The participants of the Shasta Snow Trip seem to have a language all our own some times. Some words are specific to this group, others are words originating from CB speak, rally racing, off road driving, the bus community, and many other areas. The glossary below will help explain a few of these terms to give you a bit more of an idea of what the heck we are talking about. This list will grow as terms are suggested.
- Crack
- Coffee, the stuff the amps up Brian for the trip or anything else. Often prepared on the trip in Cowboy form by Gene on the bed of Bart.
- Craic
- (n)[From the Irish-ised version of the Middle English 'crak,' meaning loud conversation or bragging talk.] - The craic is the feng shui of a se'siun. It is the combination of
the music, the drink, the conversations, the spirit of the surroundings, and trying to make headway with people of the opposite sex. The craic is what drives all emotion and music that comes from the soul within the Irish, That's it, it's whatever makes you feel one with your surroundings.
- Craic is like unzipping the perfect atmosphere and climbing inside.
- Handbrake Turn
- The handbrake turn is a driving technique used to deliberately spin a car, either for the purpose of negotiating a very tight bend quickly, or for turning around well within the vehicle's own turning circle.
The use of the handbrake locks the rear wheels, thus breaking the friction between the tyres and the road surface. At this point, a steering input will spin the car in the direction steered. With practice, the car can be placed accurately. The technique is used in some forms of motorsport, for example rallying.
A related technique is left-foot braking.
(definition borrowed from http://www.brainyencyclopedia.com/encyclopedia/h/ha/handbrake_turn.html
- Newt
- No, not the little girl from Aliens or the small amphibian (although the term originates from the latter). This is a term participants on the Shasta Snow Trip use to refer to each other. If you want to know the full orgin of the term you will likely just need to show up. One is not considered a Newt until they have participated in the trip. They might be a potential Newt, or a Newt Larva, but they are not Newts.
- Opposite Lock
- Opposite lock is a colloquial term used to mean the deliberate use of oversteer to turn a vehicle rapidly without losing momentum. It is typified by the classic rallying style of rear-wheel drive cars, where a car appears to travel around a tight bend sideways.
The term "opposite lock" refers to the position of the steering wheel during the manoeuvre, which is turned in the opposite direction to that of the bend.
The technique works best on loose surfaces where the friction between the tyres and the road is not too high.
Before entry to the bend, the car is turned towards the bend slightly, but quickly, so as to cause a rotating motion that induces the rear of the car to slide outwards. Power is applied which applies further sideways movement. At the same time, opposite lock steering is applied to keep the car on the desired course. As the car reaches the bend it will have already turned through most of the needed angle, travelling sideways and losing some speed as a result. A smooth application of power at this point will accelerate the car into the bend and then through it, gradually removing the sideways component of travel. Overall, the bend will have been negotiated much faster than driving through it in a normal manner. In skilled hands, the result is a dramatic and fluid motion which looks incredibly natural. When executed poorly, the result is often the complete opposite.
A related technique is the handbrake turn, in which the rear wheels are deliberately locked in order to break the friction between the tyres and the road, allowing the car to be spun around a very tight bend or junction, etc.
(definition borrowed from http://www.brainyencyclopedia.com/encyclopedia/o/op/opposite_lock.html
- Seat Cover
- One who rides along but provides no tangible intrinsic value. Bring a navigator, not a seat cover on the trip with you.
- Shasta (in the dictionary under Volkswagen)
- See Shasta mentioned in the definition on Wikipedia.
- Shasta Shakes
- Shasta Shakes 1. (n.) The jittery, wobbly, upset feeling one gets when the
realization that the Shasta Trip is not only coming sooner than previously
understood, but that it is more than likely that preparations will fall
short, schedules will cause interference, and everyone is more than likely
to never see home again after being eaten by Sasquatch. 2. (n.) The
strangely-flavored smoothie concoctions made for breakfast by some Newts.
3. (v.) What the mountain (Shasta) does during an eruption, earthquake, or
because of fear generated by the invasion of Newt Hordes.
- Sleep
- A mythical state, said to bring dreams of buses flying over mud and snow. Generally, sleep is not an option on the trip.
- Timfoot
- A large hairy humanoid creature said to live in wilderness areas of the United States but not allowed into Canada.
