trailbreaking
Clearing new ground
Trailbreaking is creating a path through untouched terrain, especially through deep snow.
Hunters, hikers, and cross-country skiers take turns trailbreaking to share the exhausting work of being first through.
The word extends to any pioneering effort: Her trailbreaking research opened new fields of study.
Compare trailblazing, which emphasizes marking a path for others to follow.
First to explore territory
- groundbreakingIntroducing radical new ideas
- visionaryImaginative planner of futures
- disruptiveTending to interrupt order
- revolutionarySeeking fundamental systemic change
cutting-edge · transformative · game-changing · novel · inventive · original · ingenious · unprecedented
Traveling through unknown regions
- navigationDetermining position and course
- bushwhackingCutting through dense vegetation
- blazingBurning very brightly
- scoutingObserving to gather information
wayfinding · compass · trek · expedition · guide · terrain · wilderness · uncharted
Edge of settlement
- settlersThose who establish homes
- explorersThose who venture unfamiliar lands
- homesteadingSelf-reliant land-based lifestyle
- westwardToward the sunset
discovery · adventure · uncharted · territory · colonization · sodbuster · trapper · mountaineer
pioneering
First to explore territory
- groundbreakingIntroducing radical new ideas
- visionaryImaginative planner of futures
- disruptiveTending to interrupt order
revolutionary · cutting-edge · transformative · game-changing · novel · inventive · original · ingenious · unprecedented · radical
exploration
Traveling through unknown regions
- navigationDetermining position and course
- bushwhackingCutting through dense vegetation
- blazingBurning very brightly
scouting · wayfinding · compass · trek · expedition · guide · terrain · wilderness · uncharted · unmarked
frontier
Edge of settlement
- settlersThose who establish homes
- explorersThose who venture unfamiliar lands
- homesteadingSelf-reliant land-based lifestyle
westward · discovery · adventure · uncharted · territory · colonization · sodbuster · trapper · mountaineer · pathfinder
trailbreakingconventional
Following accepted practices
traditional · conformist · unoriginal · derivative · imitative
break, trail, breaking, trailer, trailing, trails, breakthrough, trailblazer, trailers