Rope Tow
(and the variants)
Rope Tow
a.k.a: "The mitten burner!"
This is a basic lift used to transport skiers up smaller verticals requiring minimal skills to navigate for the novice user.
The skier assumes the position next to the line, waits for the rider in front to pass the marker, reaches for the wire and quickly grips the wire. The skier should expect a little bit of a lurch forward when starting.
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Key points on the launch:
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Do not have anything dangling that could get caught,
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Stand beside wire with skis pointed straight forward,
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Grab wire quickly (or it will do a number on your gloves), stand tall once moving, try not to get pulled-over.
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Don't go off the track keeping your skis side by side,
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If someone gets off early (wipes out) avoid adding yourself to the pile by letting go and skiing out of the way.
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Dismount at top (or right before a pile-up)
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Wait until you get to the top of the hill,
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Let go of rope (drop),
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Quickly Step or Skate out of the landing zone
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If your glove has frozen to the line, wave goodbye to it with either hand...lol.
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This is the very first ski lift that Capt Bob learned to ski on, it is remembered fondly.
Fixed Grip
The Fixed Grip is very similar to the Rope Tow above, the only diverence is the use of a bar attched to the wire for the rider to grab onto as it passes them in the loading station.
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Key points:​
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The bar is usually pointing to the ground, the rider tips is up and holds onto it as it passes.
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It is pretty much the same for loading and dismount as the Rope tope