 Poster: A snowHead
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The Voice of Reason, Yeah, that was, of course, my main reason for buying it. 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Hi guys,
Had been looking for Ski locks, stumbled across this site, and after reading some of the horror stories thought I'd buy one. Most of the dedicated "Ski locks" I found seem to have flimsy wire, so I searched around for a bit and found one on Ebay. I know every lock has a weakness but its a big thick bike lock 12mm thick which most bolt cutters wont fit over easily! link below:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Steel-spiral-cable-bicycle-bike-lock-12x-65-2-keys-/270657358668?pt=UK_HaG_Lock_Safes_GL&hash=item3f046f8b4c
I realise It may not be slim and discreet, but peace of mind is what I wanted! So Ive bought 2 for me & the mrs and hope they help everyyone else Madeye-Smiley
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Angry Squirrel, hmmm, all very well but it wouldn't fit in my pocket so it would never be with me. Making it somewhat redundant.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Angry Squirrel, Pretty standard bike lock - Center Parcs give them away now when you hire a bike.
under a new name, You must have very small pockets - you a Scotsman by any chance ? These locks roll up to about 3" across.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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I'd much rather have my skis nicked.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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My girlfriend's hire skis were stolen from outside a mountain restaurant in Les Deux Alpes. I'd actually expressed concern about leaving our skis outside as we went into the restuarant, having heard stories of theft, only to be ridiculed by the rest of our party.
When we got outside and realised they were gone the rest of the party thought it was me winding them up. The pisteurs weren't great help, but that's more because we couldn't speak enough french to explain what had happened. Luckily it wasn't too far to a gondola, so my girlfriend stood on the back of my skis to get up a tow rope.
The rep (Crystal) was excellent, as were the police. The guy in the hire shop was also brilliant; they were new skis and she had apparently been given very expensive ones by mistake, but he only charged for the cost of basic skis (and let the rest of us keep our top quality skis that we hadn't paid for).
Not speaking French, the fact we had an excellent rep to fall back on made me happier to book with operators in future. It also made me realise the importance of good insurance! We were back out on the slopes the same afternoon.
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Can anyone recommend a good ski lock? (which isnt a bike lock  )
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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After buying and continually losing the toy combination lock type things, we spent about a fiver on some light-ish chain and a small padlock from the Austrian version of B&Q, and it's actually completely non-bulky, easier to use, and probably better than the toy type ones.
Was a bit worrying though the other year in Schladming when we still had a combination ski lock. The other half had accidentally changed the combination and didn't know what to, blizzard day, freezing, top of the Planai, didn't fancy spending hours trying every combination, so asked the helpful lifty if he had some wire cutters to cut a ski lock, and he promptly handed them over! I must have looked like an honest type!
A friend of ours actually lost, yes lost his skis in deep snow in Ischgl once, we dug for about an hour and no sign of them. He had a walk down a piste, to a lift station, had to get on a chair lift with boots, poles, goggles and no skis. Got a few laughs but not actually that funny for the chap concerned...
D
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| milzibkit wrote: |
My girlfriend's hire skis were stolen from outside a mountain restaurant in Les Deux Alpes. I'd actually expressed concern about leaving our skis outside as we went into the restuarant, having heard stories of theft, only to be ridiculed by the rest of our party.
When we got outside and realised they were gone the rest of the party thought it was me winding them up. The pisteurs weren't great help, but that's more because we couldn't speak enough french to explain what had happened. Luckily it wasn't too far to a gondola, so my girlfriend stood on the back of my skis to get up a tow rope.
The rep (Crystal) was excellent, as were the police. The guy in the hire shop was also brilliant; they were new skis and she had apparently been given very expensive ones by mistake, but he only charged for the cost of basic skis (and let the rest of us keep our top quality skis that we hadn't paid for).
Not speaking French, the fact we had an excellent rep to fall back on made me happier to book with operators in future. It also made me realise the importance of good insurance! We were back out on the slopes the same afternoon. |
Stories abound of hire shops nicking back their own skis (I think there's a thread on here about it somewhere). Maybe the guy in the shop could afford to be "brilliant".
But more often than not I think skis get taken because of mistaken identity. Regularly see people trying to get into bindings that are too big or too small and then hussie says "darling, are you sure they're your skis?" I guess a lock prevents that but then so does splitting. Very soon there will be reliable electronic means of alarming & locating skis.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Hire skis missing in Les Deux Alpes. Seen that. a hundred pairs of identical red rentals lined up. Our party had a leisurely lunch and one member tried to set off for her afternoon lesson. Looks for skis, we all look for skis, everybody else leaves and we're still looking.
There's one pair of red rentals of a different length, different boot length, different DIN. I offered to reset the bindings, but by now the lesson should have started half a mile away and the skier is too "£$!$£ed off to enjoy it anyway.
Back at the rental shop it transpires that someone just picked up skis went off to ski and then went to the rental shop for an adjustment when they couldn't hammer their boots in.
Lesson. People are idiots and will do the stupidest thing possible given half a chance.
I used to try and use ski locks, but the purpose built ones hardly ever fitted round the skis, changing shapes and thickenesses meant that the super patent clamp bit never fitted. A simple lenght of chain and a decent padlock would seem better. There seem to be quite a few ski lock up racks around nowadays and I tend to use them in preference to driving my skis into a pile of frozen gravel and cigarette ends with possible dog do in the middle and then looking round when there's a crash as some numpty has knocked the lot down the steps and scraped my Dr. Who stickers off.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| Bode Swiller wrote: |
| But more often than not I think skis get taken because of mistaken identity. Regularly see people trying to get into bindings that are too big or too small and then hussie says "darling, are you sure they're your skis?" I guess a lock prevents that but then so does splitting. Very soon there will be reliable electronic means of alarming & locating skis. |
Yes mistaken identity, thats what used to worry me - splitting them up makes that impossible. (probably, but you never know with some braindead people).
I have a bit of a concern now I have new skis, and they do stand out a lot (longer) so a 'pro' theif will have no problem spotting them even if split up. I assume they have a plan - they will watch people arriving at a resturant, it will be near a gondola so they can carry them away (like the deux alpes example) or carry a screwdriver to adjust the bindings.
Then they have to sell them - ebay, back to shop, to a bloke in a bar?
I do wonder why the manufacturers don't embed an RFID chip in the core - unique number, not changable, trace on a database - my cat has one injected in his neck! Also beginning to be used for baggage : http://www.tracemeluggagetracker.com/
Perhaps it isnt quite such a big problem?
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| Quote: |
Lesson. People are idiots
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and there endeth the lesson.
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You know it makes sense.
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According to Police I have spoken to in the Tirol, Austria . Most skis,boards are stolen almost immediately after you have left them , this gives the thief maximum "comfort" time to get away.
It is always wise to "look back".
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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stanton, any idea how prevalent it is in st. anton? My skis are a couple seasons old but still get somewhat concerned..
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Poster: A snowHead
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Timmaah, That's one of the Austrian places I'm more careful in. I know a few people who have had skis nicked there and I assume it's why the KK has a paid-for ski check.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I was thinking of simply removing my heel piece on my skis at lunchtime.....Bung them in a placky bag in my sack while I eat lunch.....
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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lampbus, You mention a chip for identifying skis - I often wonder why no-one has dreamed up a chip to find skis lost in powder - can't be that difficult surely ? It's said about the Recco system that it has never saved anyone's life - more used to find the body. Why not have a recco unit on each ski ?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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deerman, that reminds me of a long chat I had on a transfer bus last season.
Recco needs a massive transmitter to find the reflector. You could do with a transmitter on the ski, but that needs a power source and a fairly decent sized ariel.
Costs would be prohibitive, ie more than just buying a new ski.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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deerman, I don't really want to find dead bodies while searching for my skis in powder...
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Mounta1nGoat, again...
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Angry Squirrel, When I bought expensive twin tips that the manufacturer then changed so I wouldn't be able to replace them I too used a slightly smaller sized bike lock. I carry kit in a sac so space isn't an issue.
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While not an ideal solution, her is what I use.
A decent quality pair of padlocks, each padlock is locked through the binding. Whilst it won't stop anyone putting them over their shoulders and skiing off it will stop those who come without skis or with another cheap or stolen pair and don't wont to ski down with a pair on their shoulders.
Even a small padlock is more secure than a cheaper cable lock IMHO
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Mounta1nGoat - you have just caused much hilarity in this house with that comment!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I have skied in Norway, Austria, Spain, Switzerland, Finland and Italy and have never seen a pair of ski's locked up. In three of these countries I have worked seasons and only heard of theft of once and that was when someone pinched a pair of skis from the ski bus, that was in Austria. I suspect that the problem is more of a France specific one.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Richiavo, never heard of wrong skis being taken in error? Not even from the KK or Mossewirt?
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happened to us once in Whistler after we took them back to the ski store for the evening... next morning they were missing, someone had stolen them from the ski store, luckily we had a ticket for them, so they found us another pair.
Then another day one of the pairs were moved to another different part of the rack outside Dustys in Creakside. Not sure if someone picked them up by mistake or intended to steal them later. So we now use a cheap cable lock and split the skis and lock one of each pair, just to make it hassle to nick, difficult to take by mistake, and easy to prove we took every care.
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FAQ
