Snow
Compacted or natural snow on slopes and trails — a low-friction surface built for gliding, where skis, boards and runners slide fast over frozen ground.
Overview
Snow is frozen precipitation — countless ice crystals that sit loosely as soft powder or pack down into a firm, smooth layer. As a playing surface its character shifts with temperature and traffic: fresh snow is deep and cushioned, groomed snow is even and firm, and cold, well-trodden snow hardens toward ice. The defining quality throughout is low friction. A thin film forms beneath a moving edge or base, so skis, snowboards, sled runners and waxed cross-country skis slide over it with very little resistance.
Because the surface is slick, pace comes easily and is managed through edging, weight and body angle rather than through grip. Turning, climbing and slowing rely on biting metal edges or spikes into the snow, or on scraping and carving the surface, rather than on a shoe planting and pushing off. There is essentially no bounce — snow absorbs impact and deforms instead of returning energy, so it holds tracks and takes the shape of whatever has passed before. On foot the surface can be soft and deep with poor footing, which is why wide snowshoes spread weight to stay on top and pointed traction aids are used to hold firm snow.
How it plays
- Low friction is the defining trait: a thin film under a ski, board or runner lets it glide with little resistance, so speed builds quickly and is controlled by edging and body position rather than braking.
- Condition changes everything — soft fresh powder feels slow and forgiving, groomed snow is smooth and fast, and cold, compacted snow turns hard and slick.
- Grip comes from edges and spikes, not soles: metal ski and board edges and crampon-style points bite into firm snow to turn, climb or hold a line, while smooth bases are built to slide.
- There is almost no bounce — snow absorbs impact and deforms rather than rebounding, so it retains tracks and lines left by earlier passes.
- On foot it can be soft and deep with weak footing, so wide snowshoes spread weight to stay on the surface instead of sinking in.
Where it’s used
Sports that use snow:
Alpine Skiing
A downhill snow sport where you glide and turn down groomed slopes on a pair of skis.
Cross-Country Skiing
A low-impact endurance snow sport where you propel yourself across flat and rolling terrain on skis.
Snowboarding
A downhill snow sport where you ride a single board sideways down the mountain.
Biathlon
An endurance winter sport that combines cross-country skiing with precision rifle target shooting at a range.
Snowshoeing
A simple, accessible winter activity — walking over deep snow on wide-framed shoes that keep you from sinking in.
Sledding
A classic, easy winter pastime of sliding down snow-covered slopes on a sled or toboggan.
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Skills
Tactics
- Pacing strategyPlanning how to distribute effort across a race so energy lasts the full distance without fading.
- Serve and volleyAn attacking tennis tactic where the server follows their serve to the net to finish the point with a volley.
- Baseline playA patient tennis style built around rallying from the back of the court and constructing points with groundstrokes.
- Negative splitA pacing tactic where an athlete covers the second half of a race faster than the first.
- High pressA football tactic where a team hunts the ball high up the pitch to win it back close to the opponent’s goal.
Disciplines
- ClassicClassic is the original cross-country technique, with skis kept parallel in set tracks and a striding kick-and-glide motion.
- Skate (Freestyle)Skate skiing pushes off angled skis in a V pattern, like ice skating, on firm groomed snow — the faster of the two main techniques.
- SprintSprint is a short-course race format decided over an individual qualifier and knockout heats, skied in either classic or skate technique.
- DistanceDistance racing covers longer courses over laps or point-to-point routes, testing sustained endurance in classic or skate technique.
- HalfpipeHalfpipe is a freestyle snowboarding discipline in which riders descend a semicircular snow channel, launching off its walls to perform aerial tricks.
Movement patterns
- SlideA slide is a controlled, low-friction skid of the body or foot along a surface, used to brake, extend reach, or hold a line, where managed friction and a lowered centre of gravity govern the movement.
- Shuffle (Lateral Shuffle)A low, athletic side-to-side stepping pattern in which the feet never cross, used to reposition and stay balanced and reactive while keeping the shoulders square to a target.
- GlideGlide is continuous, low-resistance locomotion in which the body holds a streamlined shape so that momentum generated by a preceding propulsive action carries it smoothly across a surface or through a medium.
Equipment
- BasketballA large, inflated ball with a dimpled surface used to play basketball.
- Road bikeA lightweight bicycle built for speed and efficiency on paved surfaces.
- Mountain bikeA rugged bicycle built to handle rough, off-road terrain.
- Padel racketA solid, stringless perforated racket used to play padel.
- Badminton racketA lightweight strung racket used to hit the shuttlecock in badminton.