M: Hello English learners! Welcome back to another podcast here with us at EnglishPod! 
My name is Marco. 
E: And I’m Erica. 
M: And today we’re bringing you another part of our sports seriesand this time it’s 
an advanced lesson. 
E: That’s right, we’re heading to the mountains today to, um, take askiing lesson. 
M: Alright, so, we’re gonna be learning about skiing – a winter sport and very popular 
throughout the world. So, before we get started, why don’t we take a look at a couple of 
words in “vocabulary preview”? 
Voice: Vocabulary preview. 
E: Alright, so, we’re gonna hear these two words in our dialogue. The first one is fresh 
powder. 
M: Fresh powder. 
E: Fresh powder. 
M: Okay, so, powder – we probably know this phrase already. 
E: Yeah, but here we’re talking about, uh, fresh light snow. 
M: So, fresh light snow. 
E: Uhu. 
M: Snow that recently fell. 
E: Yep. 
M: Okay, so, it’s… it looks like powder. 
E: The best kind… the best kind for skiing on. 
M: Okay, the best kind. Alright, so, fresh powder. What about or next phrase? 
E: Well, we’re also gonna meet a four-time giant slalom champion. 
M: Alright, a four time giant slalom champion. 
E: Okay, so, giant slalom is a type of ski race. 
M: Uhu. When… you probably see it on TV, when they go down the hill and they have to go 
through these red or blue flags, right? 
E: Yeah. Now, four-time giant slalom champion means he won the giant slalom four times. 
M: Okay, so, this is an interesting way of saying that somebody did something many times. 
E: Right. 
M: So, I can say “the three-time Noble Prize winner”. 
E: Yes, exactly! 
M: Okay. 
E: Or “the five-time Olympic gold medalist”. 
M: Okay, perfect, so, now it’s time for us to go to the mountains with our famous Rick Fields 
and Bob Copeland and we’ll see what happens. 
A: Welcome ski lovers of all ages! My name is Rick
Fields and here with me is the man that needs no
introduction, Bob Copeland.
B: Thank you, Rick! What a beautiful day here in
Aspen, Colorado where the sun is shinning, and
we’ve got twelve inches of fresh powder. It doesn’t
get much better than this.
A: That’s right, Bob, but today we have a special treat
for our viewers. We’re joined here by Ian Roussy,
the four-time giant slalom champion. And on this
special edition of the show, Ian is going to teach
us the basics of skiing! So, let’s hit the slopes!
C: Well, first off, let’s get those boots on. You’re go-
ing to want to make sure your boots fit snugly.
That’s right; now snap them into your bindings.
And you’re also going to want a good pair of gog-
gles to protect your eyes. It’s a bright day today,
so there’s going to be a lot of glare out there on
the slopes. We don’t want you hitting any of those
moguls!
A: Bob, since you’re a beginner skier and might take
a few spills, it is a good idea to have a good warm
pair of dry ski gloves.
C: Easy there, Rick! Well, let’s head on over to the
chairlift, and test your skills! All right, we’re up
here on the bunny hill, so, Bob, why don’t you do
a few snow-plow turns. Gnarly run, Rick! Nice
carving! You’ve got some mad skills! That was
sick!
A: You wanna see gnarley? Well, see that bump over
there, I’m going to catch some major air.
C: Butt plant!
B: Ha ha ha! He lost his skis! Yard sale!!!
A: Ahem, well. Thanks for joining us here today, I
think that about does it. Bob, Ian, time for some
après-ski?
C: No way, man! We’re off to grab some freshies!!!
E: Pretty, uh… pretty embarrassing for Rick there, wasn’t it? 
M: Yeah, he was a little bit, uh, cocky. 
E: Aha. 
M: And then he ended up falling. 
E: Well, I think there’s a lesson in that for all of us, but, um, what the real lesson is 
today is language. So, why don’t we start with “language takeaway”? 
Voice: Language takeaway. 
M: Alright, on language takeaway today let’s take a look at the first word. We have 
some bindings. 
E: Bindings. 
M: Bindings. 
E: Bindings are sort of like a lock that attaches your boot to your ski. 
M: Uhu. So, those are the bindings. I guess it comes from the verb to bind. 
E: Yeah, to tie something, um, so that it stays. 
M: Okay, binding. 
E: So… so, for example, my bindings are broken. 
M: Okay, and another piece of skiing equipment and very important isgoggles. 
E: Goggles. 
M: Okay, we have goggles now. 
E: Yep, not to be confused with Google. 
M: It’s spelled almost the same way, ha? 
E: Yep, but goggles are kind of like… imagine a big pair of glasses that you wear when you 
ski. 
M: Uhu. So, it makes people kind of look like flies. 
E: Yes, yeah. 
M: They have these huge glasses. 
E: Yeah, and you’ll also see safety goggles which you might wear if you are a mechanic 
fixing a car or someone working with wood or chemicals or what have you. 
M: Okay, so, goggles basically protect your eyes… 
E: Uhu. 
M: From snow, from the sun, from anything. 
E: That’s right. 
M: Alright. 
E: So, moving on to our next ski word. They said, uh, you should wear the goggles that you 
don’t accidentally go down… go over themoguls. 
M: Okay, moguls. 
E: Moguls. 
M: Okay, moguls… It sounds kind of strange. Wha… what are these things? 
E: Um, basically, these are, uh, the bumps that are… are in a ski hill. 
M: Bumps, okay, so… 
E: Uhu. 
M: They’re kind of like mini little hills. 
E: Yep. 
M: And they’re very difficult to ski over, right? 
E: That’s right, you gotta be pretty good to, ah, handle those moguls. 
M: Okay. 
E: Now, since these guys are beginner skiers, they’re starting out on the bunny hill. 
M: A bunny hill. 
E: The bunny hill. 
M: Okay, very popular among skiers, the bunny hill is the easiest hill. 
E: Uhu. 
M: So, it’s where the beginners start to learn. 
E: Yeah, all the kids. 
M: All the kids… 
E: Yeah. 
M: Are on the bunny hill. 
E: Alright, and our final words… actually, we’re gonna look at two words here, because they 
mean almost exactly the same thing. We heard the ski instructor say gnarley. 
M: Gnarly run. 
E: Yeah, gnarley, so, an interesting word. It spelled G-N-A-R-L-E-Y.[NOTE: you might also 
see another spelling – G-N-A-R-L-Y] 
M: Okay, so, but you don’t say gnarley. 
E: No, just… 
M: You say narley. 
E: Yeah, and a related word – sick. 
M: Okay, now, sick means to be sick, right? It… 
E: No, no-no, not here! Let’s listen to some examples to help us understand. 
Voice: Example one. 
A: Those were some sick dance moves. You’re amazing! 
Voice: Example two. 
B: Jack and I went to the beach yesterday and surfed some really gnarly waves. 
Voice: Example three. 
C: Man! The concert last night was sick! I can’t believe we got front row seats. 
M: Okay, so, basically gnurley and sick, they mean that it’s amazing, it was cool. 
E: It’s awesome. 
M: Awesome. 
E: Yeah. 
M: So, these two words are… are very very informal. Th… it’s… 
E: Yeah. 
M: It’s slang. 
E: Yeah, and actually skier slang. Both of these words I think originated with skiers, 
snowboarders, skateboarders, um, gnarly dudes. 
M: Gnarly dudes. Okay, so… okay, so, that’s all the words we have for language takeaway, 
but we have some great phrases that we wanna take a look at before we listen to the 
dialogue again, so, it’s time now for “fluency builder”. 
Voice: Fluency builder. 
E: Alright, so, Rick said that it… it’s time to… So, Rick invited everyone to start skiing by 
saying let’s hit the slopes. 
M: Okay, so, to hit the slopes. 
E: To hit the slopes. 
M: Okay, now, we want to hit the slopes. What does that mean? 
E: Go skiing. 
M: Let’s go skiing. 
E: Yeah. 
M: Let’s go to the mountain. 
E: Yep. 
M: Now, we can change the noun slope… 
E: Uhu. 
M: For something else, right? 
E: Yeah, you can… you can change it for a lot of other differentnouns. Um, and why don’t 
we hear some examples of how you can do that? 
Voice: Example one. 
A: I really have to hit the books and study for my exam tomorrow. 
Voice: Example two. 
B: I’m really tired. I think I’m gonna hit the bed now. 
Voice: Example three. 
C: Honey, can we hit the supermarket on our way home? I need to buy some milk. 
M: Okay, great, so, great examples and now we understand how we can use the hit 
the something. 
E: Uhu. 
M: Alright, what about or next phrase? 
E: Well, Rick warned Bob, uh, that he might take a few spills. 
M: Okay, so, to take a spill. 
E: To take a spill. 
M: Take a spill. 
E: Fall. 
M: To fall. 
E: Yep. 
M: It means like a… like a light fall? Or you… 
E: No, a pretty dramatic fall. 
M: Pretty dramatic. 
E: Yeah. 
M: So, you fell. 
E: Yeah. 
M: So, for example, instead of saying “that little girl was riding her bike and she fell”. 
E: Uhu. 
M: I can say “that little girl was riding her bike and she took a bad spill” 
E: Yep. 
M: Okay, so, to take a spill. You have to use the verb take though. 
E: Yes, exactly. You cannot just spill. 
M: Okay, you have to take a spill. 
E: Uhu. 
M: Alright, what about our next phrase? 
E: Well, um, you might take a spill when you catch some major air. 
M: Okay, catch some major air. 
E: To catch some major air. 
M: So, am I catching something? Wh… ho… how am I catching air? That’s impossible. 
E: Well, imagine if you’re jumping and your skis are catching the air. 
M: Uh, okay, so, I’m in the air f… for a very long time maybe? 
E: Yeah, when you catch some air, basically, it’s… it’s like you’re flying for a couple of 
second. 
M: So, you’re flying for a couple of seconds, you’re very high up in the air. 
E: Yep. 
M: Okay, s… to catch some air. 
E: Yeah, and you’ll hear this phrase, um, when you’re, you know, not only when you’re 
talking about skiing, but also maybe if you’re… you know, you’re driving your car really fast 
and it sort of jumps up in the air for a minute… well, not a minute… a second. That would be 
catching air as well. 
M: Okay, so, to catch air. 
E: Uhu. 
M: Alright, so, they finished skiing, they were kind of tired and he said, well, let’s call it a 
day. [NOTE: actually, we don’t have this phrase in the dialogue, but we have another one 
that means the same – that about does it] 
E: To call it a day. 
M: Let’s call it a day. 
E: Let’s go home. 
M: Let’s go home, it’s over. 
E: Yeah. 
M: Let’s… 
E: Let’s finish. 
M: Let’s finish the day. 
E: Yep. 
M: Let’s call it a day and go home. 
E: Uhu. But not before we go to our next word, uh, to grab some freshies. 
M: Alright, grab some freshies. 
E: Grab some freshies. 
M: Okay, freshies, what are these freshies? 
E: Remember we talked about fresh powder. 
M: Uhu. 
E: It’s that. 
M: So, it’s an informal way of saying “fresh powder”. 
E: Yeah, fresh, powdery, light snow. 
M: Okay, freshies. 
E: Yeah, so, the snow that nobody has skied on before. 
M: Really good phrases and some amazing vocabulary. Let’s listen to this dialogue one last 
time and then we’ll come back and talk a little bit more about this really fun sport. 
A: Welcome ski lovers of all ages! My name is Rick
Fields and here with me is the man that needs no
introduction, Bob Copeland.
B: Thank you, Rick! What a beautiful day here in
Aspen, Colorado where the sun is shinning, and
we’ve got twelve inches of fresh powder. It doesn’t
get much better than this.
A: That’s right, Bob, but today we have a special treat
for our viewers. We’re joined here by Ian Roussy,
the four-time giant slalom champion. And on this
special edition of the show, Ian is going to teach
us the basics of skiing! So, let’s hit the slopes!
C: Well, first off, let’s get those boots on. You’re go-
ing to want to make sure your boots fit snugly.
That’s right; now snap them into your bindings.
And you’re also going to want a good pair of gog-
gles to protect your eyes. It’s a bright day today,
so there’s going to be a lot of glare out there on
the slopes. We don’t want you hitting any of those
moguls!
A: Bob, since you’re a beginner skier and might take
a few spills, it is a good idea to have a good warm
pair of dry ski gloves.
C: Easy there, Rick! Well, let’s head on over to the
chairlift, and test your skills! All right, we’re up
here on the bunny hill, so, Bob, why don’t you do
a few snow-plow turns. Gnarly run, Rick! Nice
carving! You’ve got some mad skills! That was
sick!
A: You wanna see gnarley? Well, see that bump over
there, I’m going to catch some major air.
C: Butt plant!
B: Ha ha ha! He lost his skis! Yard sale!!!
A: Ahem, well. Thanks for joining us here today, I
think that about does it. Bob, Ian, time for some
après-ski?
C: No way, man! We’re off to grab some freshies!!!
E: Well, we heard the guys, uh, talk about après-ski and actually this is one of my favorite 
parts of skiing. 
M: Uhu. Wha… what is this? It sounds French. 
E: Yeah, it is. I guess the Frenchness sort of gives an air of… of specialness, right? 
M: Aha. 
E: But après-ski is basically the party that you have after you ski… you finish skiing. 
M: So, usually you would have parties after skiing. 
E: Right, so, you… you finish… you… you’ve finished your ski-day, you’ve called it a day, 
you’ve… glided down those slopes, you… you head on over to the lodge, you know, the… 
M: Uhu. 
E: The little cabin. 
M: Uhu. 
E: Grab, uh, a beer or two or maybe some hot alcoholic drink and… 
M: Uhu. 
E: Kick back and relax with your friends. 
M: Wow! So, it’s popular for families to go to a ski resort and stay there for a couple of 
days, so… 
E: Yeah. 
M: This is when you would do this with your friends, your family… 
E: Yep. And, you know what, if it… if it’s with your friends, it’s gonna last until late into 
the night. 
M: Hehe. Alright, so, it sounds fun and next time maybe if you go skiing with your friends 
and you guys are speaking English, now you can use all these great phrases and maybe 
surprise your friends if you tell them “let’s go grab some freshies” or something like that. 
E: Yeah, you’ll sound pretty, pretty dialed, pretty cool. 
M: Hehe. Alright, so, that’s all we… the time we have for today, be sure to check out our 
website englishpod.com. 
E: Marco and I are always around to answer your questions and, well, thanks for 
downloading, until next time… Good bye! 
M: Bye!