Ski locks have been around since well, since there have been people with sticky fingers and help themselves to the “No cost upgrade”. The earliest locks I remember were Barrecrafter; then, in the mid 80’s, the SkiTote flooded the industry. The SkiTote, a handy-dandy nifty-thrifty device, was very well the most popular ski gift given to any skier … usually from a non skier. From there we went to pocket-sized recoiling locks that were enough to keep wandering fingers away from your gear. But, there was one limitation: How do you secure your poles? Along came a better mousetrap, the Loqski.
The Loqski is one of those designs so simple and well-designed that you would expect to see it on a show like Shark Tank. I first heard about Loqski here on SkTalk, where one of our members was singing its praises. I reached out to the company and talked for a good hour with James Pittard, Loqski’s owner, designer, shipping/receiving clerk and head of daycare. At SkiTalk, we do get quite a few requests for promotions of products and testimonials. At times, for products like Loqski, I will reach out to the company myself. Since I usually will not provide a testimonial until I actually spend some time with the product, James sent us some to play with and put through their paces. I will say that I was immediately impressed with not only the simplicity of the Loqski, but the quality.
James explained that the first incarnation of the Loqski was metal and weighed in at a healthy 268 grams. While this is just about the mass of a hamster, it would be noticeable when you carried it in your pocket, especially since most of us already carry cell phones and other items. Because they realized that this was a shortcoming of the product that might limit sales, James went back to the drawing board. In today’s age of incredible composites, they came across EMS Grivory, who specializes in thermoplastics like Grilamid, which we now find in many ski boots. By going with the Grivory compound they were able to drop the weight by more than 50% to a svelte 112 grams. Now when you put the lock in your pocket, you almost forget it’s there, because it is so light and unobtrusive. What James was not willing to compromise was the quality of the lock cylinder, which does have a very solid feel when locking and unlocking. The lock has also 10,000 key options which is 10X most major lock options for racking systems.
Yes, skis get stolen, and when that happens, it is usually a premeditated theft. What is just as, if not more common, is pole theft. Sometimes that‘s simply a case of mistaken identity. Fifteen dollar rental poles are confused with $200 LEKI carbon fiber ones, even though there are no straps on them … because [sponsor plug] you have LEKI’s Trigger 3D gloves.[/sponsor plug]. Mistaken pole identity is usually not malicious, but, in the case of LEKI … sometimes it is. The Loqski will protect you if you have no pole straps to hang from the ski tips to differentiate them from other poles in the rack.
So, how does the Loqski work? Again, the beauty is in the simplicity. Now that all skis have *brakes, the Loqski attaches to the ski brakes where they are clipped together. The poles are then placed in their own spots and the lock is tightened around the brakes and the poles. When the key is turned, both skis and poles are locked together. At this point, it is a free-standing locked device and unless you unlock it with the key, a thief will be walking away with an obvious set up that will draw attention, something that the thief does not want. If you are looking for an added level of security, Loqski does offer a 6 meter galvanised steel cable with a soft outer protective layer, that attaches to the brake clip and around a post or ski rack.
I did do a couple of trial runs attaching the lock to our test skis before I went to the resort, something I would suggest especially for kids and those with limited mechanical skills. What was impressive was that even after just a few trial runs, the Loqski was simple to operate with gloves on.
James and Loqski did their homework when designing the product. Loqski reached out to all the binding manufactures to get bindings to test their lock with, and I was told Marker sent them five dozen pairs! In complete transparency, I didn’t try the lock with all of SkiTalk’s test skis , but of the dozen or so I tried, it worked with every one. Will it work with every possible ski/plate/binding option out there? Maybe not; there might an isolated combination that won’t, but I would say 95% of the time it will, and that‘s pretty good.
Because part of the lock goes between the skis, there was a concern that it might damage the bases and edges. This is nothing to worry about. First of all, the edges are harder than the material used to construct the lock. As far as the bases go, unless the skis are squeezed together or the brake arms are right up against the sidewall, I don’t see an issue with base damage. I really think the product is darn near foolproof, but in the many years of reviewing products, I have found fools to be adept at finding Nth degree shortcomings.
James explained that the first incarnation of the Loqski was metal and weighed in at a healthy 268 grams. While this is just about the mass of a hamster, it would be noticeable when you carried it in your pocket, especially since most of us already carry cell phones and other items. Because they realized that this was a shortcoming of the product that might limit sales, James went back to the drawing board. In today’s age of incredible composites, they came across EMS Grivory, who specializes in thermoplastics like Grilamid, which we now find in many ski boots. By going with the Grivory compound they were able to drop the weight by more than 50% to a svelte 112 grams. Now when you put the lock in your pocket, you almost forget it’s there, because it is so light and unobtrusive. What James was not willing to compromise was the quality of the lock cylinder, which does have a very solid feel when locking and unlocking. The lock has also 10,000 key options which is 10X most major lock options for racking systems.
Yes, skis get stolen, and when that happens, it is usually a premeditated theft. What is just as, if not more common, is pole theft. Sometimes that‘s simply a case of mistaken identity. Fifteen dollar rental poles are confused with $200 LEKI carbon fiber ones, even though there are no straps on them … because [sponsor plug] you have LEKI’s Trigger 3D gloves.[/sponsor plug]. Mistaken pole identity is usually not malicious, but, in the case of LEKI … sometimes it is. The Loqski will protect you if you have no pole straps to hang from the ski tips to differentiate them from other poles in the rack.
So, how does the Loqski work? Again, the beauty is in the simplicity. Now that all skis have *brakes, the Loqski attaches to the ski brakes where they are clipped together. The poles are then placed in their own spots and the lock is tightened around the brakes and the poles. When the key is turned, both skis and poles are locked together. At this point, it is a free-standing locked device and unless you unlock it with the key, a thief will be walking away with an obvious set up that will draw attention, something that the thief does not want. If you are looking for an added level of security, Loqski does offer a 6 meter galvanised steel cable with a soft outer protective layer, that attaches to the brake clip and around a post or ski rack.
I did do a couple of trial runs attaching the lock to our test skis before I went to the resort, something I would suggest especially for kids and those with limited mechanical skills. What was impressive was that even after just a few trial runs, the Loqski was simple to operate with gloves on.
James and Loqski did their homework when designing the product. Loqski reached out to all the binding manufactures to get bindings to test their lock with, and I was told Marker sent them five dozen pairs! In complete transparency, I didn’t try the lock with all of SkiTalk’s test skis , but of the dozen or so I tried, it worked with every one. Will it work with every possible ski/plate/binding option out there? Maybe not; there might an isolated combination that won’t, but I would say 95% of the time it will, and that‘s pretty good.
Because part of the lock goes between the skis, there was a concern that it might damage the bases and edges. This is nothing to worry about. First of all, the edges are harder than the material used to construct the lock. As far as the bases go, unless the skis are squeezed together or the brake arms are right up against the sidewall, I don’t see an issue with base damage. I really think the product is darn near foolproof, but in the many years of reviewing products, I have found fools to be adept at finding Nth degree shortcomings.
- Who is the Loqski for: You bring multiple skis to the resort and might leave a pair (or three) unattended. You have expensive skis and poles and you are afraid of someone taking them. This is cheap insurance at less than $49 (US).
- Who is the Loqski not for: You live on the edge and have good homeowner’s insurance. *You own telemark/backcountry skis that do not have brakes.
- Insider tip 1: If you have multiple members in the family and are getting more than one, get different colors and color-code the keys.
- Insider tip 2: Put the spare key on your lanyard with your pass.