ski tow

A rope tow or ski tow. (click on images for larger view)

A ski tow, also called rope tow or handle tow, is a mechanised system for pulling skiers and snowboarders uphill. In its most basic form, it consists of a long rope loop running through a pulley at the bottom and one at the top, powered by an engine at one end. Passengers grab hold of the rope and are pulled along while standing on their skis or snowboards and sliding up the hill.

History

The first ski tow was invented 1908 in the Black Forest, Germany by Robert Winterhalder. ^[1] The first one in North America was apparently installed in 1933 by Alec Foster at Shawbridge in the Laurentians outside Montreal, Quebec. ^[2]

It was quickly copied at Woodstock, Vermont in New England in 1934 by Bob and Betty Royce, proprietors of the White Cupboard Inn. Their tow was driven by the rear wheel of a Ford Model A. Wallace "Bunny" Bertram took it over for the second season, improved the operation, renamed it from Ski-Way to Ski Tow, ^[3] and eventually moved it to what became the eastern fringe of Vermont's major southern ski areas, a regional resort still operating today as Suicide Six.

Their relative simplicity—a car engine, some rope and a few pulleys were all that was needed—made ski tows widespread and contributed to an explosion of the sport in the United States and Europe. Before tows, only people willing to walk uphill could ski. Suddenly, relatively unathletic people could participate, greatly increasing the appeal of the sport. Within five years, more than 100 tow ropes were operating in North America.^{[citation needed]}

Rope tows

Usage

Close up of loading area. The red button is an emergency stop control; the coiled yellow line is deployed to mark the loading queue.

A rope tow requires a surprising number of skills for successful use:

1. Initial proper positioning to make grabbing the rope easier, avoid falls, and avoid excessive jarring of the rope which might upset uphill riders.
2. Grabbing the moving rope requires a dynamic and strong grip to clamp gradually until matching the rope speed.
3. The rope's pulling force must be counterbalanced by a slightly downhill (or backward) center of gravity which varies with rope speed, slope gradient and surface conditions.
4. The rope is subject to lateral forces, mostly due to other passengers, but occasionally by wind or terrain: the passenger must counter these forces or risk falling sideways.
5. Effectively supporting the rope's weight which can be considerable for long spans.
6. The ground track is followed by actively steering the skis or snowboard.
7. It is useful, though not usually necessary, to successfully avoid obstacles, such as fallen riders and out of control downhill traffic.
8. The release of the rope at the top is a delicate act of balance, timing, propulsion and turning—which take experience to develop.

A platter lift is a refinement of a rope tow

Rope tows are traditionally limited in distance because they cannot have intermediate supports; some ski areas have a series of rope tows instead. Although, rope tows in New Zealand and (presumably) elsewhere have evolved with a series of pulleys acting as intermediate supports which allow the length of the tows to be increased, in some cases up to 1 km. The grade of a rope tow is largely limited by passenger grip strength, although this limitation is removed when a "nutcracker" device is used to clamp on the rope. The top tow at Manganui ski field on Mt Taranaki approaches 35 degrees inclination at its top for instance, and the top tow at Awakino may be even steeper.

Nutcrackers

Tow grippers or nutcrackers, as they are often known, were widely used in the 1940s (and still today on club fields in New Zealand). The rider wears a harness around the hips.^[4] To this is attached a clamp, much like the nutcracker from which it derives its name, which the rider attaches to the rope. This eliminates the need to hold on with the hands, reducing fatigue and allowing faster tows. The nutcracker device is essential on longer and steeper tows, as the rope runs over pulleys ino order to keep it off the ground. ^[5]

Nutcrackers are still used at [Meany Lodge] in Washington state, ^[6] and Mount Greylock Ski Club in Massachusetts.^[7]

There are a few rope tows with nutcrackers running in Australia. They are now confined to isolated ski lodges, except for the Mount Mawson "club field" near Hobart in Tasmania which boasts four rope tows. In New Zealand nutcracker tows are very common, with them being at: Tukino, Maunganui, Mt Lyford, Hanmer Springs, Temple Basin, Broken River, Craigieburn, Fox Peak, Mt Olympus, Awakino and Invincible. ^[8][9]

To skiing purists in New Zealand, rope tows epitomize the rugged, 'back to basics' character of club skifields, and serve to keep these slopes free of the large crowds that more popular resorts receive. However, with a degree of determination and effort, once mastered, rope tows provide a unique skiing experience. They are reliable, can run in a variety of weather and snow conditions (including high winds), and can be maintained relatively cheaply (often by volunteers).

Handle tows

To simplify usage and somewhat improve uphill capacity, the rope tow evolved with a series of handles descending from the rope supported well off the ground. These relieve the rider of the rope's weight and make it possible to use intermediate support towers for long spans. These Poma lifts allow faster rope speeds.

Distribution

Rope tows are often supplemented by chair lifts when the number of users and budget warrants it. Chair lifts have the advantages of not blocking off a portion of the skiable terrain, not requiring skiable terrain under them, and requiring fewer passenger skills - plus, they are generally more comfortable.

Rope tows are still common at ski areas around the world, particularly small areas or in relatively flat portions of ski areas devoted to beginners—often called bunny slopes. As mentioned above, New Zealand has many skifields that still operate rope tows, and these look set to stay for many years to come. Round Hill skifield at Tekapo, New Zealand are planning to install over the 2009/2010 summer a 1.4km (roughly 1 mile) long tow with a 600 metre vertical rise. This will be the longest such tow in the world.

Many resorts have magic carpets to serve novice terrain, as they're much easier to use. However,their length and slope are much more limited than ski tows.

References

See also

• Skiing and skiing topics

External links

• Home Rope Tow Project

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