Lock those skis! Snowboards too!

Skizix

This post reminded me of my fear of stolen skis when I paid good money for my first pair of good ski’s.ski_it – <time title=“January 21, 2016 8:05PM” datetime=“2016-01-22T01:05:10+00:00”>January 21</time>“[My brother in law had his skis stolen there (decades ago) but he had split them up with his friend! They were both out a pair.]”End QuoteAt times I’ve made a game of pairing split pairs of skis. I can almost always match pairs in under 30 seconds. Please, don’t rely on this method. I vaguely remember reading an article years ago that stated a resort like Vail or Aspen finding dozens of single skis piled in a small ravine at the end of the season; apparently taken just for spite.The Recolier is still available for about $20. The “executive summary”: buy a lock and use it.Here’s a long winded 15 year old post I put up on SkiVt-L (Brands, models and prices have not been updated):<!–[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG></o:AllowPNG> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]–>

You’ve paid for your lift ticket, stack your skis on the rack and go in to the lodge for relief and to boot up. You return to the rack and the blood rushes from your brain as you realize your skis are not there. Surely you feel somewhat surreal. This can’t be happening! There’s six inches of fresh powder on the ground and now your skis are stolen! I’ve had my car, and apartment broken into so I know about theft first hand. It really stinks. You feel rotten, and very unsafe. I can’t imagine having my skis stolen. For some reason I compare this to stealing bicycles and cars. (Horse thieves) Skis are your transportation on the mountain. It’s even more despicable because it’s also stealing someone’s good time.

As a kid, I usually had my big brother’s old hand-me-down skis, or just a no name brand. Any ski is better than none. I have no regrets. Now in adulthood I was able to buy my first pair of skis that are good enough for someone to steal. Wonderful. This came to mind the first time I leaned them against the ski rack. I ski alone a lot, so I had no one to help watch them. What an uneasy feeling it was having my skis on the rack without a lock.

Security is relative. I had an ex Security Systems installer tell me how one customer had their business windows and doors alarmed and some thieves broke in to the business next door that was not alarmed and cut through the walls. In short, if they really, really want to steal what you have, they will. His suggestion was to deter rather than alarm. Make it hard work for the thief in hopes they move on to an easier victim. So is it possible to make it hard work for a ski thief? Yes, to a degree that you can feel comfortable for at least enough time to get to the bathroom. Maybe even sit down for a bite to eat!

Not all ski areas have Ski-checks, or any other type of ski lock ups. My home area did not have the ski-lock racks available until January. Also, on mid and top of mountain lodges the locking racks may not be available. People who frequent these areas need to find an alternative for protection from ski theft. A cable lock is the answer to this.

Do the cable ski locks really deter theft? With the exception of organized ski theft, stealing skis is mostly a crime of opportunity. Some jerk breaks a ski, or binding so they grab a pair. Some A-hole is just looking just to steal a good new pair for themselves. If you’re a pro, you’ll have cable cutters so no one is safe. That’s my three levels of thieves. They will take what’s not locked. If they’re locked, a thief will move on to the unlocked skis. If you want to beat a thief . . .think like one. Remembering back to 7^th grade, the kid who was Treasurer of the Student Council was kicked off the council when he was caught stealing a pair of skis on a school trip. He came from a “good family” too. (ha ha) So my personal profile of a ski thief is any punk who thinks they’ll get away with it. Based on my observations of the various locks I’ve seen, they are for the large part designed to simply deter theft by making it more difficult. There are custom lock systems that require you to install part of the system on your skis that appear more secure, but I’m looking at only locks that require no modifications to any equipment.

Kryptonite Ball And Chain Snowboard Lock  $17.99

Thick cable with instructions that appear simple, as the Ball anchor is screwed into the existing binding hole on the snowboard. This lock appears very secure. It looks like it would be easier to break the Snowboard. Weight feels about 14 oz. Cumbersome to put in a pocket due to the cable size. But, again this is an impressive thick cable lock. If I used a snowboard in a high crime resort, I would use this lock.

  Kryptonite Mini Coil Lock CC4  $8.00

The advertised thickness is 5mm, and the cable is coated. It feels solid.

The lock is reasonably machined, of average quality. The cylinders do not click very firmly, and the preset combination cannot be changed. The combination is 4 digits making the lock harder to pick, but the numbers are printed in red making them hard to read. Try to read them in the dim light during night skiing lock ups, and expect your eyes to water from trying to see them! White numbers would have been much clearer. The cable easily threads through the bindings and coils to about a 4” circle, and is small enough for a jacket pocket. Weight is about 8 – 10oz; light enough for me. I’ve been carrying the lock in my pocket everywhere and hardly notice it’s there.

Ski Tote Recoiler II  $15.00

I though it was a joke when I received this one! While the combination is smooth and the clicks are solid the only metal visible is the cable. The locking mechanism is plastic, as are the lock cylinders! The cable at approximately 2.5 mm is so thin it looks like a pair of ordinary wire cutters will cut through.  The numbers are clearly printed in white on the three cylinders that allow for setting your own combination. It is very easy to use, and threading through the bindings was effortless due to the small size of the locking key. This lock is great as far as ease of use goes. Several of these type of locks are on the market appear so similar that one can guess that there is one OEM making the locks for several companies. You can pick the brand and color that suits you. From appearances, this lock looks fragile; meant to keep honest people that way. ( Kryptonite stated that this was true, that the lock was designed as reviewed, only as a deterrent .}

Ski Tote Cable Lock  $12.00

Similar design with Kryptonite Mini Coil Cable Lock, but the big difference is the numbers are white on black making them much easier to read. This lock also has a combination that can be set by the end user. Not yet tested, but if the coil is not to stiff this may well be a big winner!

Master 8143D  $4.00

Did Kryptonite copy Master or vice a versa? The 8143D is very similar to the Kryptonite Mini Coil. The coil is wound smaller in about a 3” circle, but is still easy to carry. The Master’s cylinders have a smoother feel, and the numbers are printed a bit sharper than the Kryptonite. Damn that red on black color scheme! Like the Kryptonite the red numbers are not easy to read. The big difference is that the Master coil is very stiff making it hard to thread through the bindings. I did not like this. Since it is so stiff, I’d prefer the Kryptonite because it’s easier to thread it through the skis.

Ski Tote- Ski Tote  $30.00

Seen, fondled, but not tested. This locking system clamps around the skis and poles, then locks to a ski rack. This thing is about the size of a half-carton of cigarettes so it is not something you’d carry around in your pocket. It would take up quite a bit of room in a backpack as well. I see these left locked to the ski racks a lot. It doubles a ski/pole carrier. I have a choice of shoulders to carry my skis so this carry tote is gimmicky to me. As a lock, it is just too damn big.

So which lock am I using? Oddly enough, I find myself locking up with the Ski-Tote Recoiler II. Even though I have my doubts about its strength, I feel I get enough time to get booted up, and a trip to the bathroom. At larger resorts or if I expect to leave the skis for more than 15 minutes I add the Kryptonite. Yep! Two locks are stronger than one! A good pair of skis and bindings can easily cost over $700.00, and for less than $20.00 a person can buy some pretty good theft deterring locks.

How about splitting ski pairs? If you want to go to the trouble to split your skis, then you better go to more trouble than a thief would. One in front of the lodge and one in back maybe? Recently at Stratton, I quickly spotted a split pair and I was just observing. I saw the one ski, and looked for the other single match. It took me all of about 5 seconds. Finding Waldo has always been more difficult! Again, for less than $5.00, a person can buy some pretty good theft deterring locks.

I’ve noticed chains with padlocks, chain link bicycle locks and some VERY beefy cable type bike locks used. My guess is that these are really good because of their sheer size. Anything that will lock the skis to the rack is better than nothing. Plus if a “bike lock” is a few dollars less than a “ski lock” go for it. With the exception of the Recoiler types, and Ski Tote, “ski lock” has as much meaning as “digital ready speakers”. Even if your ski were given to you they’re worth the extra cash for added protection. Who wants to loose a day of skiing due to their skis being stolen?

rickbolger

well done, thanks for sharing that with us!