Surface lifts

T-bar

A T-bar is a surface lift: an upside-down T hangs from a moving rope on a retracting cord. Two skiers stand side by side with the bar behind their thighs and are pulled uphill with their skis gliding in a track. Riders lean on the bar but never sit down.

A T-bar up an open fellSchematic T-bar on a Scandinavian-style fell: the rope follows the terrain over pylons, pairs of riders are pulled up the track and empty bars return retracted.
  1. Drive station
  2. Haul rope on pylons
  3. Bar on a retracting cord
  4. Lift track
  5. Return station

At a glance

Typical range
Per carrier
1–2 people
Line speed
2–3.5 m/s
People per hour
700–1,400 people/hour
Grip
FixedOpen · Skis on: Yes
Wind tolerance
No published figure
Beginner-friendly

How it works

Inside the spring boxCutaway schematic: a fixed grip on the haul rope, the drum and spring that let the cord extend and retract, the cord and the T, and two riders leaning on the bar.
  1. Fixed grip on the rope
  2. Cord drum
  3. Recoil spring
  4. Cord pulls out as you start
  5. The T
  6. Lean, don’t sit

A haul rope runs in a loop between a drive station and a return station, carried a few metres above the snow on pylons. Each T hangs from the rope on a fixed grip.

Between the grip and the T sits a spring box, sometimes called a recoil box. A cord winds on a drum inside it, like a seat belt. When riders take the bar the cord pulls out and the spring takes up the jolt, so the start is smooth. At the top, when riders let go, the spring winds the cord back in and the empty T rides back down high above the track.

Because the bars stay clamped to the rope, the whole line moves at one speed. Leitner gives surface lifts of this kind a top speed of 3.5 m/s.

A single-person version, the J-bar, has only one arm. Hemsedal in Norway lists most of its surface lifts as J-bars.

How to ride it

Riding a T-bar in four stepsFour frames: two skiers wait at the line, the bar settles behind their thighs, they ride upright in the track, and one lets go at the top as the bar retracts.

  1. Wait at the line

  2. Bar behind the thighs

  3. Ride standing, skis in the track

  4. Let go and move aside

  1. Stand at the loading line with your poles in your outside hand.
  2. Look back, let the bar settle behind your thighs and hold the centre pole.
  3. Let it pull you: stand upright, knees soft, skis in the track.
  4. At the top, take the bar from behind you, let go and ski clear of the track.
Read the full guide: How to ride a T-bar

Where you’ll find it

Scandinavia

T-bars and J-bars are the backbone of Scandinavian skiing. They suit long, open fells where wind would stop chairs, and they keep running in cold that makes chair rides miserable.

The Alps

Still common on nursery slopes, short links and glaciers. Many areas are replacing them with chairlifts, but they remain where the terrain or the budget favours them.

On PisteWindow

No resort on PisteWindow has a sourced record of this lift type yet. A missing record doesn’t mean a resort has none.

Lift types are recorded for 74 of 247 destinations so far.

History and notable examples

Ernst Constam opened the first T-bar-type lift on the Bolgen in Davos in December 1934. Its first season used single J-bars.

Compare with

Button lift

One rider on a disc, not two on a bar.

1 person · 2.5–4 m/s

Rope tow

You hold a rope at hip height instead of leaning on a bar.

1 person · No published figure

Fixed-grip chairlift

You sit on a chair above the snow instead of gliding on it.

1–6 people · 1.8–2.8 m/s

Compare with
AttributeT-barButton liftRope towFixed-grip chairlift
Per carrier1–2 people1 person1 person1–6 people
Line speed2–3.5 m/s2.5–4 m/sNo published figure1.8–2.8 m/s
People per hour700–1,400 people/hour500–900 people/hourNo published figure800–2,400 people/hour
GripFixedFixedNo rope gripFixed
EnclosureOpenOpenOpenOpen
Skis onYesYesYesYes
Wind toleranceNo published figureNo published figureNo published figureLow
Beginner-friendlyManageableManageableEasyManageable

Questions

Can you sit on a T-bar?

No. The bar rests behind your thighs and pulls you. If you sit, the cord extends, the bar drops and you fall.

What if I fall off a T-bar?

Let go of the bar at once and move out of the track so the riders behind can pass. Ski or walk to the side, then go back down to the start.

Can a snowboarder ride a T-bar?

Yes. Put the bar behind your front thigh, keep your back foot free or strapped as the lift allows, and face uphill with the board in the track.

Why does the T fly up when you let go?

The spring box winds the cord back in. Let go smoothly and keep your head clear.

Who rides on which side?

There is no fixed rule. Pair up so that each rider can hold the centre pole with the inside hand.

Names in other languages

Names in other languages
LanguageName
EnglishT-bar
DeutschBügellift (Schlepplift)
SvenskaAnkarlift
FrançaisTéléski à archets (à enrouleurs)
ItalianoSkilift ad ancora
NederlandsAnkerlift
EspañolTelesquí de ancla
DanskAnkerlift (bøjlelift)
Norsk bokmålT-krok

Sources

  1. Davos Klosters (destination) · First T-bar lift (storybook) · Checked
  2. DPMA (German Patent and Trade Mark Office) · Inventions that made history: Ski lift with T-bar · Checked
  3. LEITNER AG · Winter sports ropeway systems brochure (EN) · Checked
  4. remontees-mecaniques.net · Les téléskis fixes et à enrouleurs (fonctionnement) · Checked
  5. Verkehrshaus der Schweiz (Swiss Museum of Transport) · Collection item 134883 (Bolgen T-bar) · Checked