Anybody got a good use for old skis/ski equipment?

Plastic G'zus · Post by **Plastic G'zus** » Sun Jan 27, 2008 5:13 pm

I live in a ski town, and every spring every ski rental shop in town throws away 50 to 200 pairs of worn out skis, numerous ski poles, and several pairs of boots. None of these would be worthwhile to use for skiing (by the time the rental shops get rid of them they are trashed), but I've seen several creative uses for them. Up here, people have used them to make chairs, coffee tables, fences, and even the occasional crossbow or catapult, but this seems to have gone out of style, mainly due to a lack of fresh ideas. If anybody has a good use for some (playa or otherwise), let me know and I can grab as many as you want and send them to you, if you pay for shipping.

Post by **AntiM** » Sun Jan 27, 2008 5:31 pm

The poles make good walking canes/sticks.

honeyfire · Post by **honeyfire** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 12:13 am

The boots can be used for small planters and for birdhouses.

If you have any tilty trails around your place, you could use the skis for traction, just dig little trenches sideways across the trail and half-bury some skis individually for erosion control and traction (flat? angled? up to you, depending on how you want to channel mositure), or three at a time to make actual stairs.

Poles can be lashed together in various arrangements for trellises for plants to grow on. Hell, enough poles and maybe skis for the lower supports and you could make a gazebo...
That'd be cool.

uncle sticky · Post by **uncle sticky** » Wed Feb 20, 2008 3:35 pm

I'm building a project for this years' burn as a tribute to my friend
Brad who died skiing here in Idaho. Imagine a field of skis, tails buried
in the playa, with a pathway that leads to a solitary pair, tips
buried, helmet hanging on the tails, a tribute to a fallen friend. To
achieve this I need those old skis that are hanging in your garage,
never to be skied again. I'm hoping for at least 100 pairs. Please
email me at graydon @ cableone. net if you can help! I would ask folks to start hoarding them now, and either bring them to the burn, or we'll figure out a way to get them from you.

I'm in Idaho, but have friends in a few ski towns. Where are you?

Barbie · Post by **Barbie** » Sat Feb 23, 2008 10:12 pm

WOW great Idea Uncle Sticky!!!

Iron Monkey · Post by **Iron Monkey** » Fri Feb 29, 2008 12:44 am

Have you seen the new sticker making the rounds of Sun Valley, Driggs, Alta, JH, and such....

"No one cares that you tele"

Funny shit! No offense, obviously.

I will bring a pair or 6 for you....assuming you're really doing the tribute. Also, there is a group from Whistler who do the Apres Ski party at the burn. A ton of ski town folks show up to that.

We have no less than 50 serious snow bums in our camp.

PM me if you're really looking for that number of skis. Be patient, as I check this place about once a month this time of year...

erri2000 · Post by **erri2000** » Fri Feb 29, 2008 5:12 am

AntiM wrote:The poles make good walking canes/sticks.

But wouldn't you have to remove the pointy end so it does not "stab" the playa.

Simon of the Playa · Post by **Simon of the Playa** » Fri Feb 29, 2008 5:27 am

i believe you can make bouncy jumpy stilts out of them, i have seen it on Instructables.com somewhere...

very similar to power stilts etc....

the thought of jumping over a police cruiser on the fly is so tempting for protest use.....or just plain fun...

"catch me if you can.....boing boing boing...."

dragonfly Jafe · Post by **dragonfly Jafe** » Fri Feb 29, 2008 6:43 pm

deleted as redundant...

robotland · Post by **robotland** » Sat Mar 01, 2008 11:22 am

How about removing the hardware from the skis and cutting 'em into dome struts?
I use the old aluminum poles for art projects all the time...but they're pretty available 'round here. In fact, I've got a ray gun with some skipole bits in a vise in the studio right now!

DJ Dominus · Post by **DJ Dominus** » Wed Mar 12, 2008 4:19 pm

Most old skis around here get put on the bottom of ice fishing shanties to make them easier to transport across the lake.

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Thu Mar 13, 2008 9:57 am

A ski resort on the playa. What a cool idea.
Not much snow and pretty sucky slopes, but what the hell. I've seen crazier stuff.

BitterDan · Post by **BitterDan** » Thu Mar 13, 2008 10:43 am

I actually kicked around the idea of making one of those old ski demo things you used to see in sporting goods stores. You know, the rotating mat thing where you ski stationary? The more I thought about it, the more it cost and the less I wanted to build it. Not to mention how hard it would be to get on and off the playa.

mereth · Post by **mereth** » Thu Mar 13, 2008 12:40 pm

Ugly Dougly wrote:A ski resort on the playa. What a cool idea.
Not much snow and pretty sucky slopes, but what the hell. I've seen crazier stuff.

New technology for making polymer snow makes a ski/snowboard resort in Texas possible...

http://www.geekologie.com/2007/11/polym ... ki_res.php

Anybody got a good use for old skis/ski equipment?

Anybody got a good use for old skis/ski equipment?

i just thought this up...

I need old skiis!