Good (and Maybe Ridiculous) Ways To Use Old Skis

Ah, the good old days…

Seeing your dusty skis from ten years ago in your garage may bring back good memories of a time when your knees would still ski moguls and your metabolism could handle après nachos. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could make them useful again?

Have a quiver of old Wagner skis and snowboards? Build yourself two chairs and center table! 

Here are some creative (and ridiculous) ways to give your old skis a new life and keep them out of the landfill. These will also give you a good project or two during mud season, and let anyone who comes to visit know you’re a skier.

The Classic Adirondack Chair

This is the most common way to repurpose your beloved boards, mostly because it’s the one that’s most useful—even if it’s not, ultimately, all that comfortable. You’ll need three pairs of old skis, wood to make the braces, a circular saw with a metal-cutting blade, a drill, and beer to drink after it’s done. If you’re serious about this project, go to skichair.com to purchase plans and instructions for a basic model. 

Product testing after hours.

The Shotski

No ski house is complete without a shotski, which is perfectly suited to deliver four shots of booze down the hatch of four willing participants at once. The most difficult part of this project will be to find the willing participants. All you need is a glue-gun, shot glasses, and a ski with no binding. For the shot glasses themselves, our favorites are these little ski boots that come with their own releasable bindings. (You can remove and wash them, which is very helpful when doing shots of Fireball.)

(Note: click the links to find out how we can turn your Wagners into shot skis and/or ski sabers!)

Sled That Will Be Too Fast for Your Own Good

Skis are good at doing one thing: sliding downhill fast. Let them live another life doing just that, just as a sled. You’ll need some pretty serious design and DIY chops to do it—as well as a good insurance policy when you’re done—but there will be nothing more satisfying than flying down your backyard hill on your old boards. Not recommended for anyone who refuses to wear a helmet or who dislikes going to the emergency room.

Worst. Fence. Ever.*

For a fence that offers all the security of a stern glance and the vibe of a dumpy ski-shanty, start collecting those skis now. You’ll need a lot of them. This is a great home downgrade to punish neighbors you secretly hate, and it looks best when paired with a rusty car that no longer operates. The best thing about this fence, though, is that if you don’t like it, just wait until the next strong breeze.

(*Note that the editor and Graphics Guru obviously have differing options on this. :) Check out the header image for proof it can be done very well.)

We may have to add one of these to our collection.

Floating Wine Bottle Holder

We have no idea how to do this, but we do like wine. Thank goodness for the Internet—this site offers step-by-step instructions.

The “I Ski” Coat Rack

If you’d like to let your guests know immediately upon entering your house that you have a ski habit—which may or may not have led you to make questionable choices—make a coat rack out of your old skis. You can either build one that stands on its own or mount one horizontally on the wall with coat hooks on the ski itself. This idea also works for a festive stocking hanger come Christmas, if you can figure out how to secure it to the mantle without making it a permanent fixture. 

Wagner Custom x BCC Artist Series Gallery event in December 2019.

Hang Them Like the Artwork They Are

If your old skis happen to be Wagner Customs (they’re durable, all right, but everything gets old eventually), they’re already works of art—especially if they have topsheets from our Artist’s Series or your own custom graphic. To spruce up your ski house, just take off the bindings and mount them on the wall! They also work great on an outdoor wall, too. Remember, upcycling isn't just good for the environment—it's the perfect way to pass the time in mud season.

Happy DIY!

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