• 14 parts
  • Checked September 2026

Parts of a Ski

An alpine ski from above and from the side, then its binding, then the ski cut across.

Parts of a Ski

Name Date

Tap any part to read, rename or leave it out

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
More options

Write the name of each numbered part.Answer key

  1. Tip
  2. Tail
  3. Waist
  4. Binding
  5. Sidecut
  6. Camber
  7. Toe piece
  8. Heel piece
  9. Brake
  10. DIN setting
  11. Anti-friction pad
  12. Edges
  13. Base
  14. Core

Drawn for this site on 2026-09-30 from plain geometry. Licence: own work.

Each numbered ring is a button. Use the arrow keys to move between them and Enter to choose. Names are read out in Study, and once a part is answered.

Next step Next: the parts of a ski boot

All 14 parts on the diagram

Show the list

Whole ski 6

  1. Tip The front end of the ski. It is rounded and curves upward.
  2. Tail The back end of the ski.
  3. Waist The middle of the ski, where it is narrowest.
  4. Binding The device that fixes the boot to the ski.
  5. Sidecut The inward curve of each side. It makes the waist narrower than the tip and tail.
  6. Camber The upward arch of the ski's middle with no weight on it.

Binding 5

  1. Toe piece The front part of the binding. It holds the toe of the boot.
  2. Heel piece The back part of the binding. It holds the heel of the boot.
  3. Brake Arms that drop into the snow once the boot comes off. They stop the ski sliding away.
  4. DIN setting A scale that shows how firmly the binding holds the boot.
  5. Anti-friction pad A smooth pad under the front of the boot sole. It cuts friction between sole and binding.

Cut across 3

  1. Edges A metal strip along each side of the base. It bites into the snow so the ski can turn.
  2. Base The underside of the ski, which slides on the snow.
  3. Core The middle layer of the ski, often wood. Other layers lie above and below it.

How this list was compiled: Every name checked on 2026-09-30, a name kept only where two independent sources use it: the Visual Dictionary Online (QA International), https://www.visualdictionaryonline.com/sports-games/winter-sports/alpine-skiing/ski.php and https://www.visualdictionaryonline.com/sports-games/winter-sports/alpine-skiing/safety-binding.php (tip, tail, edge, safety binding, toepiece, heelpiece, brake arm, antifriction pad, setting indicator); Wikipedia, text only: Ski (tip, waist, tail, sidecut, camber, steel edges, base, core) and Ski binding (toe-piece, brake, DIN release settings, anti-friction pad); and a ski retailer's buying guides, https://www.evo.com/guides/how-to-choose-skis-size-chart and https://www.evo.com/guides/how-to-choose-ski-bindings-and-din-setting-chart (tip, tail, waist width, sidecut, camber, edges, base, wood core; toe piece, heel piece, brakes, DIN setting, AFD). Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-09-30 from plain geometry; no maker's graphics, nothing traced. Licence: own work

How it works

A ski is a long runner that glides over snow. The front is the tip, the middle is the waist and the back is the tail. A binding on the waist holds the boot.

Read the full guide

Three drawings

Numbers 1 to 6 are on the whole ski: the tip, the tail, the waist, the binding, the sidecut and the camber. The second drawing is the binding from the side, for 7 to 11: the toe piece, the heel piece, the brake, the DIN setting and the anti-friction pad. The third is the ski cut across, for 12 to 14: the edges, the base and the core.

  • The ski is drawn wider than life, so the curve of its sidecut is easy to see.
  • Camber shows only from the side: look for the gap under the middle of the ski.

Questions and answers

What are the parts of a ski called?

The tip at the front, the waist in the middle and the tail at the back. The underside is the base, with a metal edge along each side. The binding, a toe piece and a heel piece, holds the boot.

What is the front of a ski called?

The tip. It is the front end of the ski, rounded and curved upward. The back end is the tail.

What is the sidecut of a ski?

The inward curve along each side. It makes the ski narrower at the waist than at tip and tail. The deeper the sidecut, the tighter the turn a ski makes on its edge.

What is camber on a ski?

The upward arch of the middle of the ski. With no weight on it, a cambered ski touches the snow near the tip and the tail, and its middle is raised.

More quizzes

Show 8 more

Browse Science Quizzes