Snowboard security

[breeseomatic]

Hey gang,

 

I want to share a video I saw that educated me to the differences in pad locks.  If you bring a few boards to the mountain and lock them up, make sure your lock is a decent one, (not Master Lock).

 

 

Now I am searching for a strong cable and an eye bolt that I can use permanent Lock-tite into a binding insert.

[Duke]

Good info and thank you.  

 

This year I will be bringing a board or two that is out of the ordinary and I think could attract some attention.  For being on the rack I don't know if an unusual board is more likely to be snagged because it looks different and unique or if board thieves tend to be 16 year olds that decide that the only way they will get the LibTech board they want is to lift it and go for a particular one?  I don't ever lock anything up in a locker and it is only while in the rack that I worry.  Last year I got sick of glancing over to the rack all the time to make sure it was still there and so I decided to buy one of these  Link for cheap lock    I never thought it was really criminal proof per se but is more to give me peace of mind that I won't have a high school kid walk up, act like it is his, and walk out to the parking lot with it.  It has a cable built in but looks like the whole thing could be cut pretty easily but would probably serve to keep my mind off of it.  I didn't buy it yet and will perhaps rethink this after your video.

 

 One thing though...I am actually a bit hesitant (and even embarrassed) to lock a board up.  No one else does where I ride and it does take on a bit of an elitist heir to it perhaps?  I don't worry too much about what others might think but it could actually draw the very attention that I don't want.   It would be ironic if my decision to use a lock garnered the attention of a thief skilled enough to remove such a piss ant lock without notice would it not? :) 

 

Apparently I have too much anxiety to ride and need to just stay home and watch carving videos on youtube :) :)

[kieran]

m6 eye bolts are easy to find. 2 per board in unused inserts so that the board can't be unwound from the lock. using one eye bolt and a binding is less secure, though time consuming to circumvent.

[Allee]

I did read a pretty good article that recommended using a decently beefy cable lock, and changing out the screws on your binding to a torx head or something other than Philips. Your thief might have a screwdriver, but he's unlikely to have a non Philips screwdriver.

 

I never worry too much about my alpine boards where I ride. I figure that the people that are lifting stuff are looking for something they can either ride themselves, or something they can pawn or sell easily on Craiglist. Weird skinny alpine boards don't tick either box, so I tend to be pretty relaxed about locking them up.

 

My softboot board does get locked, but it's only with a thin wire cable lock, just enough to deter a walk by. I figure if someone really wants it, they'll get it anyway, and that's the most easily replaceable board I own, so ... meh.

 

One of my boards has a Demon stomp pad that has a centre channel through it, so you can run your cable lock under the stomp pad and lock it up. It's pretty nifty. I don't know if they still make them, but that's another option.
 

Edited September 18, 2015 by Allee

[Neil Gendzwill]

I like SkiKey, but it's dependant on the resort installing the racks.

[Corey]

Interesting video!  It amazes me how easy you can pick a simple lock with only a basic knowledge.  I was locked out of a hotel room in Aspen once - I raked the pins with a paper clip I found on the floor and got in within 60 seconds or so.  That was the first and last time I've ever done that.    

 

I lock my board with a bike cable lock.  The intention is to make it a little less appealing than others there. 

 

Previous threads with useful/interesting discussions: 

http://forums.bomberonline.com/index.php?/topic/34640-locking-your-board/

http://forums.bomberonline.com/index.php?/topic/3638-what-sort-of-lock-do-you-use/

[Neil Gendzwill]

Really so few people lock their boards that any sort of lock is fine I think.  The would-be thief is just going to go to the unlocked board rather than risk being seen cutting or picking.

[slopestar]

I always bring a couple up and use a combination cable lock. It's convenient and a deterrent. I think if anyone wants it bad enough, you are going to lose it. I run through both bindings though. At June Mt. I have left alpine boards all day without a lock or incident. Call it luck

Edited September 18, 2015 by slopestar

[breeseomatic]

Really so few people lock their boards that any sort of lock is fine I think.  The would-be thief is just going to go to the unlocked board rather than risk being seen cutting or picking.

 

I think this position is potentially disastrous.  In the video above, they author shows how easy it is to rake/pick a Master Lock pad lock; Corey was able to gain access to his room with a paperclip.  If you can rake/pick a pad lock in 1-5 seconds, it looks like you are just having difficulty with a frozen core and key.  A basic lock like a Master Lock padlock or even a bicycle cable with integrated rotating combo are very easy to circumvent.  If you think your TSA sentry luggage lock is adequate... the master keys are available on GitHub for 3D printing (https://github.com/Xyl2k/TSA-Travel-Sentry-master-keys).

[slopestar]

Yikes!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cvrlreLR7SM

[Neil Gendzwill]

I think this position is potentially disastrous.  In the video above, they author shows how easy it is to rake/pick a Master Lock pad lock; Corey was able to gain access to his room with a paperclip.  If you can rake/pick a pad lock in 1-5 seconds, it looks like you are just having difficulty with a frozen core and key.  A basic lock like a Master Lock padlock or even a bicycle cable with integrated rotating combo are very easy to circumvent.  If you think your TSA sentry luggage lock is adequate... the master keys are available on GitHub for 3D printing (https://github.com/Xyl2k/TSA-Travel-Sentry-master-keys).

But why would a snowboard thief risk even that?  There are hundreds of unlocked boards available for him to take.  Maybe if I was running something that was highly desirable to the general snowboarding populace like a top-end Burton freeride board I would bother with elaborate locks. 

[Duke]

Interesting video!  It amazes me how easy you can pick a simple lock with only a basic knowledge.  I was locked out of a hotel room in Aspen once - I raked the pins with a paper clip I found on the floor and got in within 60 seconds or so.  That was the first and last time I've ever done that.    

 

I lock my board with a bike cable lock.  The intention is to make it a little less appealing than others there. 

 

Previous threads with useful/interesting discussions: 

http://forums.bomberonline.com/index.php?/topic/34640-locking-your-board/

http://forums.bomberonline.com/index.php?/topic/3638-what-sort-of-lock-do-you-use/

 

Thanks Corey, these were great.  I was a bit surprised that one guy buries his spare board in the snow....yikes.  Then there was this line which was definitely worth a chuckle or two:

 

"....I think the only thing I am worried about like Maciek said is someone taking my beer. I have heard the ruthlesness of the wild carver after a day of eating cord. When he is perched on his barstool sipping nectar, he scans the room for cougars and other threats, but cannot resist the temptation of someone else's beer.:D "

[breeseomatic]

But why would a snowboard thief risk even that?  There are hundreds of unlocked boards available for him to take.  Maybe if I was running something that was highly desirable to the general snowboarding populace like a top-end Burton freeride board I would bother with elaborate locks. 

 

I don't know what the motivation is.  I guess you can ask yourself that question if you have a board stolen.  Elaborate locks don't have to be like a Rube Goldberg contraption, just harder to pick/rake than the average hardware/bike store lock. 

[theboarderdude]

I don't know what the motivation is.  I guess you can ask yourself that question if you have a board stolen.  Elaborate locks don't have to be like a Rube Goldberg contraption, just harder to pick/rake than the average hardware/bike store lock. 

 

Neil is 100% right here. A thief is not going to risk getting caught by blatantly picking a lock in the open when he can walk to up a board and grab it like it's his own. It's entirely counterintuitive to make yourself obvious while trying to steal something.

[Surf Quebec]

I was unable to open  my cable lock once, I went to the rentals and explained that to the staff, they lend me pliers.... I could have cut any cable lock at the station and runaway with skis or snowboards.

 

For me , Skikey rules !

[breeseomatic]

I was unable to open  my cable lock once, I went to the rentals and explained that to the staff, they lend me pliers.... I could have cut any cable lock at the station and runaway with skis or snowboards.

 

For me , Skikey rules !

 

I wish more resorts had SkiKey.  And that the slot was larger to accommodate a board with an isolation plate.

Edited September 18, 2015 by breeseomatic

[philw]

Each to their own. My bike lock is huge and the only way you can break them is with a very large set of bolt-cutters (assuming I lock it at a sensible height to prevent you jemmying it). So there's all these guys walking around Cambridge UK with 2m long bolt cutters... not.

 

So yeah, it's all a waste of time. But I'm either sitting in the bar with a £1200 quid board outside which you can just pick up and take away, or I lock it. 

 

I lock it, they pick someone else's board. Why would they carry the bolt cutters if they don't need to?

[Farstryker]

I worked public safety for over a decade at a Colorado resort.I would get calls every so often for "unlocks" for boards/skis locked to ski racks from owners who lost their key. the vast majority used the usual thin metal wire rope which,after making sure to get all the owners personal info to make sure the gear was theirs,i would take a simple leatherman with built in cutters and snip the wire in half a second,usually to the owners surprise at how easy it cut.

Most ski cables are a complete waste of time.

Anyone know of a stronger cable that is easy to transport around? leaving your lock on a base area ski rack is fine but useless if you go into an on mountain lodge.

Edited October 23, 2015 by Farstryker

[Corey]

Look at bike locks. There are lots out there that give a little bit more deterrent than the retractable style.  

 

Bonus points if you get a U-lock and ride with it!  ;) 

[Corey]

I think this is a newer version of the one I have:

http://www.shape.com/shop/onguard-terrier-combo-7-bicycle-combination-cable-lock-5062-pfaf83b1ab87182bef62af941e0611cb2.html

It fits through Intec holes in bindings nicely and isn't as bulky as some.