For those of you who might not be aware of ski racing history, Hermann Maier was a phenomenal racer for Austria during the late 1990s and early 2000s. He was known for overcoming an almost fatal motorcycle accident to win two gold medals in the 1998 Olympics in Nagano, Japan. He won many other Olympic and World Cup racing events over his career, becoming the most decorated male skier ever from Austria.
Austrian-born movie actor and former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger gave Maier the nickname “The Hermanator” after the actor’s lead character in the “Terminator” movies in the 1980s.
I was involved in a citizens’ ski racing league in the early 2000s and much admired Maier’s performances, particularly in the downhill event. At that time, Maier raced on Austrian- made Atomic skis and the skis he used for many of his wins were known as “Red Sleds” because of their red color and the speed they gave him.
Of course, I figured that if I had a pair of those, I might become dominant on the citizens’ ski race circuit. (Full disclosure: I won lots of gold medals on the race circuit, but mostly because I got a generous handicap for being, well, um, advanced in age. There were many faster racers, but at least I could say I won gold medals).
So I bought a pair of 200 cm Atomic Titanium Beta Race skis (they even came with a sticker that said “Hermann Maier’s skis”) and raced on them for one year and did well. But then almost overnight, ski design changed. Provoked by the introduction of severe side cuts and the move toward much shorter skis (You can thank American ski race phenom Bode Miller for that trend), my Red Sleds were no longer the cool skis to have. on the race circuit.
Having seen the light, I got the next generation of Atomic race skis and left my old Red Sleds to be abandoned in a corner of the garage. I think I sometimes I could hear them whimpering when I walked by them and noticed the dust they had accumulated.
So what does all of this have to do with anything?
Over the years, I owned many different skis and as I replaced them with newer models, I did not part with them, foolishly thinking they might still have some value. Then about three years ago, I stumbled across an article about making an “Adirondack” style chair out of old skis. Perhaps from wintertime boredom, I finally decided to try to make a chair out some of the nine pairs of old skis that were in the garage.
I was hoping that I had enough skis to avoid cutting up my Red Sleds and also to save my wife’s favorite skis, Rossignol ROC 550s (also long and narrow). The math worked out. I was able to make the chair out of five different pairs of skis, including one set that I bought and never used.
I used two 2X4 eight-foot studs and one 2×6 eight-foot piece of wood to make the frame. I stained the wood, then coated it with urethane spar varnish to protect it from the weather. I attached a 1/4″ layer of plastic on the bottom of the legs to keep the wood from absorbing water when it sits outside on my patio.
Next, I began sawing the skis into two sections. I had to use a carbide blade to cut through the metal used for the ski edges and other internal metal reinforcement. I then attached the tail end of the skis on the seat frame first.
Next I attached the front of my newer Atomic skis upside down on the front of the frame to serve as arm rests. Then I started attaching the tips of the skis to the back of the seat frame, arranging them in an arch with the highest point in the center of the back.
Finally, I reinforced the back of the back of the chair with a 2×4 that connected the tips and the arms of the chair.
Below is the finished product in my back yard.
And here’s a video showing it after completion in my garage.
The cost of the project was pretty cheap, less than $50 for wood, various screws, a metal-cutting blade and stain/sealant. I worked on the project on and off for about four days.
Yes, I know it’s kind of tacky and looks like a remedial high school shop woodworking project, but I think it will be an interesting conversation piece in my back yard. But unless I want to sacrifice the Red Sleds and my wife’s ROC 550s, I’m out of material to make another one. I’ll just enjoy this one for a while as I relax in it and dream about my glory days of slicing through the gates on the slopes. “:^)
aero-cordero.com 