Benches made from chairlifts. Shelves made from snowshoes. Ski bunny posters made from... paper. These are the kinds of things you’ll find at <em>Vintage Winter</em>, an online repository of handsome and impossible-to-find gear from the glory days of skiing. And here’s what’s sitting at the top of the heap.
This looks like a chairlift. You noticed. What with the giant overhead bar and all. But surprise: it’s actually your new bench. The wooden seat fits two. So park it on the patio, invite someone over and pat the spot next to you. They love it when you do that.
Think of these 1920s planks as the magnum opus of vintage skis: top-notch condition, original labels, leather bindings. Plus, they were made by Northland Co., the most revered ski company of the time. So maybe don’t ski on them. Maybe just look at them. Or ski on them. But probably don’t.
Old snowshoes: useful if you need to walk in deep snow, need to play a visually awkward game of tennis or... need a new shelf. All you have to do is stick some planks of reclaimed wood in the middle (like someone did for this one) and voilà: snowshoe shelf. It’s the little things.
Appearance is everything. Which is why this sideways-sitting steed—you sit on a little bench and swing your legs over the side—is particularly perfect. You’ll be barreling down snowy hills with the panache of a 1950s aristocrat. So hopefully that’s something you’ve always wanted to do.
Posters of ski bunnies are good. Posters of sepia-toned ski bunnies from the ’30s are better. These were originally advertisements for a hotel in Combloux Mont Blanc. The paper it’s printed on is guaranteed to last 100 years. Your grandkids will appreciate that the paper it’s printed on is guaranteed to last 100 years.
