Ski tow
Encyclopedia
Skiing
Skiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....
and snowboarders uphill.
In its most basic form, it consists of a long rope
Rope
A rope is a length of fibres, twisted or braided together to improve strength for pulling and connecting. It has tensile strength but is too flexible to provide compressive strength...
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, with some variations having simple fixed handles. These simple forms remain popular for the relatively flat portions of ski areas devoted to beginners—often called bunny slopes—but are increasingly being replaced by magic carpets
Magic carpet (ski lift)
A magic carpet is a type of surface lift installed at ski areas to transport skiers and snowboarders up the hill...
.
The more advanced form uses a series of pulleys to follow the slope, and can be up to 1.4 km long tow with a 600 metre vertical rise. The forces involved and the pulleys which the rope passes through require the rider to attach using a "nutcracker" or "tow grabber". This style has now been superseded by T-bar lift
T-bar lift
A T-bar lift, also called T-bar, is a mechanised system for transporting skiers and snowboarders uphill, along the surface of the slope...
s, platter lift
Platter lift
A platter lift , platter pull or button lift is a surface lift, a mechanized system for pulling skiers and snowboarders uphill, along the surface of the slope. In Europe they are also known as Poma lifts...
and chairlift
Chairlift
An elevated passenger ropeway, or chairlift, is a type of aerial lift, which consists of a continuously circulating steel cable loop strung between two end terminals and usually over intermediate towers, carrying a series of chairs...
in most places—with the notable exception of the smaller club fields of New Zealand.
History
The first ski tow was invented 1908 in the Black ForestBlack Forest
The Black Forest is a wooded mountain range in Baden-Württemberg, southwestern Germany. It is bordered by the Rhine valley to the west and south. The highest peak is the Feldberg with an elevation of 1,493 metres ....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
by Robert Winterhalder. The first one in North America was apparently installed in 1933 by Alec Foster at Shawbridge
Prévost, Quebec
Prévost is a town within the La Rivière-du-Nord Regional County Municipality, Quebec, Canada, and the administrative region of Laurentides in the Laurentian Mountains, north of Montreal. It was created in 1973 from the amalgamation of the former villages of Shawbridge and Lesage with old Prévost...
in the Laurentians outside Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
.
It was quickly copied at Woodstock, Vermont
Woodstock (town), Vermont
Woodstock is the shire town, and capital, of Windsor County, Vermont, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 3,232. It includes the villages of Woodstock, South Woodstock and Taftsville.-History:...
in New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
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
Model A
Model A may refer to:* Ford Model A , a model of car built by the Ford Motor Company* Ford Model A , a model of car built by the Ford Motor Company* One of the letter-series models of Farmall tractors...
. Wallace "Bunny" Bertram took it over for the second season, improved the operation, renamed it from Ski-Way to Ski Tow, 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
Suicide Six
Suicide Six is the name of a ski resort in South Pomfret, Vermont. It has some claim to historical fame as a very early ski resort and in 1934, an improvised rope tow, said to be the first ski lift in the Eastern United States. The rope tow was set up by Wallace "Bunny" Bertram on...
.
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.
Rope tows
Another style is identical to the basic tow rope, but a number of approximately 1 foot metal handles are attached firmly to the rope. The user grabs these handles and never has to touch the actual rope. The advantages compared to a basic rope is the metal bars are easier to grab, eliminate the possibility of rope burn, and the handle can be held in front of the user (as opposed to holding the rope at the user's side). This style of ski tow is known as a pony lift in some areas.
Nutcrackers
In 1939 the "tow grabber" or nutcracker was invented, allowing faster speeds and steeper slopes.and were widely used on many fields in the 1940s, but are now largely restricted to small club fields. The rope tow design, including the nutcracker device, was further developed by William Hamilton (of Hamilton jet
Jetboat
A jetboat is a boat propelled by a jet of water ejected from the back of the craft. Unlike a powerboat or motorboat that uses a propeller in the water below or behind the boat, a jetboat draws the water from under the boat into a pump inside the boat, then expels it through a nozzle at the...
fame) in the 1950s which may explain the continuing popularity of these devices in New Zealand.
The rider wears a harness around the hips. To this is attached a clamp, much like the nutcracker
Nutcracker
A nutcracker is a mechanical device for cracking nuts. Usually they work on the principle of moments as described in Archimedes' analysis of the lever...
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 to keep it off the ground.
In the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
they are still used at Meany Lodge in Washington state, and Mount Greylock
Mount Greylock
Mount Greylock is the highest natural point in Massachusetts at . Its peak is located in the northwest corner of the state in the western part of the town of Adams in Berkshire County. Although geologically part of the Taconic Mountains, Mount Greylock is commonly associated with the abutting...
Ski Club in Massachusetts. In Australia they are now confined to isolated ski lodges, except for the Mount Mawson
Mount Mawson
Mount Mawson is situated in the Mount Field National Park in Tasmania, Australia. The mountain is located approximately 89 kilometres north west of Hobart and 232 kilometres from Launceston by road...
"club field" near Hobart which boasts four rope tows.
In New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, rope tows with nutcrackers epitomize the rugged, 'back to basics' character of club skifields
and the nutcracker remain the norm at club fields
Club skifield
In New Zealand, a club skifield is a small ski resort run by a ski club to provide affordable skiing to its members. While members of the public can ski, members of the club receive heavily discounted rates, in exchange for a yearly membership fee and usually several days of voluntary work...
such as Tukino
Tukino
Tukino ski field is located on the eastern face of Mount Ruapehu, in the central area of the North Island, New Zealand.The field is a club managed field, but open to the general public. The ski area is serviced by two tows and an over-snow vehicle giving access for skiing and snow boarding. Tukino...
, Maunganui, Mt Lyford, Hanmer Springs
Hanmer Springs Ski Area
Hanmer Springs Ski Area, located on Mount Saint Patrick, South Island, New Zealand is a club skifield about 40 minutes' drive from the town of Hanmer Springs. It has one poma lift, and two rope tows, giving access to trails rated as 10% beginner, 50% intermediate and 40% advanced.-References:*...
, Temple Basin
Temple Basin
Temple Basin is a club skifield in Arthur's Pass, in New Zealand's South Island. Operated by two clubs, the Temple Basin Ski Club, and the Canterbury University Snow Sports Club, the ski area has 3 rope tows, two on-site lodges, a ski school and ski shop. The tows cover an elevation range of...
, Broken River
Broken River Ski Area
Broken River is a club skifield in South Island, New Zealand. Run by the Broken River Ski Club, it is located at about 110 km from Christchurch. It claims to often have the longest ski season anywhere in Australasia...
, Craigieburn, Fox Peak, Mt Olympus, Awakino. The commercial Roundhill
Roundhill Ski Area
Roundhill Ski Area is a family run skifield in Canterbury, New Zealand, near the town of Tekapo, 3 hours from both Christchurch and Queenstown....
added a rope tow for the 2010 season, and the boutique commercial Invincible Snowfields
Invincible Snowfields
Invincible Snowfields is a private ski resort near Glenorchy in the South Island of New Zealand.The area is about one hour's drive west of Queenstown and is close to Lake Wakatipu...
has only a single rope tow