Mountain Glossary

TermSportDefinition
Alpine Cock Ring Climbing The Alpine Cock Ring is an alpine anchor borne of the necessity to have a lightweight, quick to assemble anchor that is self equalizing for those wandering routes. With proper set up it has limited capacity for extension reducing shock loading when that sketchy nut gets torqued the wrong way and pops. The equipment is simple, just a piece of cordelette and a rap ring pre-tied and like most things climbing, itu2019s infinitely adaptable to your preferences on ways to not go splat.nTo learn more, check out Paul Raphaelsonu2019s description.n(Neither your Breeze Editor nor the ACC Calgary section endorse this particular anchor; as ever make your own decisions about your own safety. This is being posted in the spirit of pointing out new ways of doing things and also mostly because it has a dirty name). Courtesy of Paul Raphaelson.
Alpine KneeClimbing/AlpineYou arenu2019t supposed to use your knees when you mantle up over something. Youu2019re supposed to get that foot right up so that you can power through a one legged squat to return to a standing position with your weight over your feet. Except some people arenu2019t flexible enough, and some people arenu2019t strong enough and some people who normally are strong enough are carrying a silly large pack which means they arenu2019t strong enough today. And some people have been on the go for 18 hours and have basically devolved to quivering piles of mush. Enter the alpine knee. Is it good form? No. Does it get you style points? No. But sometimes you just get that knee up there and figure out how youu2019re going to get your feet back under you later.nCourtesy of Matt Breakey
American Death TriangleClimbingThe American Death Triangle most commonly rears its head when building an anchor. This weekend, I watched someone thread a piece of cord through two rap rings and then join the ends with a biner. This makes the webbing look like triangle and itu2019s a big no-no because it can significantly magnify the loads on the cord and the anchors. In addition, itu2019s not redundant (a failure in the cord anywhere causes the whole thing to fail) and itu2019s extensible so if one of the bolts fails, the other will be shock loaded.Read more on Wikipedia. Courtesy of the guy climbing the route next to me on Tuesday.
Anti-Gravity BeltClimbingSometimes you find yourself top seconding a route a little beyond your capabilities. This commonly happens when somebody far more skilled than you is scraping the bottom of the barrel for a climbing partner to go hit an objective with. The beauty of seconding, beyond not risking a lead fall, is the anti-gravity belt u2013 your friendly rope gun can always give you a u2018tightu2019 belay and make your beer gut seem just a little bit lighter.nConversely, donu2019t piss off your belayer if youu2019re on lead, you wouldnu2019t want that anit-gravity belt to work in reverse.nCourtesy of the wilds of the internet
Aqua-BlazeAlpineA term generally used only by people who truly, truly enjoy suffering. For those unaware, pack rafts are small, light, inflatable boatsthat can be (relatively) easily carried and are capable of crossing lakes or moderate white-water. This opens up some great possibilities for either accessing terrain that would otherwise be blocked by an inconveniently placed river, or to speed up access or egress. Welcome to the aqua-blaze. Example usage: u201cHmmm, itu2019s either a 20km bushwack around that lake or we could just aqua-blaze itu2026u201d.nWhy do I say that this is a term resolved for those who truly enjoy suffering? Because youu2019ve decided to attempt a an objective that literally requires you to carry a boat (and paddle, and pfd, and bailer, andu2026.) because that is viewed as somehow easier or more enjoyable than the alternative.nCourtesy of the wilds of the internet
Back ClippingClimbingBack-clipping occurs when the rope does not take the correct path through a quickdraw while lead climbing. When leading, if we consider the back of the biner to be the side against the rock, then you should always clip with the rope going from back to front. That way in the event of a fall, the rope neatly bends over the biner. If you back-clip with the rope going front to back in the biner, then a fall can end up with the rope loading across the gate and actually unclipping. Hereu2019s a good image showing the problem. Courtesy of Spadout.com
BailAllTo go from a peaceful, in control ski stance to full on yard sale in the space of a couple of seconds. 2. To drop out of a trip at the last minute for BS excuses such as u2018I have too much work to dou2019 or u2018I found a way cooler trip than yours, so Iu2019m doing that insteadu2019.nLovingly adapted from the inimitable VOC Glossary
BTFRPHiking2013u2019s floods decimated a huge number of backcountry trails in the Southern Alberta region. The Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Resource Development (ESRD) has put together the Backcountry Trails Floor Rehabilitation Plan. The ESRD is leading a $10m campaign to rehabilitate backcountry trails that were affected by the flood u2013 the BTFRP is part of this. Because areas under the jurisdiction of Alberta Tourism and Parks are being handled separately, the areas the ACC cares about most that fall under this plan are the Ghost and Castle areas. More information can be found on the ESRDu2019s website. Courtesy of Ken Lee
BuilderingClimbingItu2019s like bouldering. But on buildings. Popular with university students since universities tend to have a bunch of interesting buildings. Unpopular with campus security because universities tend to be completely humourless and terrified of anything vaguely resembling liability.nCourtesy of 12 years of getting in trouble with campus security for buildering.
ClaimAllTo claim something is to get super stoked and tell the world when you do something awesome. Thereu2019s an attitude prevalent in a lot of mountain sports that when you do something awesome, youu2019re supposed to shrug it off like u2018yea, so what? I do that all the timeu2026u2019. Because youu2019re so hard core, so rad, so extreme that you stomp pillow lines, nuke trees and send super hard routes all the time, so why would you get stoked about a easy peasy 5.13/55 degree couloir? That attitude? Itu2019s dumb. When you do something awesome, claim it. Let the world know that you just did something awesome and youu2019re frickin stoked. I charge a line that was so scary that I had pee running down my leg as I dropped in? Iu2019m going to claim it, Iu2019m going to let you know and probably that party two drainages over.Courtesy of MSPu2019s awesome movie aptly titled u2018Claimu2019.
ClassicAllThe word classic is a code word in the mountains. Many inexperienced, non-mountain-type folk think that when attached to a mountain, route or line that it might mean an excellent quality, aesthetic or iconic objective. Nothing could be further from the truth. Well, actually any or all of these terms could apply. One thing that definitely applies though is the certain knowledge that you will wildly underestimate the objective, forecasted sunny skies will turn into blizzards or monsoons and every conceivable thing that can possibly go wrong will. A classic is a guaranteed charlie foxtrot u2013 because while countless other people will have done it and proclaimed it u2018a classicu2019, you will not succeed.nThe next time someone invites you to try a route with them and they assure you that itu2019s a classic, you are now wise to what youu2019re getting into. Courtesy of the wilds of the internet
Coastal ConcreteSkiingNormally a south coastal or springtime phenomenon, coastal concrete is that super saturated wet snow that makes awesome snow balls and destroys knees. Itu2019s normally restricted to the south coast snowpack, but this year weu2019re seeing plenty of it in the interior ranges and the south coast has a snowpack made up exclusively of grass.
CouloirSkiingAccording to google u2018Couloiru2019 is French for u2018Corridoru2019. According to skiers itu2019s sort of like a chute, but generally has vertical-ish walls leading to itu2019s synonym u2018hallwayu2019. Another synonym is u2018frickin awesomeu2019. Couloirs provide committed lines that tend to be steep and have limited turning options necessitating McConkey Turns (or jump turns if youu2019re into that sort of thing) for speed control. Thick gloves with plenty of palm padding are required for the epic high-fives youu2019ll be getting after nuking out the bottom in one piece.nCourtesy of the wilds of the internet.
Dawn PatrolSkiingSo it dumped a meter of fresh last night but people in the hut are still being slow getting up. Youu2019re smarter than that so you drag your two favourite ski buddies (the two people least likely to hurt you badly for waking them up when itu2019s still cold and dark out) and you head out for a dawn patrol. The skyu2019s just getting brighter in the East as you tour up and as you crest that ridge, so does the sun; you soak in the morning light looking down at your line, still in shadow because who are we kidding, the best snow is always choking those North facing chutes. So yea, the rest of the idiots are warm in their sleeping bags, but youu2019re on dawn patrol, drinking a hot cup of tea, meeting the first light, ripping the first line. Plus theyu2019ll probably have brekkie going by the time you get back.nCourtesy of countless dawn patrols.
Dyna-FaffSkiingSo youu2019ve just laid down some sweet tracks and you look back up the line and see your buddy standing there either trying to get ice out from under their toe piece or trying over and over again to get the pins into the inserts in the toe of their boots. Welcome to Dyna-faff.
EqualetteClimbingAn equalette is a type of anchor developed by Jim Ewing at Sterling Ropes. Easily adapted to three or four pieces of gear, it permits favouring your strongest pieces of gear while also being self equalizing and easily adjustable. Cyril Shokoplesu2019 excellent Anchors in Earnest has a great description of this and other anchors. Courtesy of the wilds of the internet.
European Death Knot (EDK)ClimbingHot on the heels of last editionu2019s American Death Triangle, we have the similarly named European Death Knot or EDK. The EDK is commonly used for joining two ropes together as when rappelling. The nice thing about the EDK is that itu2019s a flat knot, so it pulls nicely and is less likely to get snagged somewhere. The downside is that the knot can invert or capsize which ends up with the exact same knot with shorter tails. If the knot capsizes too many times or if the tails arenu2019t long enough, the knot can roll right off the end of the rope and you go splat.nIn testing, itu2019s been shown that the odds of seeing a high enough load to capsize the knot during rappel is pretty slim, however despite this there have been numerous fatalities associated with this knot. Tom Moyeru2019s old, but awesome site has a fantastic write-up including the results of pull testing the EDK which illustrates the issues with this knot versus flat tied Figure 8s (even worse) and flat tied Double Fishermanu2019s knots (best). Courtesy of Tom Moyer
ExposureAllExposure can apparently mean damn near anything in the mountains and has the added advantage of being completely subjective. Makes it a pretty useful term. It can refer to being in a spot where a mistake can be costly, such as a long, run-out section of slab with wet spots, but it can also refer to more of a sense of exposure u2013 like when youu2019re climbing up an arete and have air all around you. But wait! Thereu2019s more! It can also refer to a position in which you are prone to objective hazard, like when youu2019re ski touring up a drainage and it would be really, really bad if a slide came down right now. Or maybe somewhere where it would be really bad if a storm moved in.nThe most effective use of the term though is to make your story about last weekend sound way cooler by referring to everything as being exposed. u201cYea, after a long, exposed ridge approach we attempted the route that had a few really run out, exposed moves before things eased up except we were facing a bunch of rockfall exposure from a faffy party above us. After topping out we needed to blaze down because we could see a storm system moving in and without any shelter it would have been a pretty exposed bivy. See? Now youu2019re hardcore.nCourtesy of the wilds of the internet
Face ShotSkiingYou may not know it yet, but getting face shots is basically the meaning of life. Itu2019s also objectively terrible which leads to a lot of confusion and internal conflict.nA face shot is where youu2019re skiing deep, light, blower pow and as you hit the apex of your turn, your skis throw so much snow up in front of you that you stop being able to see anything and get to try and figure out how to breath snow. Objectively, itu2019s terrible. You canu2019t see anything (and youu2019re pretty sure you remember seeing a tree coming up fast), you canu2019t breathe (people have actually passed out from inhaling too much snow), it should be terrifying and terrible. But itu2019s not. Itu2019s the meaning of life. It means youu2019re exactly where you need to be. Youu2019re in a perfect moment. Now where the hell was that tree?nCourtesy of 25 years of general stupidity on skis.nThe second wisest man of our times once said u201cThereu2019s nothing better than sliding down snow, flying through the airu201d u2013 Shane McConkey But heu2019s wrong, the quote should read, u2018Thereu2019s nothing better than face shots, preferably while nuking treesu2019.
FaffAllTo faff is to waste time in an unproductive way u2013 it doesnu2019t actually contribute to accomplishing your objective u2013 though sometimes is necessary none the less (but should be minimized). Faffing has kept countless parties from making the summit, or worse making it to the pub before closing. Really anything that takes time and isnu2019t actually helping you reach your goal is considered faffing.nExamples:nRope Faff: untangling a rope, getting it un-stuck, or forgetting to untie a knot before trying to pull it.nSkin Faff: dealing with snow balling on your skins, scraping snow off of them after dropping them, trying to get them neatly folded up in gale-force winds.nDyna-faff: Dynafit bindings have a reputation for being fiddly. The result is inexperienced users can spend an huge amount of time fiddling with them at the top of a line trying to get their toe pins properly seated.nCar faff: Trying to position a car at the far end of a traverse, generally costing yourself half the weekend; alternatively, trying to start your car when itu2019s decided to take the day off.nFood faff: Deciding to prepare an elaborate lunch while the rest of your party wolfs down a couple of bars and tries to get going again.
Fart BagSkiingOne piece ski or climbing shell. Hot air rises and there arenu2019t many ways for it to escape from a one piece. Thereu2019s a reason these things have more or less died off despite being really warm and really dry. Courtesy of traumatic childhood experiences.
FlakeyAllPeople who bail from a trip they signed up for ages ago just because the snow doesnu2019t look perfect or they decide that actually they think that going to Costco is a better use of their time than being outside, in the mountains, getting exercise. These people seem to forget that the worst day in the mountains beats the best day in the city. u2013 as submitted, after minor hostility removal, by a trip organizer who shall remain nameless.
FOMOAllFOMO or Fear Of Missing Out is that anxious feeling you get when there are two trips going out the same weekend and you arenu2019t sure which one will be epic and which one will be a dud. Itu2019s also the feeling you get when you think you should stay in the city this weekend to do responsible grown-up-y type things but thereu2019s a trip going somewhere cool (in which case you should go on the trip, you should always go on the trip, there is no good reason to stay in the city on a weekend other than u2018going into the mountains will make current injuries worseu2019 in which case you better be so busted that you canu2019t even tackle that Buick sized pile of smelly base layers and wrinkled office clothes). I will never understand people who voluntarily stay in the city on a weekend u2013 life is short and eventually your u2018weekends remainingu2019 gauge is going to go to zero. EVERY weekend in the city is a missed opportunity so you best damn well feel that FOMO as you do laundry or grocery shop or watch the game, because thatu2019s the MOST rational part of your brain reminding you that you ARE missing out. That is your brain telling you to stuff your excuses and get out there and do something.nCourtesy of missing way too many weekends before I realized how damn short life is and that the worst day in the mountains beats the best day in the city.
FunAllIf it happens outside, itu2019s fun, but not all fun is equal.nFun (Type 1) u2013 Fun at the time, fun in retrospect, what most people consider fun. Example: a mellow, sunny hike.nFun (Type 2) u2013 Miserable at the time, fun once you make it back to the car. Example: most epics/suffer-fests fall in this category.nFun (Type 3) u2013 Miserable at the time, miserable in retrospect, but it happened outside, so it must be some sort of fun. Example: dragging an injured party member to safety.
Funger/FangerAllPlaying in the mountains generally entails some risk and different people have different tolerances to it. Fun and danger lie on a spectrum.nFun: Harmless fun, no real risk.nFunger: Messing this up would probably hurt, but your mind is more focused on the fun than the danger.nFanger: Messing this up would definitely suck. Like maybe youu2019d die. Itu2019s still sort of fun, but youu2019re more focused on not dying than how much fun this is.nDanger: Not fun, you are completely focused on not dying and youu2019re not really sure youu2019re going to be successful.nCourtesy of Tyler Kirkland
Get Amongst ItAllWeu2019re all hearing a lot of complaining right now. u2018The snow sucksu2019. u2018Itu2019s too cold to climbu2019. u2018I think Iu2019ll go to Costco this weekendu2019. The weather is weird for sure. We canu2019t play the way we would normally play this time of year. But maybe, weu2019re just forgetting how to get amongst it. To get amongst it is to go out there and revel in the fact that we have the best playground on the planet. You can watch from the sidelines or you can get amongst it. You can live life. We donu2019t need powder to ski. We donu2019t need warm rock to climb. We go out there and we experience ourselves. We experience our environment. We experience our friends. You know that person who goes climbing even if itu2019s snowing? Or the skier whou2019s stoked that the snowpack is solid concrete because he can get into some cool lines? Theyu2019re getting amongst it. There is always something amazing to experience out there, an adventure to be had, so stop complaining and go get amongst it.
Glacial ErraticClimbingGlacial erratics are rocks which is completely different to the rest of the rocks in the area. The rock was deposited by glacial activity. That strange, isolated rock in the middle of a broad valley? Probably a glacial erratic. Courtesy of Wikipedia
GNARSkiingGNAR stands for Gaffneyu2019s Numerical Assessment of Radness and is the standard by which radness is measured and quantified. Invented by the legendary Shane McConkey in conjunction with Scott Gaffney and Robb Gaffney M.D. (heu2019s an M.D. so you know itu2019s serious), this is the benchmark by which you can determine how rad you are compared to others. Now watch me rip the *&%$ out of this line. Go watch the movie, itu2019s basically one of the best ski movies ever made. Unless youu2019re easily offended by swearing or male nudity, in which case donu2019t watch it. Ever.
Gym ClimberClimbingA person who, generally loudly and while wearing yoga clothing, lets you know that they believe they are a super hard climber because they climb in gyms. They can onsite a plastic 10- man, theyu2019re epic! When confronted with actual rock that is part of actual mountains they become very scared because they donu2019t actually know how to build an anchor, clip both sides of a draw, place gear, find a hold that isnu2019t brightly coloured or climb anything longer than 10m. Luckily they are normally scared off by approaches longer than 100m (much like sport climbers and boulderers) and so generally donu2019t get into too much trouble. Courtesy of Katherine Valentine and Tobias who has to be the most hostile person towards gym climbers Iu2019ve ever met and recently declared me u2018Gym Climber of the Yearu2019 and informed me that it was an award that generally lasts several years. Iu2019m not really clear on what I did to deserve it. This award was given to every member of the BBQ Ledge fiasco at one point or another so I think I have to share it.
Head GearClimbingSometimes when climbing, you place bomber gear. You know that stuff thatu2019s so solid you feel like you could fall on it all day long and it wouldnu2019t budge. A good cam placement in granite or one of those nuts where the biggest worry is if youu2019ll ever get it out again.nSometimes you place slightly less bomber gear. It mightslow you down in a fall, but you arenu2019t exactly convinced it would hold a whipper. Or a stiff breeze. It makes you feel better though, even though you know itu2019s a garbage placement, it gives you the confidence you need to make the next moves smoothly and confidently. Itu2019s gear that protects your head (unless you fall on it, because that nut rattling behind that really hollow sounding flake ainu2019t going to keep you from falling on your head).nCourtesy of Charlie Breakey
LumbersexualAllApparently the ACCu2019s male 30somethings accidentally became fashionable. All of a sudden ratty beards/scruff, plaid shirts, jeans and worn down boots went from meaning u2018climbing/touring bum who probably smells really badlyu2019 and now means u2018fashion conscious hipsteru2019. Apparently the correct term is u2018Lumbersexualu2019 not u2018Canadian dirtbagu2019. This has caught a number of us off guard and we donu2019t know how we feel about it.
MankyClimbingBeat up gear looks better than shiny new stuff. It means you actually use it. Thereu2019s a different between u2018obviously gets used but is also obviously well maintainedu2019 and u2018manky old gearu2019. Manky old gear is stuff that should have been retired, but someone is still using. Like an u2018only sorta coreshotu2019 rope, or a frayed, antique harness, or Silvretta 404s at any time other than a spring mountaineering approach, or Fritschiu2019s at any time after the box has been opened.n(I kid, I kid, Fritschis have their place, they provide fantastic practice at field fixing stuff with Voile straps for example).
McConkey TurnSkiingIn skiing, turns basically exist for speed control, especially in the alpine where you could easily just straight line everything. The problem with turns is that they bring you across the slope and sometimes that just isnu2019t an option u2013 steep chutes or if youu2019ve got a wicked spine or some trees boxing you in. Modern rockered skis have made pivoting your skis easy and have given a new alternative to just straight lining everything u2013 the McConkey Turn. A McConkey Turnu2019s function is to get that speed check or edge control without coming across the hill. nStep one is to come into something carrying a pile of speed, ditch your grandfatheru2019s u2018lean back in powderu2019 style, stay super neutral on the skis, think light thoughts and then bring them around so that your skis are roughly sideways to your direction of travel. You can now load those edges, scrub some speed and while the direction your skis are pointing has changed, you are still going in your original direction of travel and havenu2019t slammed into the cliff face/off the cornice.nCourtesy of the wilds of the internet and Shane McConkey who was basically the coolest guy ever to rock a snow saucer.
Ninja CampingAllSometimes you find yourself camping somewhere where you donu2019t think youu2019re breaking any rules by being there, but at the same time, you sort of feel like maybe it would be better if no one knew you were there. Welcome to Ninja Camping. For example u2013 a camp ground appears to be closed for the winter. Is it wrong to camp there? Thereu2019s no one around to ask, so probably you camp there, but just donu2019t attract too much attention to it.nCourtesy of Matt Breakey
No Fall ZoneSkiingNo Fall Zones are mostly a skiing thing, but they also pop up when climbing or scrambling. Thereu2019s no rope when skiing, no protection, so you end up in spots periodically where the consequences of a fall would be pretty high u2013 like probably fatal. Examples would be when youu2019re skiing a steep line that traverses above a large cliff band u2013 if you fall, youu2019re going to tumble over that cliff band and itu2019s going to be a bad day u2013 definitely a No Fall Zone. Steep couloirs are a similar sort of deal u2013 maybe you wash out the bottom with minimal injuries and maybe you pinball down u2013 definitely recommended to simply not fall.nYou will sometimes see skiers lock the toe pieces of their tech bindings in no fall zones u2013 the risk of blowing a knee is trumped by the much higher consequences of an pre-release.nThe Breeze and the ACC do not endorse skiing No Fall Zones or locking toe pieces u2013 itu2019s risky, dumb behaviour that has no justification other than the fact that you probably got face shots the whole way, get to brag forever about sticking that line and besides, youu2019re too good to fall anyway.nCourtesy of 24 years of general stupidity on skis.
SchralpSkiingTo schralp is to aggressively attack a line, probably at the extreme limits of your ability where your buddies are stoked to watch you attack it, but also pretty ready to come pick up the pieces when you bail. This applies to any sport. You can schralp a line on skis (preferably a sketchy, rocky couloir or slightly cliffed out trees. Or you can shralp a line on a bike (same basic conditions) or even trail running (running faster than the terrain really permits) or climbing (see Ken Wylieu2019s entry about charging up Ha Ling to stay ahead of a snarky guide).nSchralped u2013 past tense u2013 can also mean a totally skied out area, generally involving pretty technical terrain. u2018Want to go try that couloir?u2019, u2018Naw, itu2019s been a couple of weeks since itu2019s snowed so itu2019s probably totally schralped.u2019. Basically, someone beat you to it.
Significant OtherAllSomeone who will drop you off at some ridiculously early time at one side of a traverse and then still be willing to pick you up on the far side even though youu2019re probably horribly sunburned, really smelly, and several hours late.
SluffSkiingIt dumped last night. Thereu2019s 50cm of fresh on top of an old, somewhat consildated storm slab. As you ski that 35 degree line it starts to feel like the whole slope is sliding with you. It may just be sluff u2013 that light, fresh unconsolidated snow is sliding on top of the previous layer. If it isnu2019t slabbed up yet, then itu2019s sluff. Every few turns cut your line left or right so get into a new fall line so you donu2019t get knocked off your feet by your sluff. It may be light and fluffy, but it can still take you off your feet. Get a D in sluff management and youu2019ll have a bad day.
Snot RocketAllBreathing hard in cold air does stuff to your nose. Your nose gets plugged, thereu2019s snot everywhere. Sometimes you need to clear it. Tissues disintegrate in the wet and the snot rag on some gloves just smears it around. The solution is the snot rocket u2013 block one nostril, blow hard out the other and breathe easy as your gooey projectile sails off into the wild blue yonder.
StompSkiingSo youu2019re nuking some line through the trees, I mean just cranking it, youu2019re in the zone, at this moment, right now, you are the best skier in the world. Trees thin out in front of you, some sort of clearing, you could speed check but you can see enough to be pretty sure it isnu2019t totally cliffed out and youu2019ve got a wicked flow going and it just doesnu2019t feel like thereu2019s anything to worry about up there. So you punch a shoulder width gap between the last two trees before the clearing and see a perfect line of pillows in front of you. Any gawker can fall off a pillow line and claim it, but youu2019re the best skier on the mountain, so you stomp it. You donu2019t backslap, you donu2019t tomahawk, you stomp your landing. Itu2019s clean, itu2019s balanced and youu2019re already lined up for the next pillow.
SufferAllThe highest state of being. Pure happiness. To suffer in the mountains is the meaning of life.
TRAllan abbreviation for Trip Report. Do something rad? Tell the world, that way the next person can get beta from your experiences AND you have something to show your coworkers to prove how rad you are.
WhiteoutSkiingConditions experienced in the winter wherein it becomes impossible to tell the difference between up and down. The ground (white) looks like the sky (white). Generally a result of blowing snow and cloud. Whiteout conditions can be accompanied by intense vertigo since your eyes have become completely useless, nausea can result in extreme cases. The result is mountaineer or skiing by feel and you get to watch your party members randomly falling over when they try to lean into a turn only to discover that they are stationary, or alternatively very cautiously descend in a panic stricken snowplow only to go over a windlip they didnu2019t see since you canu2019t see a white thing in a sea of white. If unfamiliar with a whiteout, it can be simulated by filling a large bowl with milk and plunging your head into it while wearing goggles. Spinning in circles with your eyes closed can help in experiencing the nausea and vertigo.