powder monkey

Meanings

1. An explosives expert; a person who sets explosives.
2. A person employed to carry gun powder from the ship's magazine to the gun deck during a battle; in the 18th century Royal British and U.S. Navies, this task (also carrying water) during battles became a permanent nickname for the ship's cabin boys and apprentice seamen.
3. A skier or snowboarder who avidly seeks out the “powder” (light, dry, fluffy snow).