This means you'll probably hear or see one of these unique Aussie phrases.

That one time in Japan

We all know that one person who has serious Japan mentionitis. Any chance they have, they will drop Hokkaido, Hakuba and Niseko into the conversation. You may comment "it's a beautiful day" and they'll recall a beautiful day they had at Happo One. You may rant at the cost of a bottle of water mid-mountain and they'll pull out a selfie of themselves and a bottle of water slopeside at Cortina. You may mention your grandmother's birthday and they'll say "Japan has birthdays".

It's a powder day

Dear powder people. Five centimetres does not make a powder day. Ten centimetres maybe in wind-blown patches, half a metre definitely. Throwing snow up in front of or behind your skis with super aggressive turns for powder camera effect does not make it a powder day either. Neither does tagging your pics #powderday. Tagging something with #worldpeace does not make it happen. I tried #skinny and it that hasn't worked out either.

Packed powder, what is that about?

In recent years snow reports have over-used the term 'packed powder'. Powder is powder people, it doesn't matter if it is packed down like castor sugar or baking powder, either way you are bound to have big lumps and chunks that break free. That's not a good thing.

Be like the snow report guy at Coronet Peak in New Zealand who described their current non-existent off-piste snow terrain as 'a wee bit agricultural.' Truth and humour in one.

Over use of 'day of the season'

This should be prefaced with "my". Claiming day of the season without this preface is simply false advertising. My Christmas day is filled with different dysfunctional people to your Christmas day. I like red frogs you like green. So it goes without saying that my idea of a 'day of the season' and your idea are going to be different, too. Though I will be envious of yours just the same.

Queue jump

Those who baulk at others jumping a queue at the bank at lunch hour or a line for taxis in the CBD or, worse, bypassing the migration queue by arriving on a boat, think nothing of jumping a lift queue when on skis or a snowboard on a powder day. Shame on you.

As dry as Colorado

This phrase is used to describe otherwise high moisture content snow when it actually does fall from the sky in a form other than rain, sleet, hail or regular snow. When the snow in Australia (and New Zealand) arrives in super light flakes that can't form a snowball then you have 'it was as dry as Colorado.'

Uggboot free zone

You can tell the Australian at après not just because they'll be the guy standing on the bar pouring shots down the throats of strangers, but because they won't be wearing ugg boots while do it. The Australian sheepskin boot that has taken over North America ski towns is not worn outside the house. To do so it to invite the wrath of non-bogans and we all know what that entitled wrath feels like.

In Australia the coffee is better

Think of this like Japan mentionitis on the Thredbo ski lift, only it's Australians on an Aspen, Jackson Hole or Whistler lift instead. It usually starts with coffee then extends to tipping then back to coffee and goes something like this: "In Australia we don't drink filter coffee. Unless it's a slow cold drip then yes, we would consider it" or "that's not a flat white mate" or "New York knew nothing about coffee until we Australians opened barista bars."

Aldi divides ski people

Australian skiers who like to save a few bucks dress their kids in ski gear bought from a low budget supermarket chain at an annual sale and incite the rage of those who think it is their right to tell them how to spend their money. Aldi divides ski people. You will know an Aussie skier on a budget overseas, just check the recent Aldi catalogue for that season's colour blocks and prints.

See also: Does New Zealand skiing live up to the hype?

See also: Footy's not the only place sexism rules



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Thanks to Skimax Holidays, we're giving you the chance to win a ski and snowboard trip to Whistler Blackcomb in Canada for two people. You'll fly from Brisbane, Sydney or Melbourne to Vancouver, bed down for two nights at the harbourside five-star Pan Pacific Hotel and take in the city's sights including the Capilano Suspension Bridge Park and FlyOver Canada. Then you'll spend five nights in luxury at The Westin Resort & Spa at Whistler Blackcomb with ski-lift passes for two for the week you're there.

All you have to do is #hashtag your original Instagram winter-inspired images with #misssnowitall and #skimaxholidays to enter.

Each week we will choose five finalists and add them to our weekly Instagram gallery. Then we'll choose 14 finalists in September for our readers to vote on. It's that easy.

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