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When a guest at Liberty, Pa., reported his snowboard had been stolen, Tim Koons, base area manager, turned to his bank of security cameras. He quickly identified the thief on a camera at the ski rack. Then he synchronized the video to the ticket window camera, where he saw the thief buy a ticket—with his credit card. Koons smiled. “We had his name and address and everything,” he says.

Koons turned the information and video over to the local police. By the end of the day the guest had his board back, and the perp was downtown.

A similar snowboard incident happened at Bear Creek, Pa. (“Nobody steals skis,” says one ski resort security manager. “It’s all snowboards.”) Nick Franzosa, security manager, caught the thief on video. Another camera showed the thief getting on a lift, using his pass; Franzosa got the passholder’s name and address from the scanner. Case solved.

Cameras have changed the security game. Bear Creek has more than 200 HD cameras. But even with just five low-def cameras, Nashoba Valley, Mass., was able to solve a stolen board case last winter.

“The cameras don’t show much detail,” says Jonathan Andrews, outside operations manager. But they did show what the perp was wearing. “We saw the same clothes coming out of the rental shop,” Andrews says. “We got the guy’s name, address and phone number, and brought the police in.” End of story.


Law and Order
Security cameras, complimentary ski and board checks, locks, lockers, and security guards all help reduce thefts.

“We had a problem a couple of years ago with a bunch of incidents,” says Chris Dudding, marketing director at Ski Roundtop, Pa. “But we did several things and it’s been going down.” Roundtop beefed up the number and quality of its security cameras, extended the hours of its free ski check, and added more locking racks. “The word is out,” Dudding says. “Theft is going down.”

Other resorts report similar experiences. After a spike in thefts at Pats Peak, N.H., the area launched a “Love it, Lock It” campaign. “We hand out stickers to remind people to lock their equipment,” says Lori Rowell, marketing manager. The area also extended the hours of its free equipment “watch” and its bag “watch” inside the lodge.

Resorts near metro centers often report the biggest theft problem. Wild Mountain, Minn., an hour north of Minneapolis/St. Paul, and the first area to open each fall, always has a rash of thefts early on, says owner Amy Frischmon. Wild responded with more security guards at night and a $1 ski “corral.” “Nothing ever gets stolen from the ski corral,” Frischmon notes.


Persons of Interest
And ski and board checks are growing. Mountain Creek, N.J., offers complimentary ski and board checks at its base areas, and has “no theft problems,” says Hugh Reynolds, sales and marketing manager.

Hunter, N.Y., also offers free ski checks, has a fulltime security team, sells locks in the ski shop, and has a robust camera system in and outside the base lodge area. Thefts have become rare, says Jerry Shingle, marketing manager.

Destination resorts like Aspen and Jackson Hole, with complimentary ski checks, security personnel and camera systems, also report little theft. “I’m not aware of one incident this winter,” says Jeff Hanle, PR director at Aspen. “We’ve had guests leave their skis unlocked overnight on the rack and find them there the next day.”

Chip Carey, director of marketing at Jackson Hole, Wyo., says just the presence of security cameras is a big deterrent to crime. “We have installed surveillance cameras around the resort,” Carey says. “It is management’s responsibility to take temptation away.”

Some ski areas will run a sting, with a new board as bait. “We’ve caught a couple of people,” says Koons at Liberty.

Resorts have also trained employees to spot suspicious behavior. “They stick out,” Frischmon says of potential thieves. “They don’t look like they belong here. They are dressed differently, act suspicious, have a car full of boards.”

Guy Lawrence, marketing manager at Snoqualmie Pass, Wash., adds: “They stand there, look around. You can pick them out pretty quickly.”

Snoqualmie sells locks, has plenty of racks, and a $40-per-season ski check. “We stress through signage and our website that people take care of their equipment,” Lawrence says. “We’re trying to put the responsibility on the guests.”


CSI Las Vegas
The Las Vegas Ski and Snowboard Resort, 45 minutes outside Vegas, had a general theft problem, especially during the shoulder seasons when few people are around. Thieves were stealing signs to sell as scrap aluminum, and copper from snowguns and other equipment. They stole hoses and tubing to irrigate illegal marijuana farms, and siphoned gas and diesel out of vehicles.

In response, LVSSR has beefed up its security cameras, and became more vigilant about locking buildings and equipment. “Fortunately, we haven’t had any break-ins,” GM Kevin Stickelman says.

In-season, the biggest worry was some gang activity and confrontations last winter. “It’s caused us to step up our mountain security,” Stickelman says. “We’re trying to make this a non-enticing place for those types of people.”