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Gaper Alert- lucky I have big feet

post #1 of 13
4/19/09 at 5:47pm
Thread Starter 

Got the chance to teach my daughter some 4 letter words when we walked out of the season pass office at Breck today and I did not see my 1 (ski) day old Dynastar Contact 10s 20 feet away on the rack where I left them. 

 

Quick look around the mostly empty racks did not uncover any skis with remotely similar graphics(black/gray/touch of blue)...no luck at the gondola line or the rest of the Breck transit center area, so I contact the police and fill out a report.  Before going home (about 30 minutes later), I leave my contact info with the women in the office and just as I am about to walk out, a guy walks in with my skis.

 

As my skis are wet, it is clear he took them up the gondola and tried to put them on, but found that his boot was not big enough to fill 343 mm.  At this point, the only skis on the rack are red & white Rossis, so I ask what the confusion was about.  He apoligizes and tells me that he "doesn't ski." 

 

I'm now confused as to whether he is saying that he doesn't actual have skis and thought it would be fun to ride up the gondola with mine, or mixed mine up with the pair that he had.  He embarrasingly tells me that he now sees that his skis (the Rossis) don't look anything like mine (very true)...I am happy to get my skis back and start enjoying a beautiful day so I don't say much more and he is on his way.

 

2nd run on Peak 7 down an very flat blue, I see him stopped just above the one "steeper" section so I ski over and he starts to take off his skis.  I ask him if he wants to trade again and not getting the joke, he tells me that he is going to walk down...sometimes you just gotta laugh.      

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post #2 of 13
4/19/09 at 6:27pm

 This reminds me of the time I came out from a restroom break and found a guy desperately trying to click into my newish skis with boots that weren't even close.  His skis were one rack over from mine, a different (though also dark) color, and about 10cm shorter.    Ever since then, I lock my skis up most of the time.

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post #3 of 13
4/19/09 at 11:42pm

Actually, just a few ski days ago this season I heard some kid got his snowboard stolen from the rack.

 

The adjustable system bindings that many of us have makes our skis easily re-sellable and every bit as susceptible to being stolen.  Even if you think your deep-sidecut Euro-carver is not something that a young miscreant would be interested in, do understand that the Internet is now the most effective fence, ever.  He doesn't even need to know what it is; he just needs to type in what's printed on the ski and Google will educate him, and Ebay will determine what it's worth.

 

(I mean, have you ever wondered about those really badly-written Ebay or Craigslist ads which seem to suggest that the seller doesn't know anything about what he's selling?)

 

So I lock my skis now.

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post #4 of 13
4/20/09 at 5:10am

Glad you got your skis back!

 

I'm actually less wary of a newbie picking mine up that someone who knows what they're looking for - however there can't be many ready to ski off in 172s with a 287 sole...

 

From what I've heard - newbies nearly always return them - wearing a red face!

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post #5 of 13
4/20/09 at 1:02pm

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by MEfree30 View Post

...

 

2nd run on Peak 7 down an very flat blue, I see him stopped just above the one "steeper" section so I ski over and he starts to take off his skis.  I ask him if he wants to trade again and not getting the joke, he tells me that he is going to walk down...sometimes you just gotta laugh.      

 

A certain poetic justice getting to witness his Walk of Shame. I'm glad you were able to laugh; I might have found it hard to be so charitable after the hassle he put you thru.

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post #6 of 13
4/20/09 at 8:24pm

I've heard of plenty of snowboards taken and subsequently noted to appear on eBay. I'm really nervous about getting out of direct vision of my skis for that reason. I had a lock to lock up my board. How do you lock up skis?

I know they're Atomics, but I still luv 'em.....

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post #7 of 13
4/20/09 at 9:15pm

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by csavage View Post

I've heard of plenty of snowboards taken and subsequently noted to appear on eBay. I'm really nervous about getting out of direct vision of my skis for that reason. I had a lock to lock up my board. How do you lock up skis?

I know they're Atomics, but I still luv 'em.....


You buy a basic cable lock.  You can find it in a hardware store, or in the snowboard accessory section of your local shop.  You can thread it under your brake to lock up the skis.   Granted, anybody with a screwdriver can defeat it, but the point is that 1) other skis/boards are easier targets, and 2) it'd look kind of suspicious if some guy was taking a screwdriver to a cable-locked ski/board.

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post #8 of 13
4/21/09 at 5:27pm

I thought Gaper Day was 4/1 at Breck.  Why is it that the skis always disappear when you leave them unlocked for two seconds?  No harm, no foul.  Did the guy ride the gondola down the mountain or walk all the way down with your skis?

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post #9 of 13
4/21/09 at 9:37pm

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by DtEW View Post

 


You buy a basic cable lock.  You can find it in a hardware store, or in the snowboard accessory section of your local shop.  You can thread it under your brake to lock up the skis.   Granted, anybody with a screwdriver can defeat it, but the point is that 1) other skis/boards are easier targets, and 2) it'd look kind of suspicious if some guy was taking a screwdriver to a cable-locked ski/board.


Thanks for the info-I'll use the cable lock I already have and, typical non-expert style, it has DaKine stamped on it!

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post #10 of 13
4/22/09 at 8:36am
Thread Starter 

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by crgildart View Post

I thought Gaper Day was 4/1 at Breck.  Why is it that the skis always disappear when you leave them unlocked for two seconds?  No harm, no foul.  Did the guy ride the gondola down the mountain or walk all the way down with your skis?

 

I know A-Basin has Gaper Day on 4/1...not sure about Breck.  Have heard it is a lot of fun, but that Vail Corp employees can get fired if they "participate." 


I assume he rode the gondola down as walking from peak 7 or 8 would likely have taken him much longer and really won't have made any sense. 
 

As far as the section that I started to see him walk with his skis, my guess would be that he only walked the steeper section of about 50 yards as the rest of the run would be classified as a green most places...

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post #11 of 13
4/22/09 at 8:55am

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by MEfree30 View Post

 

 

As far as the section that I started to see him walk with his skis, my guess would be that he only walked the steeper section of about 50 yards as the rest of the run would be classified as a green most places...


Boy, now there's an ad opportunity for high quality ski lessons.  As for Gaper Day, I'm not in favor of activities where tourists and bystanders are assaulted by a bunch of drunks... But,  I am in favor of letting everyone, especially employees have some fun by dressing in gaper and retro gear and laughing at eachother.    After all, each and every one of us was a gaper once.  And, all of us are to some degree each time we visit a new resort for the first time.

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post #12 of 13
4/23/09 at 12:00pm

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by crgildart View Post

Why is it that the skis always disappear when you leave them unlocked for two seconds?

 

Assuming they're being taken by someone actually intent on stealing them, the favored tactic is to watch you go into the lodge and then immediately snatch them.  At least that's what they told us in our employee orientation.  Hence the "I only turned around/went inside for a second..." phenomenon.

 

I put my skis in the ski watch or leave them at the ski school.  (Sometimes I leave them outside at the ski school, although there are usually lots of instructors around and only instructors use the racks over there for the most part.)  Although I think that at Wachusett, fancy park twintips and high-end snowboards are probably more likely to be snatched.  Or maybe race skis, since there are lots of NASTAR racers.

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post #13 of 13
4/23/09 at 12:48pm

Nah, I bet he saw the 343mm setting and decided he likes his arms where they are- attached. 

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