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The world doesn’t run on English. Only English speaking ppl think it does. LOL

Started building a list of ski terms at about the same as researching the military ski thread. Why? Because the only way to find some info was to do native language searches… and not all terms were translated correctly by Google Translate. So had to go looking for the right terms.

Built a short list… some terms may be correct, others not. No promises of accuracy… Included the transliterations because they give a sense of meaning, as idiomatic expressions often do so often do.

Citations are provided where native language speakers have reviewed or actively contributed. The contributions are highly valued because they come from active skiers living in the countries from which the languages are used on a daily basis. Can’t get much better than that…

Anyhow, posting it for additional comments from our French Canadian, European, and maybe even Asian language speaking friends. Pile on in your comments below. We can turn this into a Rosetta Stone or sorts and maybe learn something about the sport as seen through other skiers’ eyes.

Finnish
(Contributions by @Theme)

Fi. Hiihto = skiing (general). Can also mean just a lap of skiing, a ski day tour etc. Usually refers only to XC

Fi. murtomaahiihto = broken country skiing; and
Fi. maastohiihto = terrain skiing. These are used as synonyms. Generally refers to all skiing on groomed tracks but technically includes off-track as well depending on snow conditions. Maastohiihto is the official word they use in racing. Luisteluhiihto means skate skiing, perinteinen tyyli means traditional style (diagonal)

Fi. Metsähiihto = forest skiing. Also usually includes skiing on boggy lands, any deep snow skiing. But there is its own word for that: Umpihankihiihto (we have Umpihankihiihto world championships in February each year). Also another word that also can include skiing up the fjell (or tunturi), erähiihto = erä is a short from erämaa, wilderness in this case.

Fi. Tunturihiihto = skiing on the fjell, usually with the fjellski/tunturisukset/BCX skis.

Fi. Liukulumikengät. Sliding snowshoes. Liukulumikenkäily (the sport). Connected to skiing on Altai style skis.


Fi. Hiihtäminen = skiing (generally understood to be XC)

Fi. laskettelu = calculated skiing (technical skiing, alpine). Can also refer to snowboarding but that usually is referred to as lumilautailu, literally snowboarding. Laskettelu generally refers only to alpine skiing.

Fi. Vapaalasku = (free slide) means backcountry downhill skiing


French
(Contributions by @Nitram Tocrut)

Fr. ski de fond = lowland skiing, a général term for XC skiing that can be practiced in any kind of terrain but most people ski in tracks.

Fr. Ski hors-piste = It can refer to BC XC skiing or alpine skiing in the BC. But for most people think alpine dh skiing in the BC when they see or hear it.

Fr. Ski de fond hors-piste = That is specific to BC XC skiing and it is mostly used by those who actually do BC XC skiing.

Fr. Ski nordique = Same meaning as ski de fond hors-piste but not commonly used in Québec. Although this is the term used by Canadian National parks for their network of marked but untracked trails, some of which are hut to hut

Fr. Randonnée nordique = Used in France and if you visit “Aventure nordique” website they have a section named “Randonnée nordique” for all their XC BC gear.

Fr. Ski raquette = Generally refer to skiing with the Hoks… but we can commonly hear and see “Ski hok” and this has a pretty obvious meaning

Fr. Randonnée alpine = Alpine touring. As Québec doesn’t have a lot of “ Big mountains” this is frequently practiced in ski resorts but there is more and more areas developed especially for AT.

Ger. alpine Skirennen = alpine skiing (race)
Ger. Langlaufen = long run (classic XC)
Ger. Tourenskigehen = ski touring

No. Tur og markaski - touring and cross country skiing
No. Fjellski - mountain ski 
No. Toppturski - top (summit) ski 
No. å gå på ski = walk on skis
No. Skikjoring = ski driving, using animals (traditionally reindeer)

Swe. skidlöpning = ski running (classic XC)
Swe. Skidakning = skiing coverage (general skiing)
Swe. Toppskidakning = summit skiing

Fi. Hiihto = skiing (general)
Correct, can also mean just a lap of skiing, a ski day tour etc. Usually refers only to XC.

Fi. Hiihtäminen = skiing (generally understood to be XC)
The act of skiing. Generally XC, but is universal

Fi. murtomaahiihto = broken country skiing
Fi. maastohiihto = terrain skiing
These are used as synonyms. Generally refers to all skiing on groomed tracks but technically includes off-track as well depending on snow conditions. Maastohiihto is the official word they use in racing. Luisteluhiihto means skate skiing, perinteinen tyyli means traditional style (diagonal)

Fi. Metsähiihto = forest skiing
Also usually includes skiing on boggy lands, any deep snow skiing. But there is its own word for that: Umpihankihiihto (we have Umpihankihiihto world championships in February each year). Also another word that also can include skiing up the fjell (or tunturi), erähiihto = erä is a short from erämaa, wilderness in this case. Tunturihiihto means just skiing on the fjell, usually with the fjellski/tunturisukset/BCX skis. There is also another word for the Altai style skis: liukulumikengät. Sliding snowshoes. Liukulumikenkäily (the sport)




Fi. laskettelu = calculated skiing (technical skiing, alpine)
Actually a funny way to think about the word, never thought of it that way! But laskea (to count something) also means to slide down, whether that is with a kids pulk, riding a mountain bike downhill, ski down... Can also refer to snowboarding but that usually is referred to as lumilautailu, literally snowboarding. Laskettelu generally refers only to alpine skiing. Vapaalasku (free slide) means backcountry downhill skiing.


Just to comment a few

Thank you for that. Always good to get local knowledge to correct things or add nuances.

Fascinating examining various terms for skiing and trying to discern what they refer to exactly.

English language expressions for skiing are so general that they become meaningless… like “backcountry” skiing whose current iteration is closer to “slack country”. Or “touring”, as in “alpine touring”, which is often used in the same way even though they are quite different. Or even “classic cross country”, which has been corrupted into something that now means skiing on freeway smooth surfaces compressed to a competition standard (never been into that much but the popularity is understandable).

@Theme Just curious, the Finn language seems so different from Germanic and Slavic languages. What are its roots?
Thank you

fisheater wrote: ↑

Sat Oct 21, 2023 12:13 pm

@Theme Just curious, the Finn language seems so different from Germanic and Slavic languages. What are its roots?
Thank you

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finno-Ugric_languages

I thought I would add some French terminology. Well, it’s from Québec so it might differ a bit from our Europeans friends

First a slight correction :

Ski DE fond and not ski DU fond : that is a général term for XC skiing that can be practiced in any kind of terrain but most people ski in tracks.

Ski hors-piste : It can refer to BC XC skiing or alpine skiing in the BC. But for most people think alpine dh skiing in the BC when they see or hear it.

Ski de fond hors-piste : That is specific to BC XC skiing and it is mostly used by those who actually do BC XC skiing.

Ski nordique : Same meaning as ski de fond hors-piste but not commonly used in Québec. Although this is the term used by our National parks for their network of marked but untracked trails. We are lucky to have many hut to hut options in our parks.

Randonnée nordique : Never heard or read it in Québec but I know they use it in France and if you visit “Aventure nordique” website they have a section named “Randonnée nordique” for all their XC BC gear.

Ski raquette : Generally refer to skiing with the Hoks… but we can commonly hear and see “Ski hok” and this has a pretty obvious meaning

Randonnée alpine : That’s an easy one and translates to Alpine touring in English. As we don’t have a lot of “ Big mountains” in Québec this is frequently practiced in ski resorts but there is more and more areas developed especially for AT. The Chic-Choc mountain range in Gaspésie is the better known destination.

Well that was my contribution for now… while I am waiting for the snow to come back even it’s only for a few hours…