Patent ID: 7611035

Claim:
A rack for carrying skis or snowboards behind a vehicle comprising a hitch mounting device configured to mount in a female receiving member on the back of a vehicle, a mast rigidly attached to the hitch mounting device oriented substantially vertically, at least two arms connected to the mast, each arm having a support portion extending rearward relative to the vehicle substantially perpendicular to the mast, and a securing device for temporarily cradling and securing a substantially horizontal bar of a bicycle or a ski rack, a ski rack assembly configured for mounting on the securing devices on the support portions of the arms, including first and second rigid U-shaped bar members, each bar member having a first leg connected to a center piece connected to a second leg, the first legs of the first and second bar members being connected by a first set of upper and lower clamp devices, the second legs of the first and second bar members being connected by a second set of upper and lower clamp devices, each clamp device having a gap for receiving skis or snowboards, wherein each of the upper and lower clamp devices is connected to respective legs of the bar members by brackets that permit rotation of the brackets around axes parallel to the legs, allowing the rack assembly to be collapsed toward a substantially coplanar storage position.