie the turn goes around the tail, in switch around the nose (chapter 16). A half cab is a fakie 180 back to fakie.

The two directions in snowboard. In the pipe, frontside means the chest faces the wall and backside means the back is to it. On a rail the trick is frontside when the rail is on your toe side as you approach, backside when it is on your heel side (Judges Handbook 16).

Overshooting the whole landing slope because of too much speed and coming down on the flat (Judges Handbook 11.5). In the halfpipe deduction scale it is a small mistake, 1–10 points.

Points that measure a rider's level and drive seeding. The winner of an event gets the event factor, and the other places get a share by the FPR 5.2 formula, rounded up to one decimal and never below 0.1. A rider's new base list value is the average of their two best results of the season in that event (FPR 5.3.2). JudgeMate does not calculate FIS points.

A group of riders competing together within one phase. ICR 3501.1.1 sets qualification heats at 12 to 30 riders, ideally 25 in halfpipe and 20 to 25 in slopestyle. Each age category is its own heat, and one with fewer than four riders may be merged with the next older or younger group (ICR 3501.3). A JudgeMate category can be split into heats.

Dropping the top and bottom judge score before averaging. ICR 3403.2 does this only with 6 or more scoring judges; with up to 5, every score counts. Six judges giving 88, 86, 85, 84, 83 and 79 lose the 88 and the 79, and 338 / 4 = 84.50. The JudgeMate switch Drop extreme scores already works from 5 judges, so with a five-judge panel leave it off to stay with the ICR.

Leads the panel, checks the accuracy of the judges' decisions and confirms verified results with the TD (ICR 3311.5). FIS prefers a head judge who does not score, and no score is official until the head judge approves it (Judges Handbook 7). In JudgeMate the Head judge releases scores mode holds the judges' scores and publishes each run on the head judge's click; Release with gaps publishes when one judge is missing.

A rotation onto a rail in the less natural direction: frontside from a frontside approach or backside from a backside approach. Backside hard way spins usually start with a nollie (Judges Handbook 16).

A hand touching or trailing on the snow on landing. The handbook calls a hand put down to regain control a hand down. In big air a hand drag is a small mistake (1–9) and two hands down a medium one (10–19) (Judges Handbook 11.2 and 11.5).

Execution, Difficulty, Amplitude, Variety and Progression (ICR 3402). The Judges Handbook weighs them equally and in no set order. When two runs look alike, the one that is better in at least three of the five can be ranked higher (chapter 8). The JudgeMate slopestyle template lists these five plus Overall Impression as weighted criteria from 0 to 100; the halfpipe template has Height in place of Amplitude.

FIS judges hold an A, B or C licence. A judges work at every level, B judges up to the World Cup, and C judges at Continental Cups and below, with at most one C judge per World Cup in exceptional cases. A C licence is enough to be head judge at any national event (Judges Handbook 5).

The standard slopestyle and big air jump, also called a tabletop. The rider takes off the ramp, clears the flat deck and passes the knuckle to reach the landing (Judges Handbook 15). A step-up rises after the take-off; a step-down lands lower, with more vertical drop.

The break-over point where a jump's deck starts sloping down to the landing (Judges Handbook 15). On a true table the lip of the take-off and the knuckle sit at the same height.

Not Permitted to Start, a sanction under ICR 2023. Reasons include equipment that breaks FIS rules, such as riding without a helmet, training on a closed course, refusing a required medical check, or lacking the technical ability for the course in the jury's judgment.

The rider's number at their national ski association. The 2025/26 Burton Young Punks list from Monínec has an NSA code column and no FIS code. ICR 3701.1 does not require it.

The FIS judging method for park and pipe. Each judge watches the whole run and gives one score from 0 to 100 that places it above weaker runs and below stronger ones. Three to seven judges score independently, and no trick is mandatory (Judges Handbook 9.1). Scores are tools for ranking, so a 70 only means something next to the other scores of that day.

Qualification, semifinal or final (ICR 3501). FIS recommends a semifinal once more than 24 to 30 riders start. In JudgeMate each phase is its own category, created with Add next round, with a cut line marking who goes through. Qualification scores do not carry over into the next round.

A spin off a rail in the opposite direction to the one the rider used to get on. A backside 270 off a backside boardslide is a back board pretzel. Spins off boardslides and lipslides are 270, 450 and 630, because the rider already slides at 90 degrees (Judges Handbook 16).

One trip down the course from the drop-in to the finish corral, judged as a whole. Under ICR 3502 a phase counts as a result only once at least 2 runs are completed. In JudgeMate the organizer sets the number of runs per category; the snowboard slopestyle and halfpipe templates start with 3 and count the best one.

Ranked as Last. One of the seven result marks in ICR 2022.1, alongside DNF, DNS, NPS, JNS (Jump Not Scored), DSQ and DNI.

Landing in the wrong position and sliding the board round to realign (Judges Handbook 11.5). In halfpipe and slopestyle it sits in the medium-mistake range. Done on purpose in the transition, a revert is a lip trick in the handbook's dictionary.

Placing riders into heats by ranking. ICR 3501.1.2 uses the WSPL ranking or FIS points and deals riders out in a snake: with two heats, heat 1 gets ranks 1, 4, 5, 8, 9 and heat 2 gets 2, 3, 6, 7, 10. Riders without points are drawn at random below those who have them.

The sequence in which riders drop in. Creating it confirms who takes part; after that no riders can be added and no names changed (ICR 3604). In a big air final the third run goes in reverse order of the standings after run 2 (ICR 3604.3.1).

SBS, a slopestyle format that splits the panel. Trick judges score their own sections, composition judges score the whole run, and the recommended split is 60% trick and 40% composition (ICR 3403.3). It needs 7 to 9 scoring judges, at least 9 at World Cups, World Championships and the Olympics. After a fall, every later section scores zero (Judges Handbook 9.2).

The sheet on which each judge writes the bib, the tricks and the score for every run. Under Judges Handbook 7 the steno sheet holds the official score; at events with a results system, a judge's final score becomes official when the head judge approves it. The head judge goes back to these sheets when a score is questioned.

Which foot leads. Regular means left foot forward, goofy means right foot forward. The Judges Handbook (chapter 16) wants riders to declare it at registration, because judges need it to tell basic stance from switch, and ICR 3701.1 lists stance among the rider details for snowboard. In JudgeMate stance can be a public field shown next to the rider's name for the judges and on the start list.

Riding with the stance reversed. A regular rider in switch rides like a goofy one and vice versa (Judges Handbook 16). In 2 of 4 Directions big air, switch backside and switch frontside count as two separate directions.

Cutting a score to two decimals with no rounding. ICR 3403 requires it whenever a result comes from division: judges giving 65, 60 and 60 average 61.666…, published as 61.66, not 61.67. JudgeMate truncates run scores this way in its FIS snow category types, Snowboarding Slopestyle included. ICR 3403 also asks judges for whole numbers; JudgeMate accepts steps of 0.1, so a panel following FIS enters integers.

Technical Delegate, the FIS official on the jury together with the chief of competition and the head judge, as listed on every official FIS start and result list (ICR 3701.1). The head judge confirms the verified results with the TD (ICR 3311.5).

Carrying on spinning after the landing because the rider cannot stop the momentum (Judges Handbook 11.5). It is one of the instabilities judges deduct for within the landing-mistake ranges.

Points for places 1 to 30 in a park and pipe World Cup: 100, 80, 60, 50, 45, 40, 36, 32, 29, 26 and down to 1 for 30th (WCR 1.7.1). Moguls, snowboard cross and alpine use another table. JudgeMate has this FIS table ready, shows the points on public results and in the PDF, and gives tied riders the same points.

Year of birth, the column that places riders in age groups. FIS fixes age on 31 December of the season (ICR 2013.1.2). For 2026/27 the minimum is a 2013 birth year for a FIS licence and 2011 for World Cups; U15 covers 2013–2012 and U18 2011–2009 (ICR 2013.3.4). In JudgeMate a field named YoB gives one year-of-birth column on lists and PDFs.