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.

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

From Barron's • Feb. 20, 2026

"People are increasingly practising off-piste skiing. Among skiers, 25% go off-piste," he said.

From BBC • Feb. 19, 2026

In 2017 he was seriously hurt after hitting a tree in Canada while riding off-piste, suffering multiple fractures and a collapsed lung.

From Barron's • Feb. 5, 2026

La Plagne's official website prompts visitors wanting to ski off-piste, also known as backcountry skiing, to make sure they have read the Avalanche Risk Bulletin and to use an avalanche victim detector.

From BBC • Jan. 12, 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