If you've ever spent a day on the mountain, you know that specific feeling when a ski lift chair bench swoops up behind your legs and whisks you away for a ten-minute break. It's a moment of pure relief, usually accompanied by the cold wind on your face and the quiet hum of the cable overhead. But lately, these iconic pieces of mountain machinery aren't just staying at the resorts. They're finding their way into backyards, front porches, and even living rooms, and honestly, it's one of the best home decor trends to hit the mountain-loving community in years.
There is something incredibly nostalgic about owning a piece of a ski resort. Maybe it's the chair you sat on during your first "big mountain" trip, or maybe it just reminds you of those bluebird days with your best friends. Whatever the reason, turning a retired lift chair into a bench is the ultimate way to keep the winter spirit alive all year round, even when it's eighty degrees outside and you're wearing flip-flops instead of ski boots.
The Hunt for the Perfect Chair
You can't exactly walk into a big-box furniture store and pick up a ski lift chair bench off the shelf. Finding one is half the fun—and sometimes half the struggle. Most resorts only retire their lifts every few decades, so when a "boneyard" sale happens, people go absolutely wild. I've seen people drive halfway across the country with a flatbed trailer just to snag a couple of doubles or triples from a mountain that's upgrading to a high-speed quad.
If you aren't lucky enough to live near a resort that's currently dismantling an old lift, you have to get a bit more creative. Scouring Facebook Marketplace or eBay is your best bet, but be prepared to move fast. These things have a cult following. You'll also want to look for "ski swaps" or local auctions in mountain towns. Sometimes, you can find them in pretty rough shape—covered in decades of chipped paint and maybe a little rust—but that's all part of the charm.
What to Look For
When you finally track one down, don't just grab the first one you see without checking it over. You want to make sure the main frame is structurally sound. Surface rust is totally fine and can be sanded off, but you don't want deep corrosion that compromises the metal. Also, think about the size. A double chair is perfect for a small porch, but if you have a massive fire pit area, a triple or even a quad chair makes a much bolder statement.
Bringing New Life to Old Metal
Once you've got your ski lift chair bench home, the real work (and fun) begins. Unless you bought it fully restored, it's probably going to need some love. Most of these chairs have spent thirty or forty years dangling in the elements, surviving blizzards, UV rays, and thousands of skiers swinging their boots against the frame.
The first step is usually a good deep clean. A pressure washer works wonders here. After that, you've got a choice to make: do you keep the "distressed" look, or do you go for a full restoration? Personally, I love a chair that shows its history—a few scratches here and there tell a story. But if you want it to look brand new, you'll need to sand it down to the bare metal and hit it with a high-quality outdoor enamel or even get it powder-coated. Powder coating is the gold standard because it's incredibly durable and can handle being left out in the rain and snow without chipping.
Choosing Your Wood
The seat and backrest are usually where you can really customize the look. Most original chairs used simple wooden slats, often made of ash or oak. When you're replacing them, you want something that's going to last. Cedar is a popular choice because it's naturally rot-resistant and smells great. If you want something even tougher, Ipe or Teak are fantastic, though they'll cost you a bit more. A nice dark stain can make the bench look sophisticated, while a bright, colorful paint job can give it that "ski shack" vibe.
Mounting and Safety (Don't Skip This!)
This is the part where things get a little tricky. A ski lift chair bench wasn't originally designed to sit on the ground; it was designed to hang from a thick steel cable. This means the center of gravity is all sorts of weird when you first get it. If you just set it down, it's going to tip over the second someone tries to sit in it.
You have two main options for mounting: an A-frame stand or hanging it from a beam.
- The A-Frame Stand: This is the most common DIY route. You build (or buy) a heavy-duty metal or wooden frame that the chair attaches to. This makes the bench "portable" in the sense that you can move it around your patio, though it'll still be heavy as lead.
- Hanging It: If you have a sturdy porch overhang or a beefy pergola, hanging the chair is the way to go. It keeps that "floating" feeling of being on the mountain. Just make sure your hardware is rated for the weight. These chairs aren't light, and once you add two or three adults, you're looking at several hundred pounds of stress on your ceiling beams. Don't wing it—use heavy-duty eye bolts and chains.
Where to Put Your New Favorite Bench
Once it's finished and mounted, the question is: where does it go? The obvious choice is the back patio, right next to the fire pit. There's something poetically right about sitting on a ski lift chair while roasting marshmallows. It creates an instant conversation piece. People who don't even ski will want to sit in it just because it looks cool.
But don't rule out the front porch. It's a great way to show off your personality to the neighborhood. I've even seen people put a ski lift chair bench in their mudroom. If you have the space, it's the perfect place to sit down and pull on your boots before heading out into the cold. It ties the whole "mountain cabin" aesthetic together perfectly, even if you're living in a suburban neighborhood.
The "Vibe" Factor
At the end of the day, owning a ski lift chair bench isn't just about having a place to sit. It's about the vibe. It's about that feeling of "apres-ski" even when you haven't been on the slopes in months. It's a reminder of the outdoors, of adventure, and of the simple joy of being carried up a mountain.
Every time you sit down, you'll probably find yourself thinking about your favorite runs, that one time you got stuck on the lift for twenty minutes during a whiteout, or the breathtaking views from the summit. It's a piece of functional art that brings a bit of the wild mountain spirit into your home. And honestly, isn't that better than some generic plastic chair from a garden center? I think so. Whether you're a hardcore local or a weekend warrior, a lift chair bench is the ultimate way to pay tribute to the sport we all love.