Ski lock and carrier

Claim 1

A ski lock and carrier combination for use with a pair of skis placed bottom to bottom and which include at least one toepiece or heelpiece for the skier''s boots, each having a tip portion and a tail portion each of relatively broad and thin cross-section and having a midsectional portion of relatively narrow and thick cross-section, and each ski being bowed with a bottom camber, comprising a lock body having a planar side and a shackle for lockable connection with the lock body, the shackle rigidly formed in the shape of a squared U and having two parallel legs, the shackle and lock body when locked together defining between the shackle and the planar side of the body an enclosed free space, the length of the enclosed free space being less than the maximum but greater than the minimum width of the skis, and the width of the enclosed free space being less than the sum of the maximum thicknesses of the skis but at least as great as the sum of the thicknesses of the skis at the point along the length of the skis where the width of the skis is equal to the length of the enclosed free space, a ski carrier formed to define a rigid cradle for the skis for engagement with the skis at a location spaced along the skis from the lock, and a flexible link attached at one end to the lock and attached at the other end to the carrier so as to form a carrying sling for the skis when the lock and carrier are attached thereto, the ski carrier being formed with two outer ski support legs and an inner leg therebetween, the legs being separated from one another by crossbar means, the distance between the adjacent legs being greater than the minimum thickness of a ski, but less than the sum of a). the greater of the distances h and t that the heelpiece or toepiece, respectively, extend from the top surface of the ski, and b). the thickness of the ski at the point along the ski where the greater distance h or t is located, and said carrier being provided with an opening sufficient in size to allow passage therethrough of the lock member which is attached to the flexible link but insufficient in size to permit passage therethrough of both the lock and the skis when the lock is secured on the skis.