A piste (/piːst/)[1] is a marked ski run or path down a mountain for snow skiing, snowboarding, or other mountain sports.
This European term is French[2] ("trail", "track") and synonymous with 'trail', 'slope', or 'run' in North America. The word is pronounced using a long "e" sound so that it rhymes with "beast".[1]
North Americans employ its common European antonym, 'off piste', to describe backcountry skiing, especially when referring to skiing outside officially approved areas of a ski resort.[citation needed]