This is a quick guide to ski lifts for beginner snowboarders. Small slopes are equipped mainly with tow bars (T-bar - the name is abroad), which cause fear among beginners. There are techniques that you can master to make your skiing more fun and keep you out of trouble on the slopes.

A yoke is a ground-type ski lift in ski resorts. This type of hoist has a steel cable raised high on a series of steel poles. A pylon with a rubber disk or a rod on the base descends from the cable (T-shaped, designed to tow two people at the same time). The rise is carried out according to the type of towing along the highway.

To climb up the slope, snowboarders grab the pylon, pull it slightly tight, and place the disc or barbell between their legs. At the top there is a shock absorber that smoothly pulls up and tows the rider. Such lifts are installed on tracks of small and medium length.

Training slides are sometimes equipped with tow ropes or sticks. They are simply taken with their hands, keeping their balance, and go upstairs.

The second type of ground lift is the conveyor belt or magic carpet. It is installed on short slopes intended for beginners or children. It stands on the ground and literally carries standing passengers. Very comfortable and not traumatic.

There is also an air type of lifts: closed gondola type and open chairlifts. Unlike tow bars, they are more comfortable. Installed on long routes.

Why is it harder for snowboarders to yoke than for skiers?

Amateur and professional skiing, has led to the need to create devices for transporting athletes and amateurs to the peaks. Lifts were created especially for them. Snowboarders appeared much later, they had to adapt to the available transport facilities.

The skier makes the ascent with great comfort, because he stands on both feet, holds on to the rod, leans back slightly, and rides. And his colleague has a harder time, since the board cannot go across, which would be very convenient.

The snowboarder has to climb almost sideways, securing the yoke bar to the inside of the thigh. Very high tension in the muscles with improper lifting can cost injury.

Only after a novice athlete stands confidently on the board, knows how to balance, make turns and slide freely along gentle slopes, can he conquer the T-bar. These skills are learned in the classroom.

It's important to remember that getting your technique to automatic will bring more enjoyment out of the harder hills.

Exercises to help you get up on a ski lift

There are three basic rules for a confident climb:

1. cling correctly;
2. be able to maintain balance;
3. determine the position of the stance during towing, in which it will be comfortable to stand and the load is evenly distributed on the muscles.

Simple exercises will help you gain skills correct skating and using T-bar:

1. Walking.
Technique: fasten the leading leg, for the second, fix it on the board so that it does not hang out (this is important when performing any exercise with an unfastened leg). Walk calmly and evenly, trying to look ahead of you, and not at the board. On slopes, the board should be turned across and set with an edge. The task is to learn how to walk with the board and look ahead.

2. Flat sliding.
This exercise will be very simple for amateurs. It will need to push off with one foot. The exercise area should be as flat as possible. Technique: one leg is fastened, and the second is attached after repulsion closer to the fastened one. The weight is distributed over the board. Loading the strapped leg with weight is not worth it, but most of it goes to it. The task is to slide freely on the board on a flat slope.

For this, a place with a slight slope is chosen, which will not have a deep depression. It is needed for a natural stop. Technique: only one leg is fastened. The movement starts from the top point, pushing off. Confident stance on the board, slightly bent knees for better cushioning. Natural stop at the depression. The task is to learn to stand confidently when moving.

4. Technique "flat turn".
The beginning is like in the third, but with a twist. You can turn forward and backward. When turning forward, if the leading foot is left, then you turn to the right, and if the right foot - to the left. The front edge is engaged and there is an emphasis on the toes, the heels do not rise. Technique: after attaching the leg, turn your head and shoulders in the direction of rotation. The board will follow. It is necessary to bring to automatism and only then go to the reverse turn. The technique is the same, only the back edge is involved, the emphasis is on the heels, and the fingers are lifted. It is very important to remain stable.

Read also our article about - sharpening edges, applying paraffin, scraping

Before an independent ascent on the yoke, it is worth observing that How do skiers get up?, namely, their interaction with the T-bar:

• skis are directed along the movement of the lift;
• the bar is sent under the buttocks, and if the disk, then between the legs;
• with his free hand he holds on to the pylon and begins to move.

Snowboarding Rules:

• unfasten one leg, which is more convenient to push off;
• roll up to the beginning of the ascent;
• catch the pole and hook the bar to inner part thighs of the leading leg or disc between the legs;
• push off and put your foot on the board for a free mount;
• when the movement has begun, the balance is not disturbed, it is worth straightening both legs a little to distribute the load and reduce muscle tension.

If you lose balance, help with your free foot. When falling, be sure to step aside and start over. It is important not to cling, with the hope of staying on the yoke, but to release the movement to others, otherwise this will entail a number of troubles.

At the end point, slightly pull the pole and, releasing it from the leg, release it. It pays to roll a little to the side to make room for others.

Safety precautions: what absolutely can not be done

Attention! Do not leave both legs strapped in while using the yoke. There are craftsmen who manage to cling without unfastening, but for a beginner it is very dangerous

When falling, be sure to roll away or crawl away from the line of rise so as not to provoke a collision.

It is impossible to transfer the center of gravity to the bar or the yoke disk, and even more so to sit on them. This will lead to falls and injury.

These are just a few of the important requirements for safe riding. A complete list of prohibited actions is available on each descent, ski resort or training center. Be sure to study them - this is important!

How to learn how to climb a yoke for a snowboarder very clearly shows this video lesson:

Also interesting

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 of riding a chairlift without a safety frame eventually leads to tragedy. 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, for general security be sure to coordinate. This is especially true for lowering and raising the safety frame - you can seriously injure a gaping lover of mountain slopes.

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.

The biggest problem for beginner snowboarders is drag lifts, the so-called “mops” and “plates” (there is also a cable with a hook that needs to be hooked by hand, but there is no theory here - only practice). When using the yoke, you have to for a long time to climb on a flat board, 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 any particular 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 chat 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

It is good when the ski resort has 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”.

In the third lesson of the online ski school Slenergy, you and your student Ilya Kosyachenko will learn how to use the lift and make turns in the plow.

How to get on the lift

Stand on the launch pad facing the rise;
- hang the ski poles on the hand that is further from the yoke, using lanyards (loops at the top of the poles);
- look back to be ready for the approach of the yoke, which will push you up the slope;
- as soon as the yoke approaches you, grasp its vertical part with one hand, which is closer to the yoke;
- install the yoke under your buttocks, and it will pull you up the slope.

Attention! When using a T-bar lift, it is strictly forbidden to release the yoke in front of the hoist support, because the yoke may catch on it and break.

How to get off the lift

Remove the yoke from under the buttocks;
- holding the yoke by the vertical part, take a step towards the slope, putting the ski across it;
- release the yoke;
- Substitute the second leg after the first.

To immediately move away from the lift, you can use the element of the last lesson - from (you move diagonally along the slope in the plow stand)

Learning to turn on a slope

Turns on the slope are made by transferring body weight and tilting the torso towards the ski on which you directed all the weight (this tilt is called angulation). The turn will always be made in the direction opposite to the ski on which the weight of the body is transferred.

Before pivoting, try weight shifting and leaning in place:

Stand on a flat surface in a plow stance (if you forgot what it is, refer to);
- transfer body weight to one of the skis;
- tilt your body to the same side;
- at the same time, one thigh (with this foot you press on the ski) drops, and the opposite one rises;
- at the same time, the pelvis becomes parallel to the slope, acquires the same plane with it.

Attention: on a slope (not on a flat surface) until your pelvis is in the same plane with the slope, you will not be able to turn on your skis.

Making a turn in the plow stance

Stand diagonally to the slope in the original plow stance (ski toes together, heels apart, knees bent, back rounded, arms in front of you - read more about the plow stance);
- start moving in this stance diagonally to the slope;
- while in motion, slowly straighten your knees - stand up straight;
- start transferring the weight to the upper ski in relation to the slope (pressing on it more and more);
- at this time, tilt your torso towards the ski on which you directed all the weight (this technique is called angulation);
- such a stance itself will push the skis to turn in the opposite direction to the leg on which the entire body weight is transferred. With its help, a turn is made.

Important! When angulating in a turn, the outside ski must not be blocked on the edge, it must slip sideways. If a blockage occurs, then you did the angulation incorrectly. By placing the ski too far on the edge, you will not be able to control the speed by slipping the ski across the movement and risk turning sharply and losing balance or gaining great speed in a turn.

Making a bunch of turns

Get into a plow stance, facing downhill;
- start the movement in the plow stance, then slowly straighten your knees and ankles, standing on your tiptoes inside the boot ( calf muscle while touching the heel of the boot top), and make your legs straight;
- start transferring your weight to one of the skis, leaning your torso in the same direction, i.e. assuming an angulation position;
- fully transfer the weight to the outer ski to the turn and turn smoothly bending the knees and ankles, maintaining angulation, thereby increasing the pressure on the lower (outer) ski;
- immediately after the turn, begin to unbend your knees and ankles, removing the angulation position, thereby gradually equalizing the weight on the skis (transferring weight to the top ski);
- then fully transfer the weight to the ski and perform the second turn;
- keep turning until the very end of the slope, alternating between turning skis.

Important! Pay attention to the angulation and parallelism of the toes of the skis-knees-hips-shoulders-arms, this is the most important thing in a turn.

So, today you learned how to use the babylift on skis and mastered the turns in the plow, which are not so easy to perform!

Next time we will learn how to do an entry level carving turn.

Step-by-step instruction of the lesson - take pictures and take them with you to the slope!

Climb up the slope with the rope tow:
- hang the sticks on your hand, when approaching the yoke, grab the rubber cable with your hands and start moving up, set the yoke behind your back;
- to get off the lift, pull yourself up on the cable with your hands, releasing the yoke and take a wide step to the side, putting the ski across the slope, release the cable and put your second foot to the first.

Make slope turns:
- Practice on the spot to transfer the body weight to one leg and lean in the same direction, while one hip drops and the opposite one rises, and the pelvis becomes parallel to the slope (this is angulation);

Perform a turn: stand diagonally to the slope in the plow stance and start moving, straighten your knees, transfer your weight to the lower ski, tilt your torso in the same direction and turn;
Add a second twist to this: immediately after the first twist, shift your body weight to the other leg and lean to the other side. It turns out a bunch of turns.

Do you want to work with an instructor in person? Call Cometa Ski School 2606-380

Do not know how to slow down and control the speed on skis in the "plow"? All this in the second lesson of the online ski school.

Music used in video:
Katy Perry
Propellerheads - Spybreak