Snow tubing just isn’t like it used to be. It’s better.

If you don’t get all nostalgic about the long, sweaty trudge back up the steep hill after every run, I’m with you all the way.

The lift, ah the lift, at Snowblast Tubing Park at Mount Bachelor gets you to the top pronto with no fuss and little muss.

This is not your father’s rope tow (remember the thick, braided cord that tore your ski gloves to smithereens?). Forget about it. At Snowblast, you wait in line, then the attendant hooks a leash onto a thin cable and you ride up the hill the same way you came down – sitting on the inner tube.

What an awesome concept.

I know. I know. Mount Bachelor has been hauling skiers and snowboarders uphill for years. And tearing down the slope, not going up, is the object of the sport. But you have to admit, catching a lift to the top of the old sledding hill is a wonderful thing. Then again, maybe that’s an old guy perspective. I took my kids up there over Christmas vacation and they, of course, thought of the rope tow as an incidental means to an end. If they thought about it at all.

Going fast, of course, is as old as the hills themselves and is the reason fun seekers flock to the Snowblast Tubing Park, the Skyliner sledding hill and Bandit Springs in the Ochoco National Forest each winter. Unfortunately, Skyliner can be downright dangerous. Injuries – both serious and otherwise – are not uncommon there. And the summit of the Ochocos is quite a haul for most Central Oregonians and often lacks sufficient snow. So, until a new public sledding area opens at Wanoga Sno-park, pay-to-play is the best option for many.

The day we went, a warm front was sweeping over the Cascades, melting the icicles on the eaves and turning snow to sleet. It slowed things up a bit, especially for the little kids who weren’t beefy enough to keep their momentum going. But the sculpted tubing lanes – each offering differing terrain – seemed plenty fast to me. Especially lane 4, which features a couple good-sized moguls. My tube and the heavy, wet snow never parted company and we all stayed in one piece.

Each adult using the tubing park has to sign a waiver; youth under the age of 18 must have a release form signed by a parent or guardian. You can pick up the forms at the mountain or online at www.mtbachelor.com.

One piece of advice: Don’t wear anything cotton up there; it sucks up moisture like a sponge.

And you may want to jog in place while you’re waiting for a lift up the hill. It isn’t like it used to be.

Mount Bachelor is about 20 miles west of Bend on the Cascade Lakes Highway. The Mount Bachelor Super Shuttle departs from the corner of Colorado and Simpson on a regular basis. Cost is $3 each way.

Dress warmly. Layers of fleece or wool and polypropylene work best to wick moisture away from the body. A good jacket, a warm hat and waterproof boots are essential. Remember, cotton clothing soaks up moisture like a sponge.

The Snowblast Tubing Park runs $12 for adults and $10 for children 12 and under for two hours. Holidays it’s $13 and $11. An all-day pass is $25 for adults ($26 holidays) and $20 for kids ($21). Children must be at least 42 inches tall to ride in the tubing park.