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Ski Locks

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
@foxtrotzulu, no, I am afraid you are underestimating the power of human stupidity. Also, almost always something to lock to - fence, etc. If not I am rarely on my own so someone else's skis - cables through binding heels typically.

@Raceplate, probably a leatherman (at least, a real one) - but you really are then into the realms of pre-meditated theft.

Other advantage of course is that I can honestly tell the insurance that they were locked up.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
@Raceplate, those type of ski racks are pretty common elsewhere in Canada I think. My brother lives in Ontario and just carries one of those padlocks. However I think theft is a bigger problem over there.
snow conditions
 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?
@Raceplate, I was at the Megeve FD opening party a couple of weeks ago - I was a little worried about my skis, given there were quite a few pedestrians heading there, but they had staff outside taking your skis etc, putting them on racks, and giving you a ticket for them! All under guard. I thought it was a great idea, and they were all really nice and friendly too - carried our skis for us over to the slope proper at the end so we could ski off easier. Free service, though with a tip jar. Very sensible.

The rest of the time I do normally carry a coiling cable lock, mix my skis up with others in the group etc. I'm on touring bindings now which makes them harder to ski away on, but possibly more attractive to steal? I'm not sure. I just REALLY don't want to have to deal with replacing them - one pair I'd never get again in the right paint job (I hate the current version), one pair isn't made any more - the third is fine, but would have to deal with getting them quiverkillered etc again too.
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 You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Raceplate wrote:
a benefit of a resort under sole ownership who can insist on these standards as opposed to a load of freehold businesses who just view the investment as a dent in their profits...


Tell that to the Compagnie du Mont-BLanc... Sad
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
@SnoodyMcFlude, in not convinced that theft is a bigger problem there. The mountains are very quiet compared to Europe so someone skiing down with an extra pair of skis on their shoulder would be much easier to spot. Much more likely that it's simply a by product of their generally enhanced customer service levels.
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 You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
@fixx, that is good service and something I've not seen in VT or Meribel FDs.

I wonder if they introduced that as a genuine idea to boost customer service or because they had to because they already had a theft problem?

I am in the same boat with my current skis - just gone out of production, new ones get worse reviews so effectively irreplaceable. It is a concern.
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
@under a new name, the freehold businesses I'm referring to are the mountain restaurants. They are not usually controlled by the lift company because they own their own land so if they don't provide good racks, no one can force them to.

Whereas in the US, the lift company (E.G. Intrawest) owns all the land and can enforce standards on their restaurants because they are tenants.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
@Raceplate, the big resorts maybe, but the places he skis at around Toronto are quite often busy. Also they're the type of place that ski racks are only about 100m from the car park, so someone carrying skis doesn't look that strange either.
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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.
The ski carrying issue is easy to get around for the pre-planned theft. Go out on a pair of £50 rockhoppers, come back with a £600-1000 set of skis and bindings, having dumped the rockhoppers. Unless you know the person, who is going to ask.
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 Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
@Raceplate, I should have explained that the CMB own (?) or have the operating licence (?) for most of the restaurants and all I'd expect them to do would be to provide locking racks but at an outrageous charge.
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 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
@SnoodyMcFlude, yes, fair enough. Very much like Austria then where the après is often in town more than up the hill.
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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.
@under a new name, take your point. Obviously, I'm thinking more of the French Savoie region dynamics and 3V in particular. TBF, I seem to remember you could hire a padlock in Whistler at some outrageous hourly rate! But at least the racks were there. Even if you didn't padlock it, you could still slide the bar across and it would look secure to all but a very close inspection.

To illustrate the point about the difference between lift company and restaurant security outlooks, there is a good example in VT: In the Funitel Peclet building (owned by Setam, the lift company) which doubles up as a lift pass office, picnic area and public WC, they actually have exactly the type of sliding bar lockable ski rack that I've seen in NA. It's possibly the only place in France I've ever seen one.

By contrast, the massive 'knife and fork' restaurant complex has no ski racks at all. At least 200 people just leave their skis on the snow every lunchtime. There aren't even any fences/railings to combi lock a ski to. Complete chaos and would never happen in NA.
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
PowderAdict wrote:
The ski carrying issue is easy to get around for the pre-planned theft. Go out on a pair of £50 rockhoppers, come back with a £600-1000 set of skis and bindings, having dumped the rockhoppers. Unless you know the person, who is going to ask.


That post is just far too authoritative!!! Toofy Grin wink
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
@Raceplate, No experience, honest Very Happy....just stated it to indicate that pre-planed thefts are difficult to defeat.

I do know a couple of Swiss Instructors who suffered from 'follow home' thefts of expensive skis. The Instructor walks into building wearing boots and carrying skis, and comes out 5 mins later without them, thief does the reverse.......

There is a bike equivalent of this that was used to buy bikes from the US back in the day when the £ was still worth something. It went along the lines of.....Customs are well aware that people try and bring back new bikes and claim they are used, so they pull people over and say prove you had it before you left UK. The work around, is to buy an expensive bike bag/box in UK, and then fly to US on cheapest flight, but first insert any old rusty bike in bag, and make sure you pay for extra 'bike' bag. So you leave with a bike, even if it is x-rayed. Once in US throw junk bike in a skip, buy expensive new bike at less than half the UK price (more expensive the better), ride it around a bit to add some wear, then fly back to UK with a bike, and everything is good. On an expensive bike you could easily save £1000-£2000, even taking flights into account.

The same would of course work with skis, but the T'internet has negated the requirement/benefits.
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Themasterpiece wrote:
t44tomo wrote:
Is theft of skis that big a problem?


I think its more likely some idiot picks them up by mistake. Happened to a friend last year in Morzine. To some people all skis look the same and as long as their boot fits in, off they go. They were both hire skis from the same shop fortunately so they were able to sort it out.


It has happened to me in Whistler and it has happened to a lady in our chalet in Austria!
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
From latania.co.uk's facebook page just this afternoon:

REWARD for safe return of:
SKI ROSSIGNOL HERO FIS GS PRO + FIXATION AXL3 120 plus ROXY ski poles - black/silver, leather strap with bling, taken from outside L'Oisans in Les Meniures today at lunch time - I am hoping this was a genuine mistake, it's a long trip back to La Tania without skis! Please ask your guests to check their skis - thank you for any help!

They're a highly rated and pretty specialist ski. Chances of that being an honest mistake are extremely slim.

Believe me, ski theft is waaay more common than most holiday skiers think it is...
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
PowderAdict wrote:
just stated it to indicate that pre-planed thefts are difficult to defeat.

I do know a couple of Swiss Instructors who suffered from 'follow home' thefts of expensive skis.


I'd agree with that. I suspect that both the people I know who had their skis nicked were followed.
snow conditions
 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?
A few years ago I stopped for lunch by the piste in Meribel. I tried to lock my skis but could not remember how the lock worked so I just wrapped the cable around the skis to make them appear to be locked. When I returned after lunch my skis were still there but somebody had stolen the lock!
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 You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
Sonic the Skier wrote:
A few years ago I stopped for lunch by the piste in Meribel. I tried to lock my skis but could not remember how the lock worked so I just wrapped the cable around the skis to make them appear to be locked. When I returned after lunch my skis were still there but somebody had stolen the lock!


Nah, I think you just picked up the wrong skis. Yours are still clamped together with a lock loosely coiled around them cluttering up the terrace of a mountain restaurant in Meribel Very Happy
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Ski theft was blatant in ADH a decade ago (and may still be?). . .you could watch them scanning in front of restaurants then loading up in a van before disappearing.

I had an altercation on one of the small bubble lifts the same year - a 'random' (who I thought at the time was an out of uniform lifty) was 'helping' punters locate their skis in the narrow and dented slots on the outside of the bubble . . . .he was waiting until the doors had pretty much closed before locating them and at the time I assumed he was just stoned / half asleep. When it came to my turn I was on my own and the last of the four to get on . . .I also had a brand new pair of shiny Rossignol Bandits that were the ski to have at the time . . .without a word he grabbed my skis and in the same move shoved me hard into the bubble backwards, so that I pretty much fell in . . . . .presumably he would have brazenly walked off with them whilst I merrily travelled on up the hill on the laps of the people in the bubble . . . .

By luck (rather than Jackie Chan skills/judgement) I spread my arms as I fell backwards into the doorway and 'sprung' back towards him . . . .the look of surprise in his face will stick with me forever as in the same 'move' I punched him in the chest as hard as I could. . .this was followed by me snatching back my skis together with plenty of expletive deletives in front of a que of astounded people . . .in typical gallic style he just pouted, shrugged and swiftly disappeared . . .I located my skis in the next bubble, got in and sat down covered in sweat and completely confused as to what had just occurred . . .

Should really attach nunchuks to my backpack this season. . .thieving scumbags everywhere!
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