Every winter sports enthusiast dreams of having their own equipment that is optimally suited to their own body and level and that makes it easy to spontaneously explore the nearest ski slopes for a weekend. Unfortunately, skis, snowboards, the appropriate boots and poles all get old at some point and need to be replaced with new equipment. But what should one do with the old equipment that might even still be good? SnowTrex knows four ways to prevent throwing away ski and snowboard equipment.
Selling: Finding new owners for those old piste favourites
The option that probably pops into most people’s heads first is to find a new owner for their old favourites. Nowadays, you don’t have to visit flea markets or ski bazaars to do this. Although these are still very good options, you can also simply use the internet and put your equipment on Ebay and the like and wait for someone to get in touch for whom your junk is their treasure. It’s the best way to get rid of your old equipment while earning some money at the same time, which you can invest in your next pair of skis or snowboard.
Some ski shops even offer to take old equipment upon purchase of new equipment and either recycle it or dispose of it for their customers. This way, you don’t have to take care of it yourself and can get straight to work on your new sporty purchase.
Giving away: Making others happy
What should you do if your old equipment is still good, but you have already fallen in love with new skis or a new snowboard? Throw them away and then have a guilty conscience? Or would you rather make someone else happy?
Many opt for the latter and take advantage of the favourable situation to give away their equipment at Christmas, for example. Whether within the family, like from one sibling to another, from mother to daughter, from uncle to nephew, or within the circle of friends – the winter gift usually brings a lot of joy. In addition, by giving ski or snowboard equipment as a gift, you can also pass on your own fascination for winter sports to friends, creating a new shared hobby.
Recycling: Turning old into new
A very sustainable, style-conscious and also modern method that winter sports fans opt for is to repurpose old equipment into furniture or other everyday objects.
For example, you can turn individual skis or snowboards into any kind of furnishing item such as picture frames, wine racks or ceiling lamps. If you have accumulated more ski equipment over the past decades, you can also upcycle it into large pieces of furniture such as benches, chairs, tables, stools or shelves.
And if friends and family also have old skis and snowboards to spare, the material can even be enough for a colourful fence, where every single slat can tell at least one exciting ski story.
With innovative ideas and a little craftsmanship, you can repurpose and reinvent everything you once used on the pistes. Together with old skis, bindings become coat hooks and stylish bottle openers, short fun carvers become firewood racks and helmets become new lampshades.
What’s more, the processed pieces don’t necessarily have to have a wintry style in the end. Ski poles, for example, can be turned into lamp stands that, sprayed with a little paint, often give no hint at all of their unusual origins.
Decorating: Embellishing your own home
Those who found their last skis, snowboard or even poles particularly beautiful can also use them to decorate their home.
Unprocessed wooden skis from grandparents, for example, look good when mounted decoratively on walls. The same works with colourful and more modern ski boards, which can add a little more colour to your walls at home.
And outdoors as well, for example in the garden, the alpine ski slope companions make for decorative eye-catchers. Fortunately, you don’t have to worry about the weather resistance of your decoration in this case. You can repurpose them and use them as you wish.
One way to make them blend in with nature and look less harsh, for example, is to make flower pots or cut sticks out of your old ski boots. Attached to a wooden board or a ski, this creates a wind chime into which the air current blows, creating pleasant sounds.
FAQ’s about old skis and snowboards
What can I do with old skis and snowboards?
Old ski equipment can be used in many ways if it is no longer suitable for you. For example, it can be sold or given away to others as a gift. Or it can be repurposed as a piece of furniture or decoration.
When can I still sell or give away my old ski equipment?
The condition of skis and snowboards depends on many different factors. Therefore, there are no fixed standards that say whether the equipment is still piste-worthy or not. However, in order to get information about the condition of the equipment, it can help to have it checked in a sports shop. This usually tells you whether the equipment can be sold or given away with a clear conscience.
Where can I find inspiration for upcycling my ski equipment?
If you need inspiration to decide what to make out of the old ski materials or need even more pictorial input, you can type in terms like “ski decor” or “ski furniture” into any search engine and be motivated by lots of good ideas as a result.
Where to find old skis?
If you don’t have any skis yourself or not enough to build a bench, for example, you can ask family and friends if they happen to have some old skis in the cellar. Otherwise, creative ski fans can also turn to ski hire shops and save old equipment from the trash.
