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Check your ski racks!

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steezbox
Posts: 1394 - Karma: 701
A few hours ago I was driving from Montreal to Tremblant with my family. 20 minutes in, I hear a loud noise from the roof, and everyone starts yelling at me to pull over. Turns out the ski rack popped open and all the skis flew off into the busy highway. No idea how, but nobody else got hit. All the skis got pretty messed up, but are probably repairable.
The point here is that the situation could have turned out much worse. I'm not really bummed out because nobody here got hurt. I checked the rack before we left too, but I guess cold weather does that. So, always make sure that everything is in place to avoid a situation like that. Dangerous stuff.
Dec 29 2011 6:04PM
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I_Am_Mod
Posts: 13214 - Karma: 3,753
my worst fear ....

this is why i always put extra tie-downs over and around my skibox ....
Dec 29 2011 6:06PM
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PON3
Posts: 3817 - Karma: 783
Dont they come with locks?
Dec 29 2011 6:07PM
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penguiin
Posts: 1444 - Karma: 561
this

Dec 29 2011 6:10PM
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steezy69
Posts: 251 - Karma: 184

i would poop

... because that would scare me shitless

Dec 29 2011 6:11PM
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steezbox
Posts: 1394 - Karma: 701
Yeah man, they were locked. That is what i don't understand. And we didn't leave without checking that they were locked in place too.
Dec 29 2011 6:12PM
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Deluge
Posts: 4401 - Karma: 805
open the window, lean out and catch it. obviously.
Dec 29 2011 6:13PM
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I_Am_Mod
Posts: 13214 - Karma: 3,753
extra gnar points will be added if you do so with your teeth !
Dec 29 2011 6:18PM
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jblaski
Posts: 5566 - Karma: 1,078
I feel as if a couple of zip ties would be very beneficial on a long trip.
Dec 29 2011 6:21PM
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TechnoPotamus
Posts: 11626 - Karma: 3,522
man it's the worst feeling.

a few of us were coming down vail pass a few years ago and the ski rack opened up...my friend's skis flew off, landed in the road, and were run over by an 18 wheeler a few seconds later. No joke. Skis were actually ok pretty much but the bindings were totally destroyed.
Dec 29 2011 6:21PM
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skituner
Posts: 1162 - Karma: 127
another reason why ski box> ski rack
Dec 29 2011 6:21PM
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zagfan5
Posts: 2608 - Karma: 144
put down backseat and put equipment in the car>ski box>rack
Dec 29 2011 6:26PM
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steezbox
Posts: 1394 - Karma: 701
Literally same thing happened to mine. 18 wheeler ran right over. The binding, with the screws, was sheared out of the ski. I'm getting new ones installed right now. Not sure if my skis will last the season though.
Dec 29 2011 6:30PM
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GORILLA.
Posts: 1112 - Karma: 70
+K FOR ICON
Dec 29 2011 7:25PM
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Wheaty214
Posts: 1687 - Karma: 841
Ask [creative] about what happened to his skis when they fell off his ski rack while he was driving, great but really shitty story.
Dec 29 2011 7:34PM
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Captain_Slow
Posts: 1677 - Karma: 24
hahaha this, I thought about buying a ski rack but would constantly be scared that my skis would somehow fly off
Dec 29 2011 8:00PM
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Parks.
Posts: 5612 - Karma: 1,093
yakima racks r the way to go! mine have 2 bolts on each side so theres no way they r comin off
Dec 29 2011 8:01PM
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cwillygood
Posts: 6831 - Karma: 1,829
Not god
Dec 29 2011 8:20PM
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zagfan5
Posts: 2608 - Karma: 144
well theyre behind my seat. so in the event of a crash i would assume they would just hit the back of my seat. its pretty thick. skis arnt going through
Dec 29 2011 9:17PM
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TOK
Posts: 2928 - Karma: 2,540
https://www.newschoolers.com/ns/forums/readthread/thread_id/667341/
Dec 29 2011 9:19PM
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ace_
Posts: 3189 - Karma: 39
depending on the company,actually regardless of company, the skis should be replaced if the rack was indeed in the locked position.
Dec 29 2011 9:22PM
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Trace.
Posts: 1460 - Karma: 635
These are the things that fill my nightmares
Dec 29 2011 9:55PM
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gengar.
Posts: 1042 - Karma: 1,641
this always scares the shit out of me. i always make my friends put their hands out the sunroof and have them check it at least once when we go up.
Dec 29 2011 9:55PM
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saskskierftw
Posts: 898 - Karma: 62
This. And this is the second thread I've seen tonight about losing skis off your roof. I'm never ever gonna drive behind someone with skis on their roo
Dec 29 2011 10:00PM
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GavinW
Posts: 574 - Karma: 89
Happened to me once to but luckily the skis didn't fly off!
Dec 29 2011 10:19PM
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thebeesknees
Posts: 3660 - Karma: 160
Click for larger image
Dec 29 2011 10:21PM
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DGski
Posts: 3491 - Karma: 2,328
haha

my dad locks ours with these bike locks, works like a charm

Click for larger image
Dec 29 2011 10:24PM
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rareison
Posts: 10263 - Karma: 219
Buy a truck with a box cover and put everything in there. Problem solved.
Dec 29 2011 10:25PM
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TonyTheTiger
Posts: 863 - Karma: 68
A ski box actually completely tore up on the highway after driving about 5000 km to go from quebec to whistler. Surprisingly, nothing was broken (except the box itself) but it was the worse feeling. Especially since at first we thought it was the surfboards that had lift off.
Dec 29 2011 10:52PM
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Logey.
Posts: 2996 - Karma: 457
Literally just happened to my friend like 2 days ago then called me and asked me of he could use my skis.
Dec 29 2011 11:26PM
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KrazyistKarl
Posts: 1725 - Karma: 599
When I hadn't van and ski box it happened more then once where my box popped open, thankfully it was empty and summerevery time. It was a really wide box and the nose clip clip fell off and when I'd go over 130km/h it would make horrible noises and lift open. My solution was to add a tie down around the box
Dec 30 2011 12:40AM
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KrazyistKarl
Posts: 1725 - Karma: 599
Dub posy but my new biggest far is driving down the road with bike(s) qnd kayak on the roof when my thule feet are only held onto my roof with one tiny screw from the weather strip per foot. So 4 tiny screws holding several thousand dollars in gear, poor design in my mind
Dec 30 2011 12:44AM
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KillaSteeze
Posts: 3329 - Karma: 351
i always lock mine cuz once they flipped opened and everyone honked at us
Dec 30 2011 12:49AM
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PacificRimJob
Posts: 24725 - Karma: 29,944
Never had it happen, either to my thule box, or my thule rack.

...hell, even my old barrecrafters poptop never came loose...
Dec 30 2011 12:58AM
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steezbox
Posts: 1394 - Karma: 701

yeah, a box seems safer, but still if it opens... Could be worse. I carry more stuff in the box usually too.

Anyways, I ended up replacing the bindings, but they have to be mounted a bit farther back due to the damage. My dad had to get new skis too. Ended up at about $900, but it could have been worse. At least I still get to go skiing tomorrow.

Dec 30 2011 1:01AM
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steezbox
Posts: 1394 - Karma: 701
quoted.
Dec 30 2011 1:05AM
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Barefootin_Fiend
Posts: 7618 - Karma: 4,727
local radio replayed an interview this morning with a guy who wrecked around thanksgiving '10, hit a fence, had a fence post go through his windshield and impale his mouth/throat/skull. dude lived. picked his teeth out of the back of his neck. no joke. buy a fucking lottery ticket.

Dec 30 2011 1:16AM
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Blake.P
Posts: 9894 - Karma: 3,585
I always just wrap a strip of Velcro around the racks
Dec 30 2011 1:37AM
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henrytargett
Posts: 903 - Karma: 35
a friend once left his rack completely open, and the skis flew off. He didn't notice and they were never recovered.  thats the only story i have on this subject.
Dec 30 2011 1:40AM
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B.Aussie
Posts: 5852 - Karma: 4,531
Last year the Aussie world cup tech got in a car accident and 8 aprs of skis came through the front of the box onto the road and were destroyed.
Dec 30 2011 6:06AM
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PopsicleStand
Posts: 6890 - Karma: 147
Dec 30 2011 7:27AM
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KZA
Posts: 3304 - Karma: 301
Hey man,

If you did lock them than contact the company who makes them for an insurance claim. The same thing happened to me (locked rack and skis went flying), I sent them an email and they had me ship the rack back to them. They determined it was defective and sent me a new rack + a check to replace my skis/bindings. Worth a shot, send pictures of your skis to.
Dec 30 2011 10:43AM
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SassySloth
Posts: 3753 - Karma: 2,095
After seeing that video, you would not see the ski coming, it would just come out of no where. BOOM !
Dec 30 2011 10:52AM
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