Jargon Dictionary

Camber is the bow in the ski that allows it to bit the snow and give you a good carve. The more camber you have the more locked in to a turn you will be. The less camber you have the easier it will be to end a turn early. Camber also gives you some of you energy back when you come out of a turn and helps you get ready for the next turn.

Rocker is the opposite of camber. It is a bend in the ski going the other way. It allows the ski to stay up on soft snow and makes the ski more forgiving. The more rocker you have the less camber you have and then less bite to the snow you have with each turn. It does make the ski easier to maneuver and pivot.

A ski profile is the blend between camber and rocker that each ski has. Each ski has a little different profile. Some skis have rocker in the tip camber under foot and rocker in the tail to allow the ski to be forgiving and easier to pivot. Other skis have more rocker in the tip and camber under foot with a flat tail allowing it to bite the snow harder and commit to each turn to get the most out of it.

Effective edge it the amount of edge that is engaged with the snow while you are turning. The more effective edge you have the easier it is to stop because you have more stopping power and the harder your carves will be. This has a direct correlation with the profile of the ski.

The degree at which the edge of a ski is set. Most skis come out of the factory at a 1, 1.  This refers to 1 degree up from the base side and 1 degree in on the wall side. Different skiers prefer different degrees depending on what they are doing. The high the degrees the sharper the edges are. Most comely the degrees range from 1 to 3. 

Structure is the pattern on the base of your ski to help with water management. This is very similar to the tread on a car tire but on a much shallower scale. Structure allows your ski to have less resistance when you run over the snow and it turns to water the structure then manages that water.