# Have you ever had your board stolen?



## cozmo (Dec 12, 2012)

A serious board plus binders would cost u anywhere from 600$ to well over a 1000$ US.

So have you?
What can you do against it?

From what i hear from my local board shop and snowboard teacher there are two sort of thief's..

- younger kids who take a beaten up board uphill to leave with a 800$ NS or Burton Flying V

- White Van guys who troll the apres-ski bars and lower lifts and just load 10 - 20 boards/pairs of skis in their van and leave.

In the French and Austrian resorts I've been to I've seen a board locked maybe once or twice. Meaning hundreds and hundreds of boards unlocked. 
With me riding renta-crap before I couldn't care less but last year on my own board (50€ of my local Craigslist) I've started to always keep an eye on it.
This year (to save me from tears, Xmas season is coming  ) with a brand spanking new Mountain Twin im locking it for sure.
Same goes for shared depots in the apartments. I'm taking my board inside, not leaving it in a shared cellar for someone to take a liking to it. 
It's also the reason why I have a apple sticker on it, to make it mine and easy recognizable. 

Here's my 3 euro solution:









Have You Ever: Had A Snowboard Stolen? - YouTube


----------



## ryannorthcott (Dec 17, 2010)

strangely enough i have never had a board stolen on the hill, or have had any friends have their boards stolen. some of them lock up some do not (myself included). I have had my board stolen out of my car though, left it unlocked for literally two hours and it was gone at my apartment (nice neighbourhood too). I was just lucky the setup was a few years old and not brand new, but i still didn't want to have to buy a new one especially at full price mid season...


----------



## Liliana (Mar 24, 2013)

I'm not sure how common it is as I have only visited a handful of slopes, but some places offer ski valet service. The hill I most often go to has one beside both of their "chalet" bases. It nominally costs a couple dollars, but it's free for people staying at the resort, and the guys have an unspoken rule to assume you are staying at the resort and not charge you anything . My setup was bought used, it's not expensive and quite beat looking, but I still give it to them for safe keeping.

At my local resort I would probably just keep it unlocked if I did not have the valet option, but if I went somewhere else for a snowboarding trip, I would probably lock it because if stolen, I would have to either pay through the nose to replace it (wouldn't expect very low prices right next to the lift), or calling it quits until I can obtain a reasonably priced setup.


----------



## sheepstealer (Aug 19, 2009)

Oh, oh, pick me, pick me. 

I had this happen to me once a few years back. I was riding at Whiteface in upstate NY. Went in for a very quick (less than 20 minute) lunch, came out and my brand new Rome Agent was gone. I was so crushed. All that week I was just so depressed about it. I was riding 3-4 times a week and this board was my BABY. 

I reported it to the mountain AND the local police department. I was lucky enough to have a receipt for the board and was able to give the mountain and the PD the serial number. This happened in February. I had my parents ship me my old board and rode out the rest of the season on that.

A whole six months later - in August - while working at a summer camp, I got a call from that very same local PD. They had found my board and matched the serial number to my case report. Apparently, some low-level mountain employee had been swiping boards and hiding them in a facilities garage/shed near the resort. He was caught red-handed moving them out into a truck. They found mine and a handful of others. The officer didn’t know exactly what this guy’s motive was, but suspected he was going to try and sell them next season at a bunch of local ski-swaps (which, by the way, I learned is a GREAT way to try and find stolen boards. Some local areas will actually cross-reference the serial numbers on boards on sale at ski swaps with stolen-board reports from local PDs). The douchebag had slapped a bunch of lame stickers on it to try and change the appearance but otherwise they said it was in great condition and I could have it back if I wanted to pay for shipping ($50, no big deal). Needless to say, I was PUMPED.

I always lock my board now. Doesn’t matter if I’m going in for two seconds to grab a Gatorade, if the mountain’s empty, I’m at a summit lodge, whatever. I use a simple retractable lock. You could probably cut the cord w/ some wire cutters but hell, if someone’s out to steal a board, they’re gonna go for the low hanging fruit. 

Bottom line, board theft sucks. I actually got VERY upset at a friend last year who hid my board on me at the mountain as a joke. All b/c of my experience. Lock it or don’t loose sight of it. Nowadays lots of resorts have camera systems in place and/or ski-checks (usually for $), so its gotten better over the years but still. For a toy worth $$$, I don’t know why more people don’t lock up.


----------



## Kevin137 (May 5, 2013)

Always locked my board from day one, maybe because i come from London and used to stuff being stolen it is second nature to think that it will go missing if not locked...

I now live in Norway, and they have had some issues over holiday periods when it is extremely busy at some resorts with boards and skis being stolen in bulk, last xmas there where 14 boards taken in a 2 day period, not sure on skis...

Why take the chance, a lock takes 2 seconds to put on, and is too much grief to get off in a public place that is busy so they will take a different board...!!!


----------



## tanscrazydaisy (Mar 11, 2013)

cozmo said:


> A serious board plus binders would cost u anywhere from 600$ to well over a 1000$ US.
> 
> So have you?
> What can you do against it?
> ...


No. Never had my board stolen.

Best way to avoid it: if possible use a ski check service.

if not... then I use a cheap cable lock. Keep in mind, one can unscrew your binding to steal the board itself.


----------



## trapper (Jan 15, 2013)

While I'm sure that it still happens because of the inadequacies of popular locks, I'm curious how many people have had a setup that was LOCKED UP stolen despite the lock.


----------



## cozmo (Dec 12, 2012)

So there's a top tip up there: always write down or take a pic of the serial number of your board!

Great story Sheepstealer! You're a lucky man! Also for winning that board a few days back


----------



## MJP (Jan 7, 2013)

Dude, go to your local bike shop, they now sell some bike cables made of steel, but coated with rubber, pretty lightweight and you could stick it in your pocket or backpack while boarding. I'm not risking my Trice HP with Now bindings getting ripped off, I'd beat the kid senseless if I caught him in the act and would have an entire new set of problems on my hands....


----------



## BigAL (Feb 19, 2013)

This is why I'm glad to of ridden in WI, not a lot of board snatchers, and I never lock mine up. I know at T Basin everyone has there boards stacked up along a wall with a general attitude of "fuck it"


----------



## mhaas (Nov 25, 2007)

I haven't had my board stolen but some crackheads stole my truck last spring and took my 2 jacket, hats, gloves and goggles before they ditch the truck after the gaslight came on. I can only hope that they passed out from the putrid smell of my sweaty touring clothes and got hit by a bus where they fell. It was a PITA to replace all that shit. 

AND just last Friday, some A hole committed an even more heinous violation of human decency. Someone stole a half 12 pack of PBR I had waiting for me out of my bed while I was parked in Brighton's Parking lot!!

But ya, getting your shit stolen sucks. I like to operate on the ole golden rule thing and to me its like society has betrayed me when my stuff gets stolen.


----------



## NoOtherOptions (Nov 28, 2011)

I lock my board up with a simple retractable lock like this. 

Burton Cable Lock | Dogfunk.com 

Burton and Ride and a few other companies have the same locks branded by them but they are literally exactly the same and sourced from the same place. Thing fits in my palm and is super light. Will it stop someone with cable cutters? No. But when there's 20 other boards besides mine not locked up I figure I'm pretty good to go. Had it for 4-5 seasons no issues and that's traveling to Colo, Cali, and Utah.


----------



## Big Foot (Jan 15, 2013)

I always lock my board and my girlfriend's board together with a cable lock and then lock them around something. Anyone with a pair of wire cutters could get through the cable, but when 99% of boards don't have locks on them, I feel like it makes stealing my board inconvenient enough to move on to the next one. That and the fact I ride the largest production board in the world. I think it would look pretty sketchy if some little punk was walking off with a 171.


----------



## Lamps (Sep 3, 2011)

I like the skier trick of separating your skis instead of leaving them as a pair. 

I'd say valet is the best approach followed by cable lock. Ski key is also good if the right kind of racking exists. 

When I cable my stuff I also try to sit with it in sight.


----------



## Ten (Apr 17, 2011)

Always lock up my board in the snow domes and definitely on mountain.

I use one of these...

Kryptonite Krytoflex Key Cable










Its pretty thick so you would need the meter long bolt cutters to even attempt it and even then it would take a bit of time to get through. Fits easy enough in a bag or jacket if you have a big pocket.

I try and bolt two boards together through a railing or something else nailed down top facing top with the bindings down so you cant get to the screws and undo them. Even after all that I try and leave it in a place I can keep an eye on it from a window or similar. There are just to many chavvy little fucks about to risk it.

ten


----------



## WuzzA21 (Nov 23, 2013)

Does anyone have photo's of boards that are locked up??


----------



## freshy (Nov 18, 2009)

I have never locked up my board and have never had it stolen either. But I also will bring it inside with me and prop it up near the entrance. If I have to leave it outside I rarely leave it on the rack with everyone else, I'll lean it on the window or stick it in the snow near the window. I pretty much always have an eye on it. 
I'm pretty much only paranoid of it the year I get a new board. Having said that I might get a lock once I get new bindings.


----------



## RagJuice Crew (Apr 8, 2012)

Kevin137 said:


> Why take the chance, a lock takes 2 seconds to put on, and is too much grief to get off in a public place that is busy so they will take a different board...!!!


This, exactly this. The retractable lock is smaller than the palm of my hand and weighs nothing of consequence so it's a no brainer. As others have said, it's no indestructible but it's a deterrent. I don't understand taking the chance of NOT locking it to be honest. I've even heard that at busy times here there will be gangs that come up from the city in a van and a group of them will lift a few boards and skis each from around town/mountain base and fill the van. Why risk it, just lock it.


----------



## Ten (Apr 17, 2011)

WuzzA21 said:


> Does anyone have photo's of boards that are locked up??


Here is a pic from 2011 of the mrs and my boards locked together on a rack at the bottom of the palafour run in tignes. Could of done a better job but no one is going to get them off at any speed anyway.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/2rllkoivqgxqjxd/vlcsnap-2013-12-04-06h44m16s78.png


----------



## cozmo (Dec 12, 2012)

Has anyone ever had their board stolen while it was locked on the mountain? 
I'm talking like over lunch or something, I'd assume not many thief's walk around with bolt cutters.
I wouldn't leave my board out at night while in a bar though. 

This ski check that you are referring to is that a US thing? 
I have heard of overnight "ski checks" on the mountain but I'm talking about leaving you board out over a lunch or rum tea break.

As for the comment above about the white van guys trolling the bottom lifts / valley stations, i would not leave my board there even if locked for longer then a few mins.


----------



## Liliana (Mar 24, 2013)

cozmo said:


> This ski check that you are referring to is that a US thing?
> I have heard of overnight "ski checks" on the mountain but I'm talking about leaving you board out over a lunch or rum tea break.


I'm not sure how prevalent the ski checks are, but the one in Blue Mountains in Ontario (called ski valet) accepts boards/skies both overnight and during the day for lunch break. They have different rates (overnight - more expensive), but they are nice guys that often don't charge you at all, or accept multiple boards for a single rate. You can pick it up a few minutes or a few hours later, doesn't matter.


----------



## cozmo (Dec 12, 2012)

Just saw this on 9gag.
He's a bigger man then me, or very smart :laugh:


----------

