Stolen skis at Wachusett

[campgottagopee]

All a lock does is keep an honest man honest.

 

[billski]

All a lock does is keep an honest man honest.

I'd argue it does much more than that and does deter the dishonest. The key to theft success is to not draw attention to yourself. If you have to monkey around with pulling it out, taking time, and don't do what most of us do, grab the ski and walk, he fears being noticed.

 

[HD333]

Sorry to hear about your pals skis. Wa Wa seems pretty on top of things as far as suspicious activity goes.

I was stopped in the lot last year carrying my snowboard, 2 sets of kids skis, and wifes poles in the parking lot. Must have looked suspicious (and like an idiot trying to do it all in one trip:grin:

I always use the free board/ski check if there is one, especially with the board since they seem to be prime targets compared to skis.

Does Home Owners/Renters insurance cover something like that? Worth a shot.

HD

 

[RootDKJ]

I was so tempted not to lock up at Bolton Valley yesterday as the racks there really aren't lock friendly. I locked the skis to each other as best I could.

 

[deadheadskier]

I used one of those cable locks for a while, but found it to be kind of a hassle. Since hardly anyone locks up their skis, I started to feel like the lock might draw the thieves attention to the skis by making them look more valuable. The cable was so thin, it seemed like it could be cut in less than a second.

My skis aren't that valuable, so I went with a lesser deterrent of putting some stickers and my cell phone number on the skis. I figure the thieves will notice that and take some unmarked skis instead, since they wouldn't want to be caught red handed with skis that clearly are not theirs.

I'm not sure percentage wise how common it is to have skis stolen. My impression is it's not that common, but I've never seen any stats on it. Probably they like to strike when things are very busy, so the odds of them taking my skis out of the hundreds on the rack, are fairly small.

I feel like it's more common that someone mistakes them for their own, so again I hope the stickers will make mine look unique, and my phone number is on there if someone finds them and wants to get them back to their owner.

I don't have facts to substantiate this opinion, but I'd have to imagine the ration of unlocked gear being stolen to that of locked gear has to be in the neighborhood of 100 to 1.

 

[campgottagopee]

I'd argue it does much more than that and does deter the dishonest. The key to theft success is to not draw attention to yourself. If you have to monkey around with pulling it out, taking time, and don't do what most of us do, grab the ski and walk, he fears being noticed.

My point to that is no matter what a thief is going to steal whatever they want, yes, a lock MAY hinder some, but those who steal will steal regardless.

 

[roark]

Does Home Owners/Renters insurance cover something like that? Worth a shot.

Probably, but replacement is likely less than the deductible and far less than losing a claims free discount... while technically covered its not really the kind of thing homeowers ins is designed for (catastrophic losses, like fire, wind, etc).

 

[billski]

Probably, but replacement is likely less than the deductible and far less than losing a claims free discount... while technically covered its not really the kind of thing homeowers ins is designed for (catastrophic losses, like fire, wind, etc).

+1
Or your rate goes up, same effect. Unless you have full replacement coverage, the net cost to you makes it not worth it in most cases.

 

[steve112112]

That's a bummer about the skis being stolen.

My nephew had his (almost new) snowboard stolen at Wachusett just last Monday.
Wachusett even has a video of the guy taking the board but couldn't tell who it was as he had a ski mask on. grrrrrrrrrr

 

[The Sneak]

Wachusett definitely has some punk-azz kids hanging around. That is why my fancypants skis always go in the free ski check when unattended.

It's worth tipping a buck or 2 each night for peace of mind.

 

[tarponhead]

A "trick" I used at WF was my son and I would exchange one ski with each other and lean them on seperate racks. Figured any would-be's would think twice about snatching a mixed set.

Blue has a complimentary check-in which is nice. But for those rare days when I travel (sans kids) I think I'll invest in a lock.

 

[wa-loaf]

Wachusett definitely has some punk-azz kids hanging around. That is why my fancypants skis always go in the free ski check when unattended.

It's worth tipping a buck or 2 each night for peace of mind.

I've seen kids cruising around the parking lot checking out cars there.

 

[hammer]

Probably, but replacement is likely less than the deductible and far less than losing a claims free discount... while technically covered its not really the kind of thing homeowers ins is designed for (catastrophic losses, like fire, wind, etc).

+2

A number of years ago I filed a claim for renters insurance against mountain bikes I had stolen right out of my garage in broad daylight. When I checked into homeowner's insurance a few years later I was outright denied by a major carrier because I had filed a claim.

 

[Chris Sullivan]

Unfortunately I have had to deal with missing/stolen equipment over the years. From what I can tell form the original post in this thread, I would not give up hope of getting these skis back.
More often than you would think people mistakenly take home the wrong pair of skis. (About 5 times a week in the mist of the season)
If the guy only took one pair of 6 year old race skis it is not likely he was there to commit theft.
Have your buddy call and talk to lost and found to see if a similar pair was left behind at the end of the night. If so let the people in charge of lost & found know the situation. It is worth a shot.