 Poster: A snowHead
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Just reading a thread on here talking about insurance which mentioned skis being stolen. So, I was just wondering how common it was to have your skis stolen, especially if left outside a mountain restaurant? Are there some places that are worse than others?
My OH is paranoid about safety and security and pairs ours skis together (one of his with one of mine) and leaves them in different places. I, on the other hand, am very blase about it.
We have only skied in Austria so far and from what I can see there people don't seem to be concerned.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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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winnie01, Id let him carry on; I wouldnt want to be stuck up a mountain without skis  been a few posts on here about it, so yes, it does happen. So far we have been lucky as we only lock our up back at the hotel at night - not when they're outside bars/restaurants.
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winnie01, it's not uncommon. Your OH's habit isn't a bad idea, really. Mine used to insist on doing that, then often forgot where he's put them. 
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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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Lots of stories on here about stolen skis. One year in (I think) Tignes a van packed with stolen skis crashed off a bend going down to the valley.
Plus I heard some insurers are reluctant to pay up unless you did something to make theft less easy (like swapping skis or a lock).
pam w, did he also forget where he put his skis normally? I assume you remembered where your half pairs were.
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winnie01, simple cable (combination) light bike lock is a lot easier and more convenient.
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Yes, it happens, especially if they're new and expensive.
Less likely if you're high up the mountain but not unheard of. I'd advise locking or splitting them if you're leaving them outside bars/restaurants at resort level.
Put it this way, would you leave a £500 mountain bike unlocked outside a bar?
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From what I can make out there are sporadic incidences that come and go. Splitting the ski's doesn't always work. I read the other day on here some ski lockers were ransacked in Austria. TBH it's like everyday life. As someone on here said would you leave your bike unlocked outside your house. I wouldn't because I had my nicked doing just that when I was about 13. It was summer, we had the windows open and sitting in the front room. There are some cheeky beggars about. But it is still a rarity in the overall scheme of things.
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| Quote: |
did he also forget where he put his skis normally?
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yes, quite often. As a teenager in southern Africa he once called the police because his Land Rover had been "stolen" only to find he'd left it in another part of the car park. Fortunately the policeman was sweet on Tony's sister and didn't make too much song and dance about it. 
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Yes do , my daughters were stolen along with everyone else's in a locked hotel ski/boot room in LDA, police said it was rare but it was an organised job, then 2 years ago my sons were stolen from outside the lift pass/ski school office in Vaujany, again it's rare but this was the end of the day, hundreds of people passing through, easy done! Police advised its more unheard of outside mountain huts, although some get taken by mistake!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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winnie01, There are tales (and I stress "tales") that some hire outfits steal back their own skis, charge the customer for them and simply re-rack the skis once the customer has gone home.
Many "thefts" are actually mistaken identity, people skiing off on the wrong pair. So I reckon splitting skis is a good idea no matter how safe the place is.
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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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feefee, so your sons and daughters have been stolen? Shouldn't you refer to it as kidnapping rather than theft?
Happens. We generally use little lightweight locks. My reasoning being that a casual thief will take the unsecured ones first and that it will prevent muppets wandering off with mine by mistake.
Had clients once who came back into the rental shop because the "binding had moved" and he couldn't get his boots in.
They were not his skis, a different brand entirely and from a different shop. Someone somewhere else was going to be equally confused. Have seen this more than once...
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Last year, some bloke took one of my, non-adjustable, poles along with one of his own last year - I'm 6'6", he wasn't. I imagine that he'll check more carefully next time, assuming he noticed
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You know it makes sense.
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under a new name, ha ha different holidays, places and years!
Also worth noting that insurers won't pay out if they're left unattended, my daughter was on holiday with a friend at the the time, when we claimed on the insurance they tried to wriggle out of it and say they were left unattended! I wrote back explaining that if they are to provide winter sports equipment cover then they should realise it is normal (even compulsory) to leave skis and boots in the room provided as they are not allowed in guests bedrooms! They then paid out.
We did leave our sons skis unattended when we went in to book lessons, the insurance company didn't quibble at all, thank goodness.
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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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Had an attempt last week. Roofbox attacked and lock left useless after a knife blade was broken off in it. Tw*t didn't get in though (and I hope he/she was very fond of their knife).
Friday night in Chamonix, night before transfer day, pretty obvious they were hoping the box was stuffed with skis.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Barely a day goes by that I don't hear of someones skis being stolen somewhere so I'd suggest it happens more often that people realise.
If my skis aren't in sight then I split the pairs.... if I'm on my own (not very often) then I leave the separated skis in very different places..... I have been known to take a single ski in to the bar with me when looking for someone.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Actually what i really hope is that as the knife broke a sliver of metal flew off and blinded the miscreant in one eye.
But I'm probably not that lucky 
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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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Curzonian, my prized poles were stolen off my skis in the ski room t'other year. Later that day a guy skied up near me sporting my poles! I naturally enquired what the f*** he was doing with my f****** poles and he replied that he'd "found them" hanging up on a pair of skis in the ski room. What followed is sadly not on film. But, yes, people on holiday are spectacularly stupid.
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| under a new name wrote: |
| They were not his skis, a different brand entirely and from a different shop. Someone somewhere else was going to be equally confused. Have seen this more than once... |
Very often happens, in a lot of resorts the shops swap them back at the end of the week!
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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 was unlucky enough to have mine stolen (and three other boards/skis) from a nice apartment in Les Arcs... And from a locked ski locker!!!! I always lock my stuff up now, both on and off the slopes, as it only takes a minute. I know if they really want to pinch my stuff, I'm sure they could but it may deter an opportunist.
That said, I doubt anyone would want my knackered old board now! 
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I carry a lock.
But I only tend to use it at resort level, or at the top of the first lift out of resort.
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| feefee wrote: |
under a new name, ha ha different holidays, places and years!
Also worth noting that insurers won't pay out if they're left unattended,
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That depends on the policy.
The exclusion (i.e. what is not covered) in my policy (from Direct Travel) says:
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Winter sports equipment you have left unattended in a public place unless the claim relates to skis, poles or
snowboards and you have taken all reasonable care to protect them by leaving them in a ski rack between
8am and 6pm
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Notice it doesn't say "locked" ski rack.
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| Bode Swiller wrote: |
| Curzonian, my prized poles were stolen off my skis in the ski room t'other year. Later that day a guy skied up near me sporting my poles! I naturally enquired what the f*** he was doing with my f****** poles and he replied that he'd "found them" hanging up on a pair of skis in the ski room. What followed is sadly not on film. But, yes, people on holiday are spectacularly stupid. |
Me and hubby had our hired poles taken and replaced by brand new ones by the idiot in the ski hire shop in the hotel we were staying in while they were in the ski storage room. Trouble is they weren't hired from that shop and they couldn't locate the ones they replaced.
We have also had somebody take hubbies hired skis off from the ski locker room, and leave theirs behind. We had put ours together so knew staight away the ones in a completely different location weren't his even though the make and hire shop were the same. They also didn't fit his boots. As we knew while still in Courchevel 1550, we just popped to the hire shop got them to adjust it to fit his boots and cracked on with skiing. The person who couldn't remember where they had left their skis in the locker, almost certainly wouldn't have realised till they got to the top.
I guess people are less inclined to nick hire stuff (especially as we never go for the top of the range hire stuff), but you have to factor in peoples idiocy.
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Yes it is reasonbaly common, esp from in the resort, or form cafes on the mountain that can be accessed by foot e.g. by a telecabine
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alex_heney, that's interesting, ours just says " not to be left unattended" , but they were and they still paid 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| alex_heney wrote: |
| feefee wrote: |
under a new name, ha ha different holidays, places and years!
Also worth noting that insurers won't pay out if they're left unattended,
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That depends on the policy.
The exclusion (i.e. what is not covered) in my policy (from Direct Travel) says:
| Quote: |
Winter sports equipment you have left unattended in a public place unless the claim relates to skis, poles or
snowboards and you have taken all reasonable care to protect them by leaving them in a ski rack between
8am and 6pm
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Notice it doesn't say "locked" ski rack. |
Good know I was just looking into a Direct Travel ski insurance policy and was trying to work out whether skis nicked from outside a restaurant were covered or not. Thanks!
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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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had two pairs of poles and one pair of (locked) skis stolen in st anton. skis and one set of poles from outside anton bar, other poles unhooked from skis left on ski school rack while I was insidewaiting to see if I had guests that day (was on privates). Insurance (BMC) payed out inside a fortnight, no quibbles.
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Having bought new skis this year i got one of these for only £4.00
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/170862607126?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649
Easy to carry around, wont stop a hardened determined to nick your ski type, but will prevent the opportunist and stop the took it by mistake brigade.
AND you can honestly say to your insurer that you took reasonable steps by putting a cable lock around them.
Small light and easy to carry
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You know it makes sense.
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hasn't there just been a fairly acclaimed French or Swiss film based on a plot where a kid from a town makes a living from taking the lift up and stealing skis?
I always wonder by having fairly identifiable semi-exotica am I more or less vulnerable to theft?
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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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| Bode Swiller wrote: |
winnie01, There are tales (and I stress "tales") that some hire outfits steal back their own skis, charge the customer for them and simply re-rack the skis once the customer has gone home.
Many "thefts" are actually mistaken identity, people skiing off on the wrong pair. So I reckon splitting skis is a good idea no matter how safe the place is. |
...guilty as charged, m'lud. Just one run though [they were rentals, hence the confusion].
Also managed to grab the wrong boots for my wife out of the boot room once.... the wife was pleased, they were more comfortable than her's. Fortunately, the boots did not move the rest of the week, so I don't think i ruined someone's skiing.l:
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Poster: A snowHead
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Being insured is all very well. But the excess, the trip to the police station to report the theft and the argument with the hire shop all mean that not having them nicked in the first place is best.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Do people get paid new for old?
And whether they do or not how much do they get?
Personally, I very rarely go to restaurants so it's not generally an issue but just curious.
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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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fatbob, It's "L'enfant d'en haut" or "Sister" in English. Valais kid survives by nicking posh English people's skis in Verbier. It's very good.
Actually ski theft in Verbier is pretty rare unless you are very careless.
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| Layne wrote: |
Do people get paid new for old?
And whether they do or not how much do they get?
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All the policies I have looked at reduce the cover over the years so that by about 4 years old you get nothing.
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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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| Steve Sparks wrote: |
| Actually ski theft in Verbier is pretty rare unless you are very careless. |
I would be interested to know what you mean by "very careless". I have always pretty much left them anywhere, assuming that anywhere within walking distance of where I need to be without skis (restaurant, base lodge) is much the same as anywhere else so how can I be "differently careful" (without having a lock or someone else to swap one with). In the past I have always had a fairly knackered looking and unusual pair of skis, but I have got a much newer pair now.
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I think that you may also be covered under your "household contents" insurance under the "posessions temporaily outside of the home" clause.. being sports items it may be limited to £1000 per claim
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| holidayloverxx wrote: |
All the policies I have looked at reduce the cover over the years so that by about 4 years old you get nothing. |
And that's for a pair of skis that are lovingly cared for and do two weeks a year...
Meanwhile, back at the hire shop... Ski Set knock off 15% per annum for wear and tear under their insurance...
Ski insurance is a complete racket.
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hughbedo, I think if you leave your skis unattended outside a bar on the route de Medran at 10pm, then there's a chance someone as p1ssed as you will chance their arm. If you're leaving skis hanging around at Medran at lunchtime and going into a resto, split them. If you're on the mountain, don't bother.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Ah, yeah leaving them accessible in the evening would seem obviously "very careless". I have never thought about splitting them even if I do not have someone else to split them with, but I cannot think why not.
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In too many years of skiing for me to comfortably state, we have only ever had one pair of skis stolen. This was from the top of the main telecabine down to the resort. They were mine, an expensive hired pair and left in a silly place all be it only for the few minutes it took my husband to go look for them. To be fair I`d had a message that one of my children had received an injury and my main concern was getting to him waiting with my husband inside the little cafe! They were insured and the ski shop, whilst insisting that we reported it to the police, were absolutely fine with it.
Miles away up a mountain there is often not a lot of choice but to leave skis unattended whilst you pop in for lunch, for the loo or a warming drink. It would not be easy for a theft to be carried out in these circumstances. At the top of a lift down to a resort it is obviously easy to perpetuate a theft and thus skis are morel likely to be stolen! As with all things you have to apply a little common sense.
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FAQ
Find yerself a nice virile instructor and forget where you left your skis entirely . . . life's too short to worried about splitting skis into odd pairs 
