off-piste

American

[awf-peest, of] / ˈɔfˈpist, ˈɒf /

adverb

on an unprepared, trackless area away from regular ski runs.

off-piste skiing.

off-piste British

adjective

of or relating to skiing on virgin snow off the regular runs

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of off-piste

First recorded in 1955–60; off ( def. ) + piste ( def. )

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

off-piste

The avalanche risk remains high in parts of Tyrol - meaning avalanches can be expected - where two fatal avalanches occurred on Friday in off-piste areas.

From BBC ● Feb. 21, 2026

Tyrol authorities appealed for skiers to stay away from off-piste activities.

From Barron's ● Feb. 20, 2026

The man in his 30s and another Polish citizen were part of a group of five people who were skiing off-piste near the resort town of La Grave when the avalanche struck.

From BBC ● Feb. 18, 2026

Also in the Alps, an American tourist died in an off-piste skiing accident at the end of December.

From Barron's ● Jan. 4, 2026

If death-defying, off-piste skiing at high altitude down near vertical slopes had a musical equivalent, bebop would be it.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023