Product Description Most outdoor chairs are forgotten the moment guests sit down. This one stops people in their tracks. Walk into any patio furniture store and the formula is the same. Stamped aluminum frames, injection-molded plastic, teak veneer over particle board. All of it engineered to look acceptable in a showroom and deteriorate quietly in your backyard over the next three summers. We had a different starting point. Adam started collecting old skis in 1995 because he couldn't stand the idea of them ending up in a landfill. He was a semi-pro ski racer in Colorado, competing against people who would go on to become Olympians. Skiing was everything to him. When that chapter ended and he found himself stuck in a corporate job, he went back to the garage in Manitou Springs with a set of DeWalt tools and started building. That was 2007. Colorado Ski Furniture has kept over a million pounds of skis and snowboards out of landfills since. The same chair. A completely different statement. The Hand Painted Compact Alpine Chair is built the same way every Colorado Ski Furniture piece is built. Same solid Douglas fir frame and arms, same real skis or snowboards for the seat and back, same team in Manitou Springs that has been handcrafting these for nearly two decades. The difference is what happens before the chair leaves the shop. Every surface gets hand painted to your spec, turning a chair that already starts conversations into something nobody else has. You choose your base stain, back style, and whether you want rockers before we build it. No two chairs come out the same. Here's how the process works. The base is Douglas fir, available in five stains: Walnut, Redwood, Gray, Ebony, or Blue-Grey. From there you pick your back style, all skis, all snowboards, or a hybrid of both. There's also an option to add rockers if that's your thing. From there, the design is yours. You can reference one of the painted examples in the product photos, describe something you have in mind, or bring a completely original idea. Colorado mountain scenery, a state flag, a specific color palette, something personal to you. If you can describe it, the team can paint it. When you order, use the notes box to tell us what direction you're thinking. Before anything gets built, the team will reach out to go over the details and share a design proof for you to approve. Nothing gets painted until you sign off on it. If for whatever reason we can't bring it to life, you get a full refund, no questions asked. We have plenty of customers on their third and fourth order. Once you see how it comes together, it's hard to go back to something off a shelf. What makes someone stop and ask about a chair? With a standard chair it's the skis and boards. Every one has a history and you can feel it. With a hand painted chair, it's that and the artwork on top of it. Customers tell us their guests walk past every other piece of furniture in the yard and want to know the story. "They're always the center of attention when we're in the backyard," one customer told us. That's not something you get from Pottery Barn or Costco. These also make the kind of gift people actually remember. A hand painted chair built around someone's favorite mountain, a place they've skied, or a design that means something to them is not something you find anywhere else. "Extremely excited to give a pair of ski chairs as a wedding gift," one customer said after working through the customization. That kind of thing happens here more than you'd think. A note on fit The compact design sits more upright than a standard Adirondack chair, which makes it easier to get in and out of and pairs naturally with fire pit height and standard patio table setups. It delivers real comfort without the footprint that makes a larger chair feel like a commitment. If you're unsure whether this or the standard size is right for your space, reach out and we'll help you figure it out before you order. This is a family business. Most of the time Adam will pick up the phone himself. Everyone here is proud of what they build, and that comes through in the product and the experience of ordering one. Makes an unforgettable gift for anyone who loves skiing, snowboarding, or just owning something nobody else has. Handcrafted in Manitou Springs, Colorado. Hand painted to your spec. Built to handle whatever you put it through. Dimensions Width: 25" Depth: 30" Height: 36" Ships fully assembled. No tools required. Materials Every chair is built to last through Colorado winters and beyond. Frame: sustainably harvested Douglas fir Seat & back: retired alpine skis sourced from local resorts Hardware: stainless steel screws and brackets Finish: weather-proof exterior oil paint/stain Finish Each chair is hand-painted by Colorado artisans — no two are exactly alike. Weather-proof exterior oil stain UV-resistant topcoat for outdoor use Available in natural wood, painted, or custom color on request Contact us if you'd like a specific color match for your space.
