Why has lift-serviced tubing become popular at ski areas like Pats Peak?
Ski areas are constantly tweaking their offerings and we try and do almost anything to get people to play in the “Great White Outdoors.” Our thoughts are if we can get some people to the slopes, they see the skiers and snowboarders having a good time, they’ll want to try some other snow options. What kind of maintenance and grooming do tubing lanes need? We groom the lanes according to conditions of the snow. Obviously with a snow surface, the conditions — like skiing — change almost hourly. We usually lay down some fresh corduroy every two hours. We also have a Lanemaster (grooming tool attachment) to reshape the side of the tube runs. What kind of tubing styles are there? Seated, belly down, etc. There are all sorts and usually the style of riding is dictated by the design of the course. At Pats we have a face forward, tube-on-your-belly policy. How do you regulate your speed? Speed regulation is controlled by dragging your feet. In our case, we have a large backstop and friction mat
