You want your gloves to last all season. So do we. That’s the reason we made gloves in the first place, but it’s easy to ride smart, no matter how good you are.
Rope tow 101
Maybe you’re just trying to make your own mitts last longer, maybe you’re rocking our ropetow mitts. Either way, let’s get into it. There are two things about the rope that ruin your gloves.
The first is letting it slip, so the material wears through. This one is unavoidable; you’ll slip a tiny bit when you grab on and let go, no matter what.
The second problem is grabbing on, gripping, and tearing the seams apart. To combat this, you need to absorb the load of the ropetow slowly.
Check out the backflip king here, gripping the rope like it owes him money.
See how he pushes forward before he grabs on? He’s also grabbing the rope downhill of his body, and starting to pull himself forward before his arm maxes out. If your arm is limp and you get yanked, your seams are gone.
Sessioning a single feature is one of the biggest advantages of the rope. Being able to hop off just above your favorite Down-Flat-Down and get back on right after is huge, when you’re really trying to learn something specific.
Here’s where carving uphill works out well when you’re getting back on the rope; you can squeeze into the gaps without sliding into the person behind you, as long as you follow Rope tow 101, above. Use that downhill momentum to get yourself going uphill and grab on.
There’s one more trick!!
This is the absolute best way to ride up the rope: one hand in front of you, and one hand behind. The rope pulls your hand into your back and does the squeezing for you.
Both hands in front is probably the first thing you tried, and you’ll spot some kids struggling, doubled over pushing the rope into their knees, but this is the trick. Show your friends.
Don’t get tired.
We’ve had a lot of friends get hurt from riding when they’re too tired. Hot lapping the rope kills your body, so of course you can get hurt easier. Look into myofascial release from our buddies at Goaliecoaches. But this is about gloves. If you’re tired, you’ll have a weaker grip and your gloves will wear out from slipping. Get grippy gloves – like the hot and cold laps.