About

At Zoa Engineering we're building products for moving people through backcountry terrain. Our flagship product, the PL1 Portable Rope Tow System is a powerful tool for backcountry mobility designed to fit in your backpack. The patent pending rope tow system gets skiers and snowboarders more laps with less work.

How it works

Expected Vertical

Varied slopes, snow conditions, wind, ski wax and other factors can impact your total vertical per charge. The optimal slope for getting the most vertical is between 10-20 degrees.

Specifications

PL1 Weight: 10.5lbs (4.8kg)
Paracord Weight: 0.071 ounces/foot (6.61 grams/meter)
1000ft (305m) = 4.44lb (2.01kg)
Snow Picket Weight: 12.4oz (352 g)

43.2 V 362 Wh Lithium Ion battery
Maximum tension: 190lbf (86kgf)

Dimensions

Width: 129mm (5.1")
Height: 132mm (5.2")
Length: 343mm (13.5")

The PL1 has detachable handle and fits comfortably in most backcountry skiing backpacks.

The PL1 Portable Backcountry Rope Tow System is a powerful tool for backcountry mobility that fits in your backpack. It is designed, built and tested in Vancouver, B.C., Canada.

The Zoa Team

  • Robbie Button, P.Eng

    Founder / CEO
    Robbie turned his childhood fascination with machines into a career when he cut his chops as an engineer designing and building lifesaving aerial firefighting equipment. Inspired by his love of backcountry skiing, he decided to pursue his dream of inventing a portable backcountry rope tow.

  • Eric Button

    Co-Founder / Creative Director

    Eric is a creative professional with a wide range of experience working as a visual artist and graphic designer. His creative work, which has been displayed across Metro Vancouver, often draws inspiration from the mountain landscapes he was surrounded by, growing up in British Columbia. As an avid skier, he was eager to help his brother bring the Zoa PL1 to market.

  • Andrew Zwicker

    Co-Founder / Marketing & Sales Director

    Andrew joined Zoa Engineering with a wealth of ski industry and business experience. He’s a serial entrepreneur launching startups from online publishing to bio-energy, a marketing and sales professional, business strategy consultant and briefly held public office. He’s also a free-heeling telemarker, father of two adventurous young boys, a wannabe rockstar and one of the Dad crew in the skatepark.