A skier posted on Facebook today about skis being stolen in Val Thorens. Others chipped in with their own experiences. The French resorts seem over-represented, but it can happen anywhere. I had a camera stolen from my chalet in Saas-Fee, Switzerland, one year.
New skis cost as much as a £1000 or more, so it is unsurpring they are coveted by thieves.
More surprisingly, hire skis are a popular target, so check your insurance covers you for theft if you are hiring.
A popular ploy is for thieves to come up to mountain restaurants without skis and ski back down with a stolen pair.
Apres ski venues are also a popular target. And I heard a report of an entire ski room at a hotel getting robbed.
A good ploy for avoiding theft is to mix and match skis with others in your party. If the staff at your lodgings can’t reassure you about the safety of the ski room, you might want to keep your skis in your room or in a locker. Often, hire shops have lockers you can hire even if you haven’t hired skis from them.
More common than theft, however, is mistaken identity. It is easily done. I did it in Vail once. Skied in hire skis in the morning and someone else’s skis in the afternoon. The first I knew about it was the hire shop called me the next day!
I know. They’re not even the same colour.
