Complexly equipped, and the length of the tracks is calculated in kilometers. It is clear that one cannot do without special devices for moving vacationers. With the use of modern ground and air lifts, the road to the ski slope will seem exciting and fun. It's like a part entertainment program resort with a demonstration of local beauties. Well, let's start!

Moving on the ground (more precisely, on the snow)

Ski lifts

Movement is carried out thanks to the T-shaped yoke or in the form of a plate. In the first case, it is possible to lift two people on one yoke at the same time, in the second, one person moves. Sitting on a round crossbar, the skier is delivered to the destination, after which he releases the yoke and moves to the side

Belt lifts

This is an excellent option for climbing gentle slopes. It is a flexible moving track. Skiers, snowboarders and sled lovers move along it without any support. The "Magic Path" is especially liked by the younger generation. From such a movement, children are simply delighted!

rope lift

In some cases, a very simple method of lifting with a cable is used. A person grabs the rope with his hands and holds on until he arrives at the top. To facilitate the process, a yoke attached to the skier's clothing is used. With it, he clings to the cable at the beginning of the journey. Such movement is possible on non-steep slopes.

Air travel

Chair lifts

This type of lift is the most convenient and fastest. It can be either single or multiple. Tourists do not need to make any effort to get around. It is only necessary to sit in an armchair, enjoy the winter landscape and inhale the fresh frosty air to the fullest. The lift does not slow down on the platform.

From ski lifts to ski resorts the real ski life begins. Skiing is not possible without climbing the mountain. As the theater begins with a hanger, so a ski tour begins with lifts. To conquer the ski peaks, there are three types of lifts:

  • gondola,
  • chairlifts and
  • rope tows.

Gondola ski lifts- the most comfortable for the modern skier. Everything is simple with them. Skiers enter the cabin and go where this difficult cabin takes them, i.e. to the ski area. Some gondola lift cabins are equipped with special compartments for skis and ski equipment, which makes them even more comfortable for skiers.

Chair ski lifts less comfortable. It is necessary to adapt to landing on a lift chair. A certain dispenser, which can also be called a barrier, opens at a certain moment to let the skier to the lift area. You need to turn your face towards the ski lift, and put your skis strictly parallel to the direction of travel. The lift moves slowly when the chair approaches the skier, there is always enough time to climb on it and comfortably place the skier's soft seat on the hard surface of the chair. Do not forget to fix the locking bar for own security. Is it worth the hassle and risk? After all, you can not reach the height and deprive yourself of an excellent descent from the mountain. When the lift chair reaches the ski area, unfasten the bar and go! Do not hesitate, because you can get a hard chair on your back. This is all the more undesirable, because there are still falls and injuries on the ski slopes ahead. Make sure that clothes do not catch on the lift chair. This is also fraught with trouble. Everything is not as scary as described, everyone adapts the first time. For such chairs, skiers are usually offered special tourist rugs. They not only soften the landing zone, but also protect from the wind at the height of the ski lift.

T-bar ski lifts There are two types, which are called "plate" and "mop". The first type is a stick tied to a cable. There is a disc at the end of the stick, which is the reason for the name. The rules for lifting on drag lifts are extremely simple, the main thing is to adapt to the beginning of the movement. We get up at the start, directing the skis up the ski line of the lift line. We catch a stick, put a plate between our legs and go! Next - a jerk, which can be quite strong, so you should hold on to the stick tightly and put your skis strictly parallel. Having reached the top of the lift, pull the stick towards you, take out the plate, release the stick where it seems convenient to leave the tow ski lift. The principle of operation of the "mop" is identical, except that nothing should be put between the legs. One of the "horns" of the mop should be slipped under the soft spot. Next is the jump. When you reach the top, get down and step aside. It is supposed to ride on a mop together, this reduces the queue and gives reliability, because the mop constantly strives to jump out from under a lone passenger. She does not like lonely skiers.

Having thoroughly prepared for the ascent for ski slopes and skiing, be sure to also thoroughly decide on the choice of ski resort and ski tour


In recent decades, ski lifts have become faster, more comfortable and able to accommodate more and more more people. The very first ski lift in the world was launched back in 1908 in the German Black Forest. It was a parody of the current ones. The skier had to hold on to the cable with special tongs, while he rode not on skis, but on special sledges. In its usual form, the ski lift appeared only in 1934.

For more than 100 years, the technological side of this vehicle has improved significantly.

Companies like Doppelmayr are building lifts that can carry enormous weights, hover very high off the ground, and don't require as many supports as they used to. One of them, built for the Sochi Olympics, can carry both cars and people. Some resorts have come up with completely unexpected things with lifts.

Revolving Lifts

The rotating lifts rotate as they go up the slope, and passengers get a full 360-degree panorama without moving their heads. Two rotating elevators in Switzerland - Rotair and Stuckli Rondo - have round cabins.

Titlis Rotair, Engelberg - Switzerland \ Titlis Rotair, Engelberg - Switzerland

Photo: TVB Engelberg / Swiss-image.ch.

Titlis Rotair in Engelberg is the first rotating cable car in the world. The cabin makes a complete revolution in 5 minutes, during the ascent from the middle station to the top of the mountain (3020 m). The new cabins were installed in the winter of 2014-15.


Stuckli Rondo, another pioneer in rotating lifts, is built by Doppelmayr and has 18 eight-berth cabins.


It lifts passengers in about six minutes from a tiny Swiss village at 800 meters above sea level to Mostelberg at 1200 meters.

Romantic cabins

The most unusual ski lifts in the world: Cuddle Cabin \ PHOTO: Gstaad Ski Resort

A number of resorts saw the possibility of using a lift cabin for romantic rendezvous in time. The lift, which serves Germany's highest peak in the Bavarian Forest, has a special "Cuddle Cabin" with tinted windows and leather seats.


Although the cabin officially seats six people, usually couples use this cabin for a four-minute climb.

In Gstaad, couples can rent a lift cabin adorned with flowers and decorations on their wedding day. The marriage ceremony itself is held in a mountain restaurant at the upper station.

double deck lift

The most unusual ski lifts in the world: double-deck cable lift \ PHOTO: Paradiski

More than a decade ago, two of the world's largest ski resorts - Les Arcs and La Plagne in France - were connected by the Vanoise Express. Each double-decker compartment is capable of carrying 200 passengers while moving nearly 1,000 vertical feet above the valley floor.


Today, the Vanoise Express is the largest engineering attraction of its kind.

On the 10th anniversary, the cabin was painted in an avant-garde style, and a tightrope walker walked along the cable between the two cabins.

Private funicular

The most unusual ski lifts in the world: Private funicular lift \ PHOTO: Tschuggen Grand Hotel


One of the steepest ski lifts in the world is a private funicular. Such a lift connects the wonderful Tschuggen Grand Hotel in Arosa (Switzerland) with the local ski slopes, located about half a mile from the hotel.

Hotel guests enjoy electronic key, which calls a two-cabin mini-train to the lower or upper station. The roof of each cabin opens like a sports car. The picture is a la James Bond.

In the winter of 2014, Tschuggen Grand opened another lift that connected the slopes of the resort with the resorts of its larger neighbor Lenzerheide, creating a huge ski area of ​​225 km.

Porsche chairlift

PHOTO: Porsche Chairlift

High-speed comfort chairlifts with heated leather seats have become commonplace in the Alps. In 2012, the leading Swiss resort of Laax decided to stand out from the "crowd" and commissioned the design of a chairlift from the famous automobile concern Porsche.

The result is a chair that not only looks super cool, but also has a “feel good chair.” It can be set to Panorama mode, tilted 45 degrees to the side for a great view. The lift is also super-environmental - the seats are heated by solar energy.

Outdoor lift

The most unusual ski lifts in the world: open lift \ PHOTO: Dachstein Glacier

In 2013, several open wagons appeared in Austria and Switzerland, including an impressive new ski lift on the Dachstein Glacier in Austria, offering year-round skiing.

Special platforms have been built at the upper and lower stations for those who want to ride outdoors to access the roof, as it is high above the ground.

Lift - Sauna

Have you ever driven up a mountain in a crowded lift cabin and thought: “It’s like a sauna here!” At the Finnish resort of Ylläs in Lapland, smart Finns have turned the lift cabin into a real wood-panelled sauna. Here you can take a steam bath at an altitude of 718 m above sea level, the cabin can accommodate up to 3 people.

Luxury cabins \ Luxury Gondola - Yabuli, China


In 2009, China's largest ski resort, Yabuli, launched a ski lift with VIP cabins, polished wood finishes, leather seats, minibar, interior lighting and BOSE stereo system.

BMW Gondola Cabin - Hochzillertal, Austria

The Hochzillertal ski area in the Austrian Tyrol has transformed one of the lift cabins into the interior of a BMW 7 Series limousine. In the cockpit - brown leather seats have massage and heating functions, a multimedia system and, perhaps most importantly, a champagne holder. The BMW cabin fare is EUR 25 per person for guests staying at affiliated hotels, or EUR 75 for all others. This price includes ski pass and lunch.

Glass Floor Lifts \ Glass-Floored Gondolas - Kitzbühel, Whistler, and Taipei

Lifts in Kitzbühel, Whistler and Taipei have cabins with glass floors that alternate with regular, opaque ones. At the highest point in Kitzbühel, the 3-S-Bahn lift reaches a height of 400 m above the valley floor. In Whistler, this height is 436 m higher. But no one is afraid of height! In 2010, when the Maokong Gondola lift in Taipei (Hong Kong) added 30 double-glazed cabins, the number of passengers doubled! This Maokong cable car connects Taipei's southern suburbs Muzha and the Maokong mountain region.

Now let's look at individual unusual specimens.

Skyway Monte Bianco, Courmayeur - Italy


The Mont Blanc Skyway, built in 2015 above Courmayeur, replaced the old cable car. The new three-stage lift is built primarily from steel and glass, with rotating spherical glass cabins offering skiers a panoramic view.

In Pointe Helbronner (3452 m) travelers will find a round terrace with a diameter of 14 meters, which offers a 360-degree panorama of the Mont Blanc peak (4810 m), the Giant's Tooth and the White Valley.

Roca Jack, Portillo - Chile \ Roca Jack, Portillo - Chile

Four famous Chilean ski lifts Va et Vient ("Come and Go") take tourists to steep slopes prone to avalanches. After an avalanche, the wires are simply dug up, the debris is pressed, and the lift is ready to work again.


The biggest one, the Roca Jack, is a 5-seat yoke or a giant 5-man mop that moves at 17 miles per hour! The resort of Portillo in Chile is known for its off-piste skiing, as well as the fact that it sells only 450 ski passes per day - that's how many guest places the resort has.

Galzigbahn, St Anton - Austria \ Galzigbahn, St Anton - Austria

Galzigban. Photo: Doppelmayr.

Funitel Galzigbahn in St. Anton looks a bit like a Ferris wheel. You enter one of the 28 booths on the first floor and then the wheel turns and you are at the top. The lift building is illuminated at night and looks more like an avant-garde art gallery than a funicular station.

Gondola, Gulmarg - India \ Gulmarg - India


Gulmarg is a small isolated hill town in the north Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir at the western tip of the Himalayas and 35 miles from Srinagar, the state capital. This area is located near the disputed Pakistani-Indian border, so there is a constant presence of the military.

Gulmarg is famous for its ski lift, which, when installed in 2005, was the highest in the world. It lifted skiers to almost 4000m and offered over 2200m of vertical descent, with views of the K2 peak.

Peak2Peak, Whistler - Canada \ Peak2Peak, Whistler - Canada

Peak2Peak. Photo: Doppelmayr.

Cabins of the lift connecting the mountains of Whistler and Blackcomb in British Columbia walk almost two miles without cable support.


Two of them have a glass bottom, which offers a breathtaking view from a height of 436 m to the bottom of the valley.

Hirafu Peak Chair-Lift, Niseko - Japan

Despite the rampant modernization, there are quite a few single chair lifts in the world. Most of them are in Japan, Eastern Europe and Germany. One of the oldest is the lift in Japanese Niseko, which does not have a safety bar and no support.

Skiing on Japan's northernmost island of Hokkaido is unlike anything you'll ever experience. There people ski through bamboo stands, eat noodles and sushi at mountain restaurants, and swim after skiing. The resort is one of the snowiest in the world. The average seasonal snow level is 15.11 meters. It seems that snowfalls in winter are daily. The Japanese mostly ride on the tracks, leaving the bottomless powder untouched.

Aiguille du Midi, Chamonix - France \ l'Aiguille du Midi, Chamonix - France


Auguille du Midi

The two-line cable car in Chamonix, built in 1955, was considered the highest in the world for 20 years. Until now, it is in first place in terms of the height difference between the lower (1035 meters) and upper (3842 meters) lifting station.


The cabin overcomes a height of more than 2800 meters in 20 minutes. The 20-minute ride on two cable cars includes an 80-degree ascent. At the end, you have views from France to Italy and Switzerland.


Off-piste descents begin from the upper station, including the famous Valle Blanche - White Valley. To the beginning of this descent, you need to go down on foot along a sharp rocky ridge.

Often on tourist sites there are questions: “What is the condition of the ski lift at the ski resort? Isn't he dangerous?" The answers to them are: “The condition is good. It is air type, armchair. And here another question immediately arises: “Which chair is this?”.

This article talks about the types of devices that are not dangerous to visit during the holidays.

A means for transporting visitors to the mountain must necessarily work at a winter resting place. After all, such a technical structure allows you to raise tourists to its highest point in order to save its strength. Athletes, choosing a place of rest for themselves, pay attention to the presence of such a device, since without it the number of descents and or snowboarding will be significantly reduced.

All ski lifts are designed to move absolutely all visitors to the resort from the end of the track to the beginning and vice versa. And for their clients, travel companies install different types of them, only to go to them. Therefore, it is better to learn about each of them.

Air lifts

One of the types of such movement is air, which is in great demand among all snowboarders and skiers. It differs in that it transports everyone to the beginning of the descent through the air, without touching the ground. There are three types of rope vehicles:

  • chairlifts;
  • gondola type;
  • combined.

Chair lifts

The chair lift is considered modern and simple at the same time, for which many tourists fell in love. Its peculiarity lies in the fact that the backs and seats are constantly held on to the rope. It also does not tend to stop - it is constantly on the move, so tourists jump off it on the go and immediately begin to descend to the start of the ascent.

Chair lifts in the mountains are two-, three-, four-, six-, eight-seater.

Gondola lifts

A gondola lift differs from a chairlift in that visitors move in separate booths in it, while in a chairlift they move in chairs. And the fact that people have the opportunity to go back without rolling down the slope. Therefore, when climbing to the top of a mountain, a person has two choices: go down by himself (using skis, a snowboard or other means of transportation) or sit in another cabin (or the same one) and return to the hotel. However, they differ from each other.

Pendulum air lifts

Pendulum means differ from others in that they are two-way. This means that two cabins are placed on the cable, which move up and down towards each other.

Important! Upon arrival at the top, the lift on the mountain slows down and upon arrival new group to the station and completely freezes, giving visitors the opportunity to calmly leave it, and new ones to enter. But it is also worth remembering that after a while he leaves back, since her stay at the station ends, and, accordingly, she returns back. Therefore, you should not stay in the booth for a long time, as there is a risk of going back without leaving it.

Tourists like to call this resort lift a high-rise, explaining that the cabins are like two elevators that go to the right floor as soon as new athletes appear.

One way air lifts

A feature of such devices is that the cabins in them go one after another. Simply put, people disembarked, a few people got in, and the cabin moved on to the beginning of the ascent. Of course, as the group gets on and off, it slows down, allowing people to get in and out.

When landing and disembarking, the cabin does not stop, but only slows down, as in chairlifts. Therefore, you need to be careful not to injure yourself anywhere in the crowd.

Ground lifts

Ground vehicles differ from air vehicles primarily in that the device for moving tourists is located on the ground. That is, this species moves people without leaving the ground. It is usually used where the slope is small.

Ski lifts

Like air, ground devices are divided into three types. Among them are tow bars.

There is a claim that there is a chance of injury in drag lifts. This is fundamentally wrong, as travel companies are equipped with a top-level security system.

When lifting, a person stands on a small wooden board and moved with a rope. The main advantage of this type of device is that you can jump off the road (which moves tourists) at any time and drive down. To do this, simply pull the rope towards you and let go - then it will weaken, and the person will jump off.

However, drag lifts also have several types:

  1. T-bar. In this type, two people can climb.
  2. Plate-shaped. In this type, the mechanism of work is the same as in the previous one, only here people rise only one at a time.
Important! To jump off the device, just pull the cable over you. Then the crossbar (or plate) will slow down, and the tourist will have the opportunity to move to the side.

Belt lift

This lift is represented by a small path that lifts athletes up the slope. Although it can only fit one person, it can be used for skiing, snowboarding and sledding. However, such lifts are rarely found in popular resorts.

The movement takes place at low speed, so that when arriving at the top of the slope or still on the way to it, you can simply leave the track without injury and simply drive down the track.

moving rope

However, there are also devices whose equipment does not meet the requirements for compliance with security measures. Such lifts at a ski resort have a name - moving ropes.

To climb to the top of the slope, a person needs to hold on to the cable with his hands, while his feet will go along the already trodden path. To simplify the holding, travel companies make crossbars, however, the moving rope still remains unpopular and inconvenient.

Interestingly, this species is also called towing, explaining this by the fact that the rope pulls a person like a car in tow.

Safety precautions when using lifts

We must not forget about physical training, because this species The sport requires strength so as not to injure yourself when descending.

You need to be careful when boarding and disembarking. This is due to the fact that in the crowd you can not see obstacles, fall and injure yourself.

You also need to skillfully use the cable and react quickly when starting to climb. And if he suddenly jumped off - quickly get out of the way.

Do not forget about: you should wear it, as there is a risk, albeit a small one, that something can get into your eyes during the descent. Interestingly, most tourists disdain this subject.

Outcome

This article will help to avoid the question of what the ski lifts are called. After all, it is important to know which means of transportation to the hill is best to use, because it will save the tourist's strength, leaving them to descend from the top, and cheer up with a view of the forest. However, do not forget about safety, as due to inattention, you can easily get injured.

Despite the fact that the name of such leisure is purely French.

BIG AIR- a jump from a large springboard, when a skier or snowboarder performs a variety of tricks.

TOWER LIFTER- a device designed to tow skiers in the mountains. It is a cable attached to it with a T-bar or plate. During the landing, the skier takes the cable with his hand and sits on the crossbar or plate. So, standing on skis, he moves up. If the slopes are gentle or short, then just cables can work, which you can hold on to with your hands. There are others: gondola, chair and belt.

BACKCOUNTRY- climbing to the top on foot, in cases where there are no lifts, as well as descending to skiing or snowboarding on unprepared slopes.

OFF-ROAD OR FREE-RIDING– descent on unprepared slopes. The peculiarity of the slopes is that there are no markings on them. For freeriding, wider than standard amateur skis are assumed. "Waist" skis - from 10 to 15 cm.

GONDOLA- cabin with a capacity of 6 to 24 people. There are two-way and one-way traffic. The gondola moves from maximum speed 6 meters per second. The largest gondola acts on. It is called Mont Fort Jumbo. It can simultaneously accommodate up to 150 people. Other types of lifts: chair lift, belt lift and ski lift.

GREEN ROUTE– . Differs in ease, gentleness and wide roll-out. Occasionally, on such routes, the slope is more than conditional. That is, you can safely go straight down, without turns and accelerations. There are areas where there are actually no slopes. Therefore, in order to accelerate, it is necessary to push off with sticks. In addition to green, there are blue, red and black tracks.

CARVING- riding on. From sports skis, they are somewhat different in shape. They have a wider "nose" and a narrower "waist". Skis are designed to ride on prepared slopes in wide arcs. The narrower the "waist" of the ski, the better it turns.

RED TRAIL- the route intended. There are practically no flat sections on such routes. Only sometimes there are steep, but not long descents. Such tracks are usually intensively “ironed” by snow groomers. But by the end of the day you will not see a flat canvas here. After all, there are always a lot of skiers on the slopes that are popular. This means that the appearance of bumps cannot be avoided. There are also blue, green and black tracks.

CHAIRLIFT- These are chairs attached to the cable. Raise from one to eight people. For embarkation and disembarkation of passengers "armchairs" do not stop. That is why they are so difficult to use for beginners at once. However, the speed of such elevators is small. That is, you can quickly master it if you wish. Other types of lifts include gondola lifts, drag lifts and belt lifts.

BELT LIFT (CHILD) is a flexible track that moves. It is usually used in enclosed spaces, . Other types of lifts include chair lifts, ski lifts and gondola lifts.

MOGUL- a type of freestyle skiing. This is what they call riding on a hilly slope (moghuls - hillocks).

NEWSCHOOL- direction in freestyle.

LIFT- there are gondola, chair, tow. Some lifts are special interest, because from an ordinary elevator that lifts athletes to the tracks, they become attractions.

RATRAK- a machine for compacting snow. She removes hillocks, levels slopes. After it passes, it leaves a ribbed trail on the slope.

BLUE ROUTE- a track designed for beginners. It is gentle, but more complex than the green one. The slope is small, but sufficient for a skier who has mastered the turns to ride at speed. Blue lines are carefully traced. They are without hillocks and sharp elevation changes, but wide enough. After all, they can make wide radius turns. In addition to the blue runs, there are red, green and black runs.

SKI PASS- a subscription to ski lifts or ski areas in resorts. can be one-day, for several days, seasonal. The subscription can perform the function of not only a pass to the lifts of the entire region. They may also give the right to free use of buses intended for transportation between resorts or between resort areas that are remote.

SKI-BUS- ski bus. Runs around the resort town. Designed to deliver people from hotels to ski lifts and back.

SLALOM– downhill skiing on a specially prepared track. The level of difficulty of the route is red, black.

SNOW PARK- a park on a slope with springboards and other figures. Designed to perform various tricks. This style declared itself in the late 90s. It was then that many athletes began to develop their own tricks and actively explore the snow parks, which were previously mostly used by snowboarders.

TOBOGGAN- sled. And they can sit one person or several at the same time. Unlike skids, they do not have skids. The toboggan is an invention of the Canadian Indians. They used it to carry goods in the snow. is available in almost every ski resort.

FREESTYLE– skiing and acrobatic exercises in snow parks. special. They have rounded and curved backs. They are needed in order to be with your back forward during the landing.

HALF PIPE- a figure in the snow park, made of dense snow in the form of a half-pipe. The height of the walls of such a pipe is 1.5-3 meters.

HELI-SKI- off-piste skiing. Delivery of skiers to the top is carried out by a helicopter.

BLACK ROUTE- the most difficult track. It is intended only for or for experienced skiers. Usually snowcats are not allowed on such tracks. On such tracks, there can immediately be virgin snow, hillocks, sharp elevation changes, sharp turns and very narrow sections. In addition to black slopes, there are red, green and blue ones.