Latest posts for the topic "Stolen Skis"

Stolen Skis

Tue, 5 Jan 2010 08:55:03 GMT

Hi all just returned from Two weeks in MERIHELL. (I know most of you love it but its never held a place in my heart) and just thought it worth starting a thread on ski security and more importantly checking your Insurance before we all head off.

As you guessed from the Headline some low life decided to help themselves to my skis whilst away last week.

The most anoying thing for me is that I have split my skis for as long as I can remember and this is the ONE occasion when I didnt. Firtstly because I was helping out another host and so had no group or friends to split with and secondly because the rain was so torrential I couldnt see anything out of my goggles and just wanted to get inside for 5 mins.

I left them right by the door in full view for only 10 mins and they went.

Now this is where we all need to check the small print on our Insurance. I dont normally take insurance for my equipment as im lucky and get it very cheap however the woman at the insurance company was trying to upgrade me and i thought maybe if something did go missing or get lost part way through the season I would not want to wait ntill sept to replace it (this is when i get good deals on the up coming seasons gear) so i took the upgrade. Imagine my annoyance when i get back to find that for theft they are only covered if locked in a car rack secured to the car.
So in summery always split your skis, check your insurance and if you catch anybody trying to steal your gear break both the wrists for me. :)

Obviously any other suggestions most appreciated.

Re:Stolen Skis

Tue, 5 Jan 2010 08:59:47 GMT

I forgot to add that the Police were next to useless, Very unhelpfull and rude.
Took over an hour to fill in the form.

I would make a note of your skis serial number as well beacause talking to the hotel I was lucky it was the start of the season.
later on they become even less helpfull keep you up to four hours and then wont even fill in the form if you dont have the skis serial numbers.

I just wish they had all been out there looking for ski theives rather than all sitting around drinking coffee.

Re:Stolen Skis

Tue, 5 Jan 2010 09:02:54 GMT

jonah690, so sorry to read that you had your gear lifted, It's horrible :( Insurers generally seem to put daft clauses on ski theft insurance, and act like true umbrella salesmen if we do make a claim. You'll be buying a sturdy cable lock for the next pair then.

Re:Stolen Skis

Tue, 5 Jan 2010 09:08:48 GMT

Would have made no differance to the insurance. Locked, Seperated or Bodygaurd they only insure if secured to a car. Bloody stupid.

Does not say what happens if someone steals the car with them on top. :)

Re:Stolen Skis

Tue, 5 Jan 2010 09:19:16 GMT

jonah690 wrote:Would have made no differance to the insurance. Locked, Seperated or Bodygaurd they only insure if secured to a car. Bloody stupid.

Does not say what happens if someone steals the car with them on top. :)

Quite!

My friends laugh at me for securing my skis, but I still lock em! The small print in certain sections of some policies currently is so restrictive that it's becoming debatable as to it's value. If you have locked them, at least you have done your best to look after yourself.

The itsy bitsy cable locks on sale in the retailers over here, can be cut with a Leatherman's pliers )

Re:Stolen Skis

Tue, 5 Jan 2010 09:20:23 GMT

Oh dear Jonah, I'm sorry to hear that. I don't know what to say really, it's just so bloody upsetting and annoying that you have to worry about your skis being lifted when you should just be relaxing in a cosy bar with only hot chocolate and your next route on your mind.

I always try to leave my skis where I can see them, but I don't sit there staring at them...I might invest in a lock as bandit suggests...What a pain!

Re:Stolen Skis

Tue, 5 Jan 2010 09:23:57 GMT

bandit wrote:

jonah690 wrote:Would have made no differance to the insurance. Locked, Seperated or Bodygaurd they only insure if secured to a car. Bloody stupid.

Does not say what happens if someone steals the car with them on top. :)

Quite!

My friends laugh at me for securing my skis, but I still lock em! The small print in certain sections of some policies currently is so restrictive that it's becoming debatable as to it's value. If you have locked them, at least you have done your best to look after yourself.

The itsy bitsy cable locks on sale in the retailers over here, can be cut with a Leatherman's pliers )

A crap lock still makes them harder to steal than skis with no locks. (Cutting a lock with a leatherman does look a bit suspect.)

Re:Stolen Skis

Tue, 5 Jan 2010 11:07:28 GMT

Bad luck buddy .......... if I caught someone pinching my skis I'd be a gentleman and let them have them rammed up their Backside :evil:

Re:Stolen Skis

Tue, 5 Jan 2010 11:31:56 GMT

Jonah,
I'm really sorry someone nicked your skis. I hope you had another pair, or were able to hire some, for the rest of the time.

I always hire mine, and so far no-one has nicked them. I usually take out extra insurance with the shop, just in case, although I have full ski insurance already from the post office. I reckon it's worth the extra few quid not to have to claim from the British insurers.

Presumably the ski thieves can tell the difference between privately owned and hired skis.

Ally

Re:Stolen Skis

Tue, 5 Jan 2010 12:36:31 GMT

AllyG wrote:Jonah,
I'm really sorry someone nicked your skis. I hope you had another pair, or were able to hire some, for the rest of the time.

I always hire mine, and so far no-one has nicked them. I usually take out extra insurance with the shop, just in case, although I have full ski insurance already from the post office. I reckon it's worth the extra few quid not to have to claim from the British insurers.

Presumably the ski thieves can tell the difference between privately owned and hired skis.

Ally

I am sorry to hear that, must put a real damper on your trip. I hate the idea that I might have to go from my own set up which I have invested both time and money in to get perfect, to a bog standard set up from a hire shop.

I suppose it depends where you are as well, I have never felt nervous about leaving stuff in Switzerland or Austria, but I did in France. That is not a slur on the French, but these mega resorts not only grow in the terraine available but with all aspects associated such as services and unfortunately crime.

Re:Stolen Skis

Tue, 5 Jan 2010 15:35:26 GMT

Jonah, seriously bad news mate.
Its not clear from your post if they were your own skis or rentals, obviously much worse if they are your own but still a real ball ache either way.
Bad news to hear about the insurance too.

Personally, it has never even crossed my mind. I always leave my skis outside cafes and restaurants on the slope, often simply lying on the floor if its busy with my poles dug in next to them. Also, they are often left in the racks outside bars in resort, again not a thought given to the possibility of them going walkabout.

However, with having more "desirable" skis this year, I have had to give it thought, and isn't it ironic that this morning, before Jonah posted this, I went out and bought 2 heavy duty steel cable locks for mine and Mrs H's skis. She will have a moan at me about having to put them in the backpack, but I have heard stories about ski theft in ADH and other French resorts. Strangely enough, it was never mentioned in Austria.

Anyway, I intend not to risk losing them, so I think the locks may just be the best GBP4 spent in a while having seen this thread today.

Re:Stolen Skis

Tue, 5 Jan 2010 16:16:41 GMT

I went through a spell some ten years ago mixing mine with Mrs W's but I got bored with that one, now I just can't be bothered maybe the crooks head for places like the three V's
where they smell money, anyway no such problems have been experienced in LGb unless my skis are just too Cr*p to nick. :lol:

Re:Stolen Skis

Tue, 5 Jan 2010 16:52:56 GMT

Sorry to hear your news Jonah. Here's hoping the robbing sod who stole them gets caught.

Finn

Re:Stolen Skis

Tue, 5 Jan 2010 16:56:50 GMT

Thanks for your comments guys.
The ones that got nicked were mine.
Volkl Wall Twin tips. They were very bright and funky so would draw attention from the unwashed brigade.

I didnt buy them to try and be down with the kids I brought them because a friend lent me a test pair when I went to Tignes April 2008 and they were so good in the spring powder and slush that I came back and brought a pair end of season (GBP160 with bindings) just for our April trip which has become a bit of a tradition.
I loved them so much they became my main pair.

Im going to buy a new pair of Scotts tom but im really worried they wont feel a patch on the walls. (and they are even more funky and bright than the last ones erghhhhhh)

Guy in the hire shop said any bright twin tips or boards get nicked real quick if left so ill be buying a lock as well tom. :)

Re:Stolen Skis

Tue, 5 Jan 2010 17:35:40 GMT

Is this par for the course in 3V, Meribel, or France in particular or has it just become this years trend across Europe?

FFS things like this really piss me off

Re:Stolen Skis

Tue, 5 Jan 2010 17:52:35 GMT

Sorry to hear that Jonah

Never had it happen to me (though I only rent so would be less bothered I guess) but have always swapped skis with someone else in the group - and then got them to swap again so its never a simple job for thieves.

I did have an idiot take my skis from the rack in the hotel in Killington last March, purely by mistake with no malice. Whats worrying though is that I was skiing with 167 skis and was left with something like 153s! I went to the shop who were happy to sort me out in no time as they could see it was a mistake - however the idiot in question skied on them all day. As I'm 6' and was then around 15.5st (I'm trimmer for VDI in 2 weeks) you have to wonder how someone suited to smaller skis managed?

So my moral is to be careful with your gear all the time - even in hotels.

Think a ski lock may be a good plan - a deterrent that can be snapped with a leatherman is still a deterrent compared to nothing I guess

Oh and public floggings in stocks for ski thieves anyone?

Re:Stolen Skis

Tue, 5 Jan 2010 17:53:07 GMT

I take it you didn't have far to go or were in resort when they were taken rather than some remote spot on the mountain, otherwise a bit of a trek on foot to get back!

Happened to one of our party last year out on the mountain, but taken as a mistake rather than on purpose.

It was late in the day so we stopped for one last coffee before heading back and there was quite a few just leaving. We were the last out after our drink and everyone clipped in except for one who was walking around looking for his ski's, there was just one pair left so tried them on they fitted so used them to get back and went straight to the ski hire shop, else he could have been pretty stranded with a long walk to get anywhere sensible to get any sort of transport back to resort.

Somehow this guy made a mistake put on rental ski's instead of the ones that were his own and looked pretty new. They were different make of ski and 170 in length instead of the 160's, just guess just the same boot size as he clipped in okay.

When he got back the guy realised they were rental and took them to the shop and tried to blame the guy from our party that it was him that nicked his ski's!

With the language barrier of an Italian ski hire shop our English and the ski thief being French no one was getting their message across very well.

At the end of the day if our guy was dishonest he could have come to the shop withn no ski's claimed his back and kept the others, but that isn't skiers etiquette!

Re:Stolen Skis

Tue, 5 Jan 2010 18:31:54 GMT

jonah690 wrote:Thanks for your comments guys.
The ones that got nicked were mine.
Volkl Wall Twin tips. They were very bright and funky so would draw attention from the unwashed brigade.

I didnt buy them to try and be down with the kids I brought them because a friend lent me a test pair when I went to Tignes April 2008 and they were so good in the spring powder and slush that I came back and brought a pair end of season (GBP160 with bindings) just for our April trip which has become a bit of a tradition.
I loved them so much they became my main pair.

Im going to buy a new pair of Scotts tom but im really worried they wont feel a patch on the walls. (and they are even more funky and bright than the last ones erghhhhhh)

Guy in the hire shop said any bright twin tips or boards get nicked real quick if left so ill be buying a lock as well tom. :)

Get out the duct tape. You could make the skis look very undesirable in a few minutes.

Generally most people don't "sell on" skis they like, but wear them out. So if you are not worried about resale value, names, and post codes in bold permanent marker pen will dissuade thieves. You can also engrave the P-tex base near the tip, where there is no effect on performance.

Maybe even write on the skis in English, French, and German... if these skis are on ebay - they are stolen :lol:

Someone I know recovered their stolen snowboard after buying it back on ebay. He was, of course accompanied by the police when he went to pick it up from the thief. He had recorded the serial number which helped.

Trencher

Re:Stolen Skis

Tue, 5 Jan 2010 18:34:46 GMT

No way could I do that to my Neo's Trencher

Re:Stolen Skis

Tue, 5 Jan 2010 20:26:32 GMT

andyoneil wrote:Sorry to hear that Jonah

Never had it happen to me (though I only rent so would be less bothered I guess) but have always swapped skis with someone else in the group - and then got them to swap again so its never a simple job for thieves.

I did have an idiot take my skis from the rack in the hotel in Killington last March, purely by mistake with no malice. Whats worrying though is that I was skiing with 167 skis and was left with something like 153s! I went to the shop who were happy to sort me out in no time as they could see it was a mistake - however the idiot in question skied on them all day. As I'm 6' and was then around 15.5st (I'm trimmer for VDI in 2 weeks) you have to wonder how someone suited to smaller skis managed?

Im thinking break all their fingers for a first offence, off at the wrist for a second. Sound fair to everybody?

So my moral is to be careful with your gear all the time - even in hotels.

Think a ski lock may be a good plan - a deterrent that can be snapped with a leatherman is still a deterrent compared to nothing I guess

Oh and public floggings in stocks for ski thieves anyone?

Re:Stolen Skis

Wed, 6 Jan 2010 08:50:27 GMT

You should be able to claim off your house contents insurance if you have any, usually if you try and claim for anything on your holiday insurance the claim form will ask if you have home insurance if you fill it in with yes, you will get a reply saying you need to claim off that. I know several people this has happned to not with skis but on their summer holidays one was for a rolex watch :wink:

Re:Stolen Skis

Wed, 6 Jan 2010 12:36:53 GMT

really sorry Jonah, that's naff.
Unfortunately, I don't think theft is limited to privately owned skis as (I think I've said before) my 11 year old son's rental skis were nabbed in Les Arcs. We were told that we still had to go to the police even if you have the hire shop's insurance. In the end, what with excess, it was easier to pay the extra 30 odd euros :roll:

Re:Stolen Skis

Wed, 6 Jan 2010 15:53:37 GMT

Trencher wrote:
Get out the duct tape.

Maybe even write on the skis in English, French, and German... if these skis are on ebay - they are stolen :lol:
Trencher

Trencher, surely that would just make the skis more desirable?

Re:Stolen Skis

Wed, 6 Jan 2010 22:51:55 GMT

Trencher, surely that would just make the skis more desirable?

I mean, they have all the attributes ~
~ 210 long, straight as a die
~ latch-up bindings, guys with cable bindings drooled....
~ retainer straps
~ the best provenance
~ a 26 year ski life ahead of them

Even now, I cannot help but wonder why they weren't nicked.

Re:Stolen Skis

Wed, 6 Jan 2010 23:52:13 GMT

I'd probably nick them on 5th November......

Re:Stolen Skis

Thu, 7 Jan 2010 08:50:19 GMT

The wall looks desirable )

Re:Stolen Skis

Thu, 7 Jan 2010 20:22:07 GMT

I'd probably nick them on 5th November......

The wall looks desirable

I know jealosy when I see it. :-)

Re:Stolen Skis

Sun, 14 Feb 2010 09:46:53 GMT

A friend had his skis stolen at Val d'Isere last year costing him 600 euros. Given the lack of options to secure skis and snowboards I thought it was time to come up with something new.

I have been working on a new way of securing ski and snowboards which I have called the ram-lok. The website is at www.ram-lok.com. I would appreciate any feedback you have on the invention.

Thanks

David

Re:Stolen Skis

Sun, 14 Feb 2010 10:36:14 GMT

David,

Check out www.skikey.com. They have the right idea - you pay $25 or so for a key and you can use the rack as much as you want.

Pablo.

Re:Stolen Skis

Sun, 14 Feb 2010 12:05:29 GMT

I bought 2 steel bike locks when I went to ADH as it appeared theft was becoming more common. However, I never took them out with me in the end and always left our skis where they were visable. I guess some would say we were lucky.

Its interesting to hear the places where theft is seemingly more common, ie Val and Meribel, both places regarded as more upper crust and generally full of higher society people! Do we know who is doing this thieving.....locals? Tourists? Seasonnaires? Eastern Europeans?
Whoever it is, its a real pain in the backside for those who it happens to and you have my sympathy.

Re:Stolen Skis

Sun, 14 Feb 2010 12:07:12 GMT

I still don't 'get' why they haven't picked up on the skikey in Europe. Great solution to a problem that is definitely getting more publicity.

Re:Stolen Skis

Sun, 14 Feb 2010 19:25:41 GMT

The problem with the skikey is that there seems to be no incentive for the resorts to actually install the racks since local retailers sell the padlocks.

Re:Stolen Skis

Sun, 14 Feb 2010 19:29:04 GMT

Why have so many resorts in Canada purchased them? Do the resorts definitely pay for them and if they do how much more expensive are they than regular racks (which they install anyway)?

Re:Stolen Skis

Sun, 14 Feb 2010 19:48:09 GMT

According to their website $595 CAD. Racks can obviously vary from a simple rack made out of two uprights with a horizontal board or a steel/aluminium rack retailing for a couple of hundred dollars.

Re:Stolen Skis

Sun, 14 Feb 2010 19:50:08 GMT

How much is one of your racks (irrespective of revenue it will earn)?

Re:Stolen Skis

Sun, 14 Feb 2010 20:06:18 GMT

It's still in development so not fully priced yet. Just trying to get feedback at this time.