How to Get Up the Hill: Types of Ski Lifts

The lifts on the beginner hill can be one of a few. The rope tow is an old stand-by with which most people are familiar. It's usually found at smaller areas and is the most common beginner lift found in the Midwest. A word of caution, if you have loose clothing like a scarf or other clothing, it can get tangled in the rope and drag you into the pulley--don't let this happen to you like it has to many others. Because of the safety problems, the rope tow has been phase out at many resorts. The rope tow technique is simple enough. You simply grab on, letting the rope slide through your hands a little at the beginning so you don't get jerked forward. Be forewarned, the rope tow wears out gloves very quickly.

The Poma, which consists of a four inch disk attached at the bottom of a spring loaded pole and propelled by a raised cable, is placed under your butt, and while you stand, it pulls you up the run. This system is good, but most people will fall because they try to use the disk as a seat. If you sit down, you will end up on the ground. Let it pull you while you stand and ski uphill. There are tracks in the snow, and you just have to follow them to the top. At the top, there will be a getting off point where you will automatically stop.

Another type you could encounter is the Mighty Might. As the name implies, this contraption is made by clamping a handle on slow rope tow. When you grab on to this one, you don't have the luxury of letting the rope slide through, so be prepared for the jerk. The secret is to crouch down a little. It softens the sudden tug.

In some instances, the chairlift will be the only way to get back up the beginner hill, The chairlift is the easiest to use. There will be some type of marker at the end of the lift line just before you get on the chair. It's usually a red colored board flush with the surface of the snow upon which you will stand. This is where you wait until the chair comes around the bowwheel (the bottom pulley on the cable system) then just follow it out to the next marker, usually ten feet or so in the path of the next chair. A lift attendant will be standing near the marker and will 'bump' the chair or hold it for a second while you sit, then away you go.

Alpine Skiing School section in english version of WWW.SKI.BG is based on
"A Guide To Becoming An Expert: From First Time To A Lifetime"
by John Mukavitz Copyright © 1998