How to Ride a Terrain Park Rope Tow

One of the most challenging aspects of getting into freestyle snowboarding, especially as an adult beginner, is getting good at riding the rope tow. If you’re unfamiliar, a rope tow is a surface lift, and once you’re comfortable riding it, it’s the best way to get back to the top of the terrain park because it’s fast and you never have to unstrap.

I’m not gonna sugarcoat it: the first time (or 10!) you try it, you’ll probably fall, either while trying to get on, while riding, or while getting off. But the good news is, every trip you make on the rope is more time on snow, which can accelerate your snowboarding progression. You effectively get twice as much riding time as you would while riding a chair lift because you get to practice riding uphill.

Here’s a beginner’s guide to riding a rope tow.

Stay Strapped in With Both Feet

Most rope tows are designed for you to ride with both feet strapped in. It’s exactly like flat-base snowboarding, but you’re going uphill.

There are a few rare exceptions where you can ride with only one foot strapped in (the only one I’ve seen was a handle tow at Nordic Mountain, but they don’t have it anymore).

Try to Catch the Rope Without Stopping 

To catch the rope, try to make a wide carving turn that spits you out traveling uphill parallel to the rope so that you can grab hold of it while you still have some forward momentum. If you manage to do this, the rope won’t slip through your hands at all and you’ll smoothly transition to riding uphill. However, that’s only possible to do if you have enough momentum at the bottom of the park. If you fell on the last feature you tried, you might not have enough runway to build up speed. 

Depending on which side of the hill the rope is on, you may have to ride with your back to the rope in order to ride with your dominant foot forward. This is a little harder than riding with your front facing the rope, but it gets easier with practice, and you can think of it as another great drill for improving your balance and edge control. Once you’re more comfortable riding switch, you’ll be able to ride with your front to the rope regardless of which side you catch it on.

If Not, Catch the Rope From Standing Still 

You might fall right before the rope. Or while getting on the rope. Or the person in front of you might fall while getting on the rope, blocking your access to it, forcing you to stop. In all these scenarios, you’ll have to get on the rope from a standstill. 

Position yourself about one-to-two feet away from the moving rope with your shoulders squared to the rope, ideally with your dominant foot pointed uphill. Take a deep breath and hop forward to grab the moving rope with both hands — the way you’d hold a rope in Tug of War. 

You’ll feel a bit of a yank, and the rope might slide through your hands for a few feet, but if you keep squeezing, you’ll eventually start traveling uphill. 

If you’re trying to catch the rope from a standstill, it’s good etiquette to yield to other riders who are bringing in speed so that they don’t have to stop. Likewise, if there are some riders queuing up to grab the rope from a standstill, and you’re coming in hot, you can aim to catch the rope higher up on the hill to skip the line and avoid having to stop. Make smart decisions with every situation and don’t be an asshole, but know that it’s sometimes OK to skip the line if you’re able to navigate around people who are stopped. Communication is also a plus! If you’re not sure whether someone is about to get on the rope or needs more time, ask them.

Actively Steer to Keep Yourself in the Tow Path 

The towpath under any surface lift tends to get rutted out, so riders have to stay engaged while riding the rope. You want to ride as flat as you can, but be prepared to lean into an edge to steer if someone drags the rope out of the path or falls in front of you. 

Exit the Rope With Momentum

To exit the rope, it can be helpful to give an extra tug on the rope to launch yourself out of the towpath in the direction you want to go. Don’t pull or lean more than you have to, because it can shake the rope for the riders behind you and cause newer riders to fall. 

Get Out of the Way if You Fall

If you fall while riding the rope, try to roll, crawl, or shimmy out of the way as quickly as possible. Then ride back down the hill and try to catch the rope again from the bottom.

There is always an attendant operating the rope, and their job is to stop the rope if a bunch of people fall. However, it can take them a few seconds to react. Plus, nobody likes it when the rope stops, so it’s best to just get out of the way if you can. Also, give yourself grace if you fall. Everyone falls! 

I hope this guide gives you a little more confidence to try riding a rope tow, since it’s one of the keys to confidently riding in the park.