FreeRide Or FreeRando, The Language Of Off-Piste

As skiing and boarding develop, new technologies are explored, and new language inevitably emerges to delineate this from what has come before. There are a plethora of terms describing various niches that take place outside of the marked pistes or trails of a recognised ski resort. Amongst them are terms such as off-piste, free-skiing, split-boarding, ski-touring and ski-mountaineering to mention a few. Here at the FreeRide Republic we are all about FreeRide or what the French call freerando.

So, what free-rando?

The word itself is a mash up of English word FreeRide and the French term for ski-touring ‘ski de randonnée’. 

Essentially this describes riding any terrain where snow is in its virgin state, i.e. how it fell from the clouds and then settled (ideally a fresh-line). FreeRiders tend to prioritise the descent over the climb, using mechanical assistance (e.g. ski lifts, snow-cats, helicopters, snow-mobiles / sleds) to gain elevation where possible. That’s not to say that split-boarding, skinning or boot-packing aren’t used when the need arises, it’s just a matter of priority. 

FreeRiders also tend to use equipment that is biased towards downhill performance, rather than worrying about saving weight in the skin track or boot pack, as a ski-tourer might.

There are crossovers with ski-touring, ski-mountaineering and the like, these mainly come in terms of exposure to natural hazards and risks. Therefore, FreeRiders tend to educate themselves about the risks, local conditions and choose to carry, at the very least, the FreeRide Essentials i.e.transceiver, shovel and probe.  

What other terms have you come across that add to the confusion?  Let us know in the comments below. 

Dream. Learn. Ride. Share.