Sunday, January 28, 1934

Went to Sunday School and church. In the evening Oliie and Mitchell were over. Sure was cold today.

A rope tow or ski tow

A ski tow, also called rope tow or handle tow, is a mechanized system for pulling skiers and
snowboarders uphill. The first ski tow was invented 1908 in the Black Forest, Germany
by Robert Winterhalder. The first one in North America was near Montreal, Quebec

On January 28, 1934, it was copied in the U.S., at Woodstock, Vermont by Bob and Betty
Royce, proprietors of the White Cupboard Inn. Their tow was driven by the rear wheel
of a Ford Model A. Their relative simplicity—a car engine, some rope and
 a few pulleys were all that was needed—made ski tows widespread and contributed to an
explosion of the sport in the United States and Europe. Before tows, only people willing to
walk uphill could ski. Suddenly, relatively unathletic people could participate, greatly increasing
the appeal of the sport. Within five years, more than 100 tow ropes were operating in North America.