How can a snowboarder ride a drag lift? This question is quickly asked by every beginner snowboarder, as soon as he has to climb the mountain again. Let's try to figure out what to do if there is no alternative in the form of another lift in your case.
Why use a drag lift?
Only drag lifts are found on small slopes, in private parks, training slides. Sometimes, to everyone's horror, ski resorts are equipped with ski resorts (for example, Khibiny, where you have to ride on a ski lift for 10 minutes or more).
Naturally, drag lifts are cheaper to operate, which is why they cost less. However, after the first hour of skiing, you will realize that you are ready to overpay for a chair, if any.
Types of drag lifts
The most common and modern yoke is the so-called mop. Designed to tow two skiers at once. Snowboarders, on the other hand, have to pervert in order to tow themselves up - the mop sticks between the legs and pulls you by the inner thigh of the leading leg with one of its ends. It's inconvenient, but there's no other way.
The old type of yoke is plate. Almost no one knows how to ride such a yoke for boarders, so be sure to see how others do it. In theory, the plate also tucks between the legs and pulls on the inner surface of the thigh, but it is much more difficult to keep it there.
Yoke - stick, another type of drag lift, found on training slides. You need to take hold of her with your hands and try to keep your balance and not fall while she takes you upstairs.
Cons of a drag lift
The main disadvantage is tension in the muscles and ligaments of the knees in the course of the journey. If on other types of lift the muscles that work during the descent relax and rest, then on the yoke they are statically tense, that is, they perform double work. This means that the muscles do not rest at all, which is fraught with overexertion and injury.
Naturally, snowboarders ride a ski tow uncomfortable. It is difficult for beginners to maintain balance, and for advanced ones it is difficult to find a position that is comfortable for standing for a long time.
Advantages of a drag lift 
On the plus side, though it's a minor consolation, you learn to control your snowboard better and your technique improves.
Yoke landing
Buckle up your front leg, go through the turnstile, wait your turn. It's best to go alone.
Stand at the landing site, wait for the squeegee to drive up to you, grab it with your hand and with a decisive quick movement, slide its end between your legs so that it holds on to the inner thigh of your front leg. Immediately after that put back leg snowboarding next to rear mount, resting against him, as if by surprise. Hold the mop with your hands, wait until it starts to move you forward. Relax your body, transfer your weight to your front foot, keep your balance and move gently with the mop up.
Don't be alarmed if you can't get on the lift the first time. We all were. Try again and again, sooner or later you will succeed.
Disembarkation from the yoke
When the yoke brought you up and you began to move not on an inclined, but on a flat surface, take the mop with your hand, pull it towards you and remove it and release it. Momentum will keep you going, so don't take your back foot off the board, but slide carefully to a safer spot, away from other people getting off. When you stop, kick off the ground with your free foot and move forward, or you can just take off your snowboard and walk around, giving your feet a rest.
How not to get tired on the drag lift
Many generations of snowboarders have thought about how to reduce the load when riding a yoke.
- ride on different legs, then with the right fastened, then with the left. Both legs still get tired, and it is much more difficult to ride with someone else's leg.
- A tried and true option for more or less confident snowboarders. Try to ride on the yoke with straight legs. That is, both legs should be as straight as possible. You will feel that your legs become much less tired, because there is no load that goes to the muscles and ligaments as a result of squatting.
It is a well-known fact that going uphill is harder than going down it. The man figured out how to facilitate this process. One of the types of devices for lifting skiers up the slope of the track is a drag lift.
It looks like a cable, closed in a ring system and stretched at a distance of about two meters from the ground between the supporting columns.
An engine is installed at the top or bottom of the track, which sets it in motion. To climb the mountain, the skier clings to the tow bar attached to the cable in one of the ways provided by the feature of this mechanism.
Lifting modifications
Tow bars, they were also called Poma lifts earlier, differ in the names of towing bars, which are of two types.
- Anchor or colloquially a mop. In this case, it is clear what this device looks like: at the end of the bar there is a crossbar designed to pull two people at once.
- A plate, as another type of rod is called, with a limiter in the form of a round die at the end, is designed to tow one person. Based on the description, one can imagine the outlines of this fruit of engineering.
And one cannot fail to mention the Baby Elevator - this is also a type of lifting mechanism, the cable of which is stretched low from the surface of the earth, does not have intermediate supports and moves at low speed.
It is usually used by children and beginners who have no skiing experience at all.
In order to use it, you just need to grab the cable with your hands or with special plastic brackets.
Safety regulations
In order to use the drag lift effectively, you should remember a few rules:
- Before climbing, see how more experienced skiers do it.
- Catching a yoke, especially at first, is worth it with the help of special assistants, they are usually nearby.
- For stable position, the bar must be held with both hands.
- If the balance is lost, and the fall nevertheless occurred, it is necessary to release the yoke and roll away from the line of rise.
- No need to fuss, rush and interfere with other people with your actions, this can lead to a collision and injury.
With the development of skiing, more and more people visit mountain resorts by ski lifts. They come in different modifications, have different names, but still, they all remain a source of danger, which should always be remembered! Holidays in the mountains should bring joy and satisfaction.
Lifts are wagon, capsule, chair, towing (rope). The first two types are cabs of various sizes suspended on a cable. If you have problems with them - say "no" to alcohol and drugs.
A little more difficult is the chair lift, where the most difficult is the approach and departure. As a rule, landing in a chair causes less problems than disembarking. This is where “scooter” riding with the back leg unfastened comes in handy. When landing, keep in mind that getting off the chair, you will need to roll to the side. Goofy is easier to go to the left, regulars - to the right.
most big problem novice snowboarders are called to tow lifts, the so-called “mops” and “plates” (there is also a cable with a hook that needs to be hooked manually, but there is no theory here - only practice). When using the yoke, you have to climb on a flat board for a long time, which is quite difficult and unpleasant. In addition, due to the fact that there are more skiers on the slope (and, accordingly, on the lift), you have to climb along two ski tracks, which do not always go the way you want. A skier will easily go around a protruding stump or a block of ice, passing it between the skis, or moving far to the side, but it is impossible to perform such maneuvers on the board, so even experienced snowboarders sometimes do not reach the top of the lift. However, if the lift track is monitored, and this is increasingly common in our country, the yoke does not cause special problems.
It is better to learn how to use the drag lift in the “paddling pools” - there the slope is more gentle, and the speed is less.
With your rear leg unfastened, approach the landing site, which should ideally be flat and not sloping. Set the board with your nose in the direction of travel, put your back foot in front of the back mount on a special rubber stand, it is called “pads”, making sure that the toe or heel of the boot does not protrude beyond the edge of the board, turn the body half-turn back and wait for the approaching “mop” or "plate". When it is within arm's reach, grab it and shove it under your front leg. Goofy is easier to do with his left hand, regulars - with his right. Wait for the jerk, trying to soften it with your hand and moving the body forward. After that, shift your weight to your front foot and try to relax and enjoy yourself.
When moving on the yoke, almost all of your weight should be on your front foot. As soon as you try to load the rear foot, the board will turn tail forward and, having hooked the snow with the front edge, will stop. Your "plate", meanwhile, will move on, leaving you to wallow in the snow.
The biggest problems when climbing on the yoke are caused by the board not falling into the ski rut, if it is clearly expressed, bypassing obstacles, and moving along convex sections (bridges). All this happens because with a flat board, it is almost impossible to control it, and you will be chatting from side to side, following the board, repeating all the curves of the terrain. You can significantly alleviate your fate if you climb the “mop” not alone, but by someone else. It can be your brother - a snowboarder, and even better if it is a skier or a skier - whoever is lucky. There is such a subtlety: if two people rise at the same time on the “mop”, the jerk is stronger, so at this moment hold on to the neighbor’s waist. Just keep in mind that until you gain experience, your board may accidentally run into his skis or board, so it’s better to choose someone you know as partners ... It’s easier for two snowboarders to climb if one of them is goofy (rides on the right), and the second - regular (left).
The easiest way to climb is on “cymbals” with a curved handle. The straight handle turns you around all the time, as it comes out from under your feet not straight forward, but at an angle. The smaller the angle of installation of the mounts, the harder it is to climb on a “plate” with a straight handle.
If you lose your balance during the lift, you can regain it with your free back foot (again “scooter”!), but keep in mind that the slowest lift moves at a speed that you can develop only by running, so putting your back foot on the snow, you will have to make a lot of effort later to get it back on the board.
If you fall on an incline, crawl to the side as quickly as possible without trying to get up. You will stand aside, calmly, slowly and without worrying that someone will run over you.
When you reach the top, pull yourself forward by the handle of the “mop” or “plate” with your hand and get off the lift. Immediately step aside so as not to interfere with those who rise after you. Please note: unlike the chair lift, it is easier for goofies to go to the right on the yoke, and to the left for regulars.
You can also climb on the yoke with your hind leg fastened, for some it even seems easier. You can save a lot of time on fastening fasteners.
Additionally
Good when on ski resort there is a chair lift. It is enough just to net, relax and hold your equipment tightly so that it does not accidentally fly down. In fact, this doesn't happen all that often. Look carefully, and you will probably notice here and there ski poles, lying alone right under the lift.
However, many resorts and small bases more often operate ski lifts that require certain skills from you. It is quite difficult for beginners to master them. But, as they say, to be afraid of the yoke - do not ride on the slopes.
How is a ski lift arranged?
The installation is a ring system with a stretched cable. It is supported by supports installed approximately 2 meters apart. Engines are installed at the lower and upper points. The task of a skier or snowboarder is to grab the tow bar at the start. In theory, everything is simple, but in practice everyone falls: someone at the beginning of the ascent, someone halfway.
Types of drag lifts
Lifts differ in the shape of the bar. There are two main types:
- Anchor (in the common people - "mop").
- Disc-shaped ("plate").
There are no special differences in practical terms, but climbing on the “mop” is a little more convenient.
How to learn to yoke
Without certain riding skills, you should not rush. Climbing on the yoke, you still have to keep your balance and keep an eye on the road. It is important for skiers to keep their feet together with clearly pointed toes forward. Snowboarders will also not be able to completely relax. Care must be taken not to catch the edge and, if necessary, go around small obstacles in the form of stones or mounds.
Often snowboarders get up with one leg strapped in. This should be yours leading foot. The one that is more convenient to "steer". That is, the one that will be in front. However, at first it is better to master the yoke with two legs strapped to the board, this gives at least more confidence. How, then, to get to the starting point? See how other riders are doing it. Most of them jump around in a funny way. To avoid this, you can simply ask the lift worker to roll you to the desired point.
You should not reach for the yoke, otherwise you may lose your balance. Wait a couple more seconds and grab the barbell only when it is a little closer than arm's length. Get ready for the dash. It is at this point that many lose their balance and fall. If this happens, immediately release the yoke, crawl to the side, and then return to the start. Don't hold on to the mop or plate as if your life depended on it.
A common mistake is to try to sit on the yoke. You shouldn't do that because it's a tug, not a seat. You don't even need to pull the cable. Just look ahead and keep your balance. You don't need to strain your hands. Hold the barbell without any extra effort.
Snowboarders need to slightly shift the center of gravity to the leading foot. If you load the rear, the board will begin to turn around, bringing the rider closer to the snow. Also, do not try to get on the edge. Ideally, the board should slide smoothly on the “belly”.
A chair lift is the best way for a snowboarder to get uphill. The legs rest, the snowboard does not interfere, the main thing is to dress warmly and enjoy the views.
Landing
Go through the turnstile, determine if you can carry a snowboard in your hands (most often yes) or if you need to fasten one leg (usually in such places employees do not let people in without a snowboard on), wait for your turn and line up with those who are going to sit on the lift together with you (depending on the capacity of the lift). Usually one chair is designed for 2 to 6 people. Everyone needs to sit on the chairlift at the same time, so everyone should be on the same line. Do not run into this line if you do not have time for a chair. Wait for the next one and sit down like a human.
When the chair approaches, carefully sit on it, immediately putting your legs forward and straightening them so that they do not sink under the chair and break. Place the board edgewise between your legs so that it does not interfere with the lowering of the safety bar and does not hit your knee. Gently, smoothly and slowly lower the safety bar, after informing the others about it. Put your feet on the step (if you get it), check that the snowboard does not fall down, usually they look for this so that in any case it catches on the mount on the frame. It's best to keep it all the way.
disembarkation
When the chair approaches the upper station, you need to raise the safety frame in advance (usually this place is marked with a corresponding sign), take the snowboard to right hand and determine which direction you will run. It is best to sit on the outside of the lift, and run away there. However, if you are sitting inside, then you should not rush through all the chairs, you still won’t have time. Run back to the inner support, and go right behind the chair to go outside. The main thing is not to stand in the way of the chair, it will sweep away instantly.
If you have one leg strapped to the snowboard, then you will have to leave clearly ahead, as skiers do. Get ready, stand on the supporting leg, push off from the chair, put the other foot on the board and gently steer away from the lift. It is important not to fall, because there may be other people behind you, for whom your fall will be an absolute surprise.
Chair lift features
Dress warmly - the wind is much stronger on the lift than below. The lift can be stopped, so no one knows how long you will spend there.
Do not drop your snowboard, mittens, phones and other things down - it will be almost impossible to find them. It is better to wait until you arrive at the top, and there devote a few extra minutes to all the necessary manipulations.
Be sure to lower the safety frame. All the coolness from riding on chair lift without a safety frame in the end leads to tragedies. Falling onto rocks from a height of 5 meters is no longer cool, so think with your head.
If you are riding a chair not in splendid isolation, but with someone else, it doesn’t matter if they have skis or a board on their feet, be sure to coordinate your actions for everyone’s safety. This is especially true for lowering and raising the safety frame - you can seriously injure a gaping lover of mountain slopes.