Often when in a ski-resort a skier is obliged to carry his or her skis for a time. A pair of skis presents a cumbersome, if not heavy burden, which is particularly difficult to accommodate in crowded areas of a resort. In such areas the safest way to carry a pair of skis is in an upright or vertical manner.

To assist in retaining skis in a vertical position devices exist already.

These devices are however large and cumbersome to carry in themselves even when they are not burdened with skis. Additionally, devices requiring the skis to be secured in more than one place lead to loading and unloading difficulties and discourage an owner from using the device over short distances. What is ideally required is a simple-to-load ski-carrying device which is sufficiently small to be carried in the pocket or otherwise about the skier's person whilst they ski or partake in other activities at a resort which do not require the carriage of skis.

An object therefore of the present invention is to provide a simple to use device for carrying skis in a vertical manner, which is sufficiently small to be carried in a pocket whilst skiing.

According to the present invention there is provided a carrying device comprising a flexible strap and a preferably substantially inextensible loop securely fixed to the strap, wherein the strap is adapted to be worn over a shoulder of a user of the device and an element to be carried may be suspended from the loop.

The loop is preferably made of a flexible material.

Where the element to be carried is a ski, the loop is adapted to extend over the toe binding of the ski. The toe binding of the ski is very close to the centre of mass of the ski and thereby provides a well balanced lifting point for the ski.

Hanging the ski by its toe binding ensures that it hangs vertically or substantially vertically in a stable manner. The same is also true of a snowboard.

To accommodate different sizes the strap preferably has means for adjusting its length. Furthermore to make the device more practical and easy to load and unload the strap comprises a releasable fitting.

The releasable fitting may be a snap fastener, male and female parts of which are connected to adjacent ends of the strap. Length adjustment is provided by one element being free to slide along the strap to a desired length when the strap is under no tension and held by the element when the strap is under tension.

Other fasteners possible include the use of a series of press studs, hook and pile fabric fasteners or a belt and buckle provided with a series of holes at the other end of the strap.

Advantageously, the strap is light and waterproof for which reasons a woven synthetic fabric is a preferred choice of strap material.

Additionally, it is preferable if the surface of the material forming the loop is both non-abrasive and provides a reasonable amount of frictional grip when in contact with a surface. A preferred embodiment of the invention accomplishes this by providing a loop constructed from plastics coated steel cable.

Alternatively the loop may be constructed from identical material to that comprising the strap.

In one preferred embodiment of the invention the loop may be openable, and is ideally lockable in the closed position. A combination lock is preferably provided.

The strap and loop are preferably joined securely by clamping the two ends of the material making up the loop to a fixed position on the strap. In the alternative embodiment where the loop and the strap are constructed from the same material they may be stitched together.

Most preferably all embodiments of the device are sufficiently small and flexible to be stored in a pocket when not in use.

In order that the present invention may be more clearly understood an embodiment thereof will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompany drawings, in which:- Fig. 1 is a plan view of a ski and/or snowboard carrying device in accordance with the invention; Fig. 2 shows a pair of skis suspended in a vertical manner from the carrying device ; Fig. 3 details the interaction between the loop of the carrying device and the toe binding of a ski; and Fig. 4 is a plan view of a second ski and/or snowboard carrying device in accordance with the invention.

Referring to the Figs. 1 to 3, the ski carrying device consists of a strap 2 worn over the shoulder of a user 8 which suspends a pair of skis 1 from a loop 3 by their toe bindings 4.

The strap 2 is of adjustable length and its ends may be released or joined if the user wishes to ease the movement of hoisting the strap on or off of their shoulder. Adjacent ends of the strap are joined by a snap fastener consisting of male and female elements 9 and 10. Length adjustment is facilitated by a slide and snag element 6 which may be incorporated into the male element 9 of the fastener 5.

The strap 2 is woven from waterproof synthetic fibre to reduce wear and weight without compromising on strength. Clamped to the strap 2 is a loop 3 constructed of plastic coated steel cable.

The plastic coating is non-abrasive so does no harm to any part of the ski and also gives increased grip between the loop and the ski. An additional benefit is that the coating prevents water corroding the steel part of the cable.

To load the device the user 8 places a pair of skis 1 toe ends upwards and back to back in the traditional carrying manner. The user 8 then passes the loop 3 over the upper end of the pair of skis 1 and down over the toe bindings 4. The user 8 can then pull the loop up the skis 1 until it hooks around the toe binding 4.

The user 8 then hoists the strap 2 carefully over this or her shoulder and is free to walk with the skis 1 safely secured.

In transit or before loading the user 8 may wish to adjust the strap length by using the slide and snag element 6.

To unload the skis 1 from the device the user 8 carefully lowers the strap 2 from his or her shoulder. Alternatively the user may release the snap fastener 5 and then lower the skis 1 to the ground. Once the skis 1 are supported by the ground it is simple to unhook the loop 3 from the toe bindings 4 and completely

free the skis 1. The user 8 then may place the device in his or her pocket until they need to carry their skis again.

Referring to Fig. 4 a ski-carrying and/or snowboard carrying device is shown which is similar to that illustrated in Fig. 1 except in that in this embodiment the loop 11, although being inextensible, may be opened and closed.

When closed, a catch 12 provided at the free end of the loop is engaged by a lock 13. In this embodiment a combination lock is used. Fig. 4 shows the loop in the open position.

This embodiment is advantageous in that it allows the skis and/or snowboard as carried in the device to be secured to a fixed object such as a post.

The above embodiments have been described by way of example only and many variations are possible without departing from the scope of the invention.

For example, the fasteners may comprise a series of press studs, hook and pile fasteners or a belt and buckle provided with a series of holes at the other end of the strap.

Further the strap and loop may be made from the same material in which case they may be stitched together.

Furthermore the strap may be worn either vertically from a shoulder or across the body from shoulder to hip.