Adirondack Chair Sets Built From Real Retired Skis
Somebody always ends up standing. You bought one chair, you loved it, and then a second person came out onto the deck with a drink and there was nowhere to put them. That is how most of these orders start. A matched set of Adirondack ski chairs fixes the standing problem, and does one thing a single chair cannot, which is carry a single painted scene across every seat in the row.
We build this furniture in Manitou Springs, Colorado, out of skis and snowboards that were done being skis and snowboards. A set is not a volume discount on the same chair copied a few times. The mural gets drawn for the whole group at once. The ridgeline starts on the first chair, crosses the second, and lands on the last one. Line them up and the picture reads across all of them. Drag one over to the fire pit alone and it still looks like it was meant to be there.
This page covers matched sets in general, what changes when you order more than one seat, and how chairs mix with benches, tables and ottomans. If you already know your number, the pair page and the four page go deeper on those counts.
Big circles around a fire pit
Sets do not stop at four. This one is eight oak whiskey barrel Adirondack chairs ringing a fire pit, which is what happens when the whole family shows up and nobody wants to go inside.
One design, four seats
Four Colorado flag ski chairs built as one unit. The flag work was laid out for the group, not repeated four times and hoped for.
Chairs plus the other pieces
A set can be chairs, side tables and ottomans together. Same skis, same paint, same afternoon on the deck with your feet up.
What actually changes when you buy a set
Two things, and both are about the painting rather than the woodworking. First, the mural is composed across the whole group. A mountain range gets more room over four chair backs than over one, so the peaks can be taller and the sky can carry more gradient. Second, the color mixing happens once. Every gallon of exterior oil paint on a set comes from the same batch, so the blues match on delivery day and they still match three summers later.
The skis are the part we cannot standardize, and would not want to. These are retired skis, so a set will have variety in it. That is the point. If you still want the graphics to feel unified, it usually comes down to picking a color family and letting the brands land where they land.
Sets are not just chairs
Look through this category and you will find plenty of groups that are not four identical seats. Two chairs and a ski bench around a fire pit. Chairs with a snowboard runner dining table. Bar stools with a pub table. Wine barrel chairs with a round barrel top side table between them. Chairs, side tables and ottomans as a six piece group. If you can picture the arrangement, we have probably built something close to it.
Odd numbers are fine
Sets of three come up more than people expect. Two chairs and a bench. Two chairs and a table. A chair, a rocker and an ottoman. No rule says patio furniture has to come in even numbers, and the mural work is arguably more interesting when the composition is asymmetric.
How many pairs of skis a set takes
Worth knowing if you are thinking about sending us your own gear. One Adirondack ski chair takes four to five pairs of skis. A matched set of two takes eight to ten pairs, a set of four takes sixteen to twenty, and by eight chairs the garage has to give up somewhere between thirty two and forty pairs. A snowboard chair needs at least three boards. A single snowboard makes a very good coffee table or bench, which is a different product entirely and a fine use for the one board you kept.
Most people ordering a set buy from our stock of retired skis, which is completely normal. If you do have a pile in the garage with history attached, call us before you commit to a count.
Specs that apply to every chair in a set
- Adirondack chairs measure 45 inches tall by 36 inches deep by 32 inches wide. Some builds run 55 inches tall.
- Comfortable for people from 3 feet to 6 feet 10, which covers grandkids through the tallest person at the barbecue.
- Sturdy Douglas Fir base under every chair, built in Colorado.
- Cup holder made from a repurposed ski binding on each seat. Your hardware keeps working after the skis retire.
- Hand painted in high quality exterior oil paint. Weatherproof, meant to live outside.
- 400 lb weight capacity. Feel free to snuggle with your sweetie!
- 3 year hassle free warranty. Yup.
- Rocker conversion is $75 more per chair, built on repurposed oak wine barrel slats.
Murals, colors and logos
Every mural on these chairs is painted by hand in exterior oils. Never a decal. That is why the mountain on chair three lines up with the mountain on chair two, and it is also why a set takes the time it takes.
A logo is different. A logo is never painted. It goes on as a logo decal floated onto a painted background, so the mark holds its exact shape and color instead of being approximated with a brush. Aluminum appliques and plastic appliques are the other two options, each priced differently, and the logo can sit on the front or the back. Branded work gets quoted on a call rather than listed. Call and we will walk through it.
Colors are wide open. Pick ski brands, pick a palette, tell us which colors to leave out. Several sets in this category started with somebody asking for greys because the full blue and gold Colorado flag was a bit loud for the neighbors.
Lead time and delivery
Made to order runs two to four weeks. Some pieces are finished and ready to ship right now, so if you are up against a deadline, ask what is on the floor. Most chairs ship free to the lower 48. We deliver locally across Colorado, including Colorado Springs, Denver, Breckenridge, Vail and Aspen, and we ship nationwide to the lower 48.
Larger sets are worth a phone call first. A six or eight piece group has more decisions in it than a checkout page can hold, and five minutes on the phone saves a lot of back and forth.
Frequently asked questions
Do all the chairs in a set have to look the same?
No. Matching is the default because most people want it, but plenty of sets are deliberately mixed. The mural can run across the group as one continuous scene, or each chair can carry its own design in a shared palette. Sets built from customer gear often mix eras of skis, and those tend to be the ones we photograph.
Can I combine chairs, benches and tables in one set?
Yes, and many sets here do exactly that. Chairs with a ski bench, chairs with a snowboard runner dining table, chairs with matching ottomans and a barrel top side table. Every piece gets the same paint batch so the group reads as one thing.
If I order two chairs now, can I add matching chairs later?
You can, and tell us at the start so we note the palette. The honest limit is this. Paint we can match closely. Skis are retired gear, so the exact brands and graphics from a build a year ago will not be sitting on the rack. If a perfect match matters, order the full count at once.
Does a whole set ship free?
Most chairs ship free to the lower 48. Multi piece sets with tables and benches are worth confirming on a call, since freight on a large dining table is a different animal than freight on a chair. Local delivery across Colorado is available.
Can a set be built as rockers instead of standard chairs?
Yes. Rocker conversion is $75 more per chair and the rockers are cut from repurposed oak wine barrel slats. You can also do a mixed set, two standard and two rockers, if the people in your house have strong opinions about rocking.
How long does a set take to build?
Generally two to four weeks. A larger group with a continuous mural sits at the longer end, because the painting is one job rather than several. Some finished pieces are ready to ship immediately, so ask if you are working against a date.
