For those who’ve ever wished to take your motorhome snowboarding or park up within the mountains over winter, this publish is for you!
Learn to winterise your motorhome & put together for snow and residing in excessive chilly. We additionally discuss the way to discover in a single day parking locations for vans, aires or campsites throughout winter, the way to handle energy throughout winter vanlife, issues to organise earlier than you permit and getting essentially the most out of ski tenting.
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Motorhome skiing- what’s it?
One of many issues we love most about travelling in our motorhome is the liberty. The power to go the place we would like, once we need to (world pandemics apart!)
We spend a variety of time touring Europe in a motorhome and we prefer to assume we’re pretty good at adapting to our surroundings. We’re fairly self-sufficient, know the way to keep off-grid for a number of days with out problem and might handle energy, water, waste and all that different stuff which comes with expertise.
However…
There’s something about staying in a motorhome up excessive within the mountains, whereas temperatures drop properly under freezing, snow falls (so much!) and issues get much more inaccessible which is a very completely different kind of vanlife.
Your choices are fewer and it’s a must to be way more ‘on the ball’ with issues like campervan heating and taking good care of your automobile.
That is motorhome snowboarding (or ski tenting, because the Europeans name it).
So, what’s the massive cope with motorhome snowboarding?
We’ve carried out a variety of winter highway journeys within the UK. We’ve been within the mountains in Europe as late as December, and once more in March. Each occasions there was snow, however we didn’t keep longer than a day and it wasn’t proper within the coronary heart of the chilly season.
A few years in the past, we had an epic winter highway journey in Europe and spent per week at Mont Dore in central (ish) France, and had a VERY steep studying curve each earlier than we went and while we have been there.
On this publish, I need to share with you the most important suggestions and tips we learnt for residing in a motorhome over winter.
Our fears earlier than we headed to the snow…
Our greatest concern is whether or not our motorhome (a UK-built Swift 685) will likely be as much as the rigours of winter motorhome residing in such a chilly, hostile atmosphere.
Would we be heat sufficient? Will our methods cope? What preparation do we have to do upfront to make life simpler? What occurs if all of it goes incorrect?
To assist educate ourselves, we spoke to somebody who has spent months in mountains over winter. Actually, 95% of all her time in a motorhome EVER has been throughout winter.
Please observe that winterising your motorhome to be used in mountains just like the Alps is NOT the identical as getting ready your van to be used within the UK all through winter- that’s a lot simpler and also you don’t must do a lot of the steps talked about under.
For those who’re not going to be utilizing your van for a couple of weeks, we extremely advocate shutting it down safely to keep away from burst pipework or harm. Learn our step-by-step information to winter shutdown right here.
Motorhome snowboarding and winterising your motorhome video
Watch our video chat with Hannah from winterised.com and snomadsites.com. For those who favor to learn or need extra data on factors mentioned within the video, you’ll discover them under.
We hope you discovered the video helpful. For those who did, we’d like it if you adopted us on Youtube. New movies with suggestions for motorhoming and campervanning within the UK and Europe are launched weekly.
Motorhome & Campervan skiing- important suggestions
As mentioned within the video above, listed here are some tricks to put together your motorhome or camper for winter spent within the mountains. A few of them genuinely are life-saving; getting caught in temperatures and circumstances like these with out being ready is not any joke.
Winterise & Put together your automobile
It’s extremely possible that your motorhome or campervan is not going to be adequate in its present state (except you obtain one particularly for winter use!)
Due to this fact, you’re going to want to do some work to it to get it snow-ready!
Jobs to do to arrange for winter within the mountains embody:
Insulating your motorhome
Apparently, the traditional ‘gray’ lagging insulation isn’t sufficient. The black model (referred to as Armaflex) is the one to get- accessible from most European {hardware} shops or Amazon. Locations to focus on embody:
- Exterior water tanks and pipework (It’s value including some to inside water tanks too when you can)
- Any pipework which runs alongside the ground (that’s most of it!)
- Wheel arches
- The ground– attempt to create a ‘double ground’ impact utilizing insulated matting the place you may, or use carpet items
Important GEAR to take
There are some belongings you NEED to carry- and a few belongings you SHOULD carry to make life simpler for you!
This isn’t an exhaustive listing, however start line contains:
Utilizing your motorhome throughout winter
It’s vital to do not forget that how you utilize your motorhome between spring-autumn is not going to be the identical as utilizing it in the midst of winter up a mountain in -17c!
Your methods is not going to operate in the best way you is perhaps used to, and there will likely be different jobs you might want to do to maintain every thing operating.
Even when you’re used to wild tenting together with your motorhome, you should definitely take note of the following pointers:
Waste tanks
If you park up, place an exterior bucket or container beneath the gray waste drain, and depart it open. This helps forestall freezing. Make sure to empty the bucket usually!
Most Aires can have locations to eliminate waste, though not all amenities can be found on a regular basis (we’ll get to that!)
Water
Many aires and campsites will depart a contemporary water faucet operating, in order that it doesn’t freeze. We additionally recommend utilizing a water filter for ANY campsite water- simply in case (or get certainly one of these AMAZING lifesaver jerrycans)
TOP TIP: Don’t drink yellow snow… 😉
Energy & Heating
Many campsites within the mountains don’t have 16 amp electrical energy provide and so your campervan or motorhome heating won’t work in addition to you’re used to! It additionally means you might want to be selective about how a lot electrical energy you’re utilizing without delay (you don’t need to be THAT van which is consistently tripping everybody’s electrical…)
Gasoline heating is a superb alternative- however it makes use of a variety of gasoline. We get by a 6kg bottle in about 3 days. We extremely advocate becoming refillable gasoline bottles in your motorhome when you’re going to be travelling in Europe a lot- be sure you know the place the closest provide is (and if it stays open throughout winter!)
Diesel heating can be an incredible different, however many vans don’t include it as commonplace. For those who do match it, pay attention to the burden and the way it impacts your motorhome payload.
Don’t overlook, you will have someplace to dry moist gear. It helps you probably have a toilet with heating- string a line throughout the highest and grasp every thing as much as dry in a single day.
READ MORE: Every part you might want to find out about motorhome/ camper heating
Photo voltaic
You possibly can’t depend on solar energy throughout winter in the identical means you may at different occasions of the yr. The solar isn’t as robust, there are extra midnights and extra areas of shade. Additionally, you’ll be utilizing extra energy than you may usually.
If you have already got a photo voltaic panel fitted, then by all means use what you may, however don’t depend on it as your solely energy supply.
Battery
Batteries don’t like chilly. They don’t run as successfully so you might want to be extra vigilant about taking care of them, ensuring they don’t run too low, giving them cost usually and usually babying them.
READ MORE: Every part you might want to find out about motorhome leisure batteries
Generator
For those who’re going to take your motorhome snowboarding, you’ll in all probability need to carry a motorhome generator. Everybody does- simply you should definitely use it through the day, not late at evening!
LED lights
We all the time advocate LED lights to avoid wasting power- particularly when you’re doing a variety of motorhome wild tenting, however in winter it turns into important.
After all, don’t overlook your clothes. Right here’s a necessary information of what to put on when snowboarding
Hiring a motorhome or campervan for snowboarding
There are corporations which lease out motorhomes or campervans for snowboarding. For those who select to do this, please make certain the van is correctly insulated and outfitted with every thing you want.
Motorhome skiing- aires or campsites?
Certainly one of our greatest questions was HOW do you discover someplace to remain within the mountains? Motorhome touring in France is simple sufficient in ‘regular’ seasons, however we all know many mountain roads shut throughout winter- so how do we all know the place we are able to go or the place is open?
It’s true that many websites shut throughout winter, however there are locations, together with free motorhome parking and in a single day stopover spots which stay open all yr. Sadly, it seems to be like some aires are being closed, however there are nonetheless campsites open and accessible.
There are professionals and cons as to if you keep in an aire or on a campsite to your ski tenting journey!
TIP: For those who’re searching for ski tenting websites, search for the phrases ‘caravaneige’ or ‘snowmobiling’- each phrases utilized by the French
Execs of campsites
- Can typically be booked in advance- simpler when you’re reserving ski faculties or gear rent
- Extra dependable electrical hookup
- Simpler when you’re motorhoming with children
- Bus or service to take you to the lifts if it’s not close by
- Drying rooms- this looks as if an incredible resolution to the moist clothes issue- there’s nothing worse than damp ski jackets and pants the day after! (Bear in mind to take your personal padlock for safety within the drying room)
- Assist getting towed out when you get caught
- Different amenities, akin to a small store or restaurant, which may be useful
Right here’s an instance of a campsite we’ve heard good opinions about which caters to motorhomes, campervans and even caravans throughout winter! (I like the actual fact it has an indoor pool!)
Execs of Aires
- Cheaper
- Extra flexibility to observe the snow
- Feels extra like an journey!
The best way to discover locations to stick with your motorhome throughout winter
It may be tough to discover Aires in Europe within the typical means for motorhome snowboarding. It’s not simply discovering the places- it’s understanding if they’re open throughout winter, what amenities they’ve open throughout winter and what number of areas will likely be accessible (aires can go from 140+ areas to lower than 50!)
A greater possibility is to make use of snomadsites.com, which caters for winter websites and has extra data than you possibly can even assume to ask!
Is motorhome snowboarding cheaper than happening a ski vacation?
This can be a robust one. Most individuals who go on a snowboarding vacation solely go for per week or two most.
Most individuals who take their motorhomes to the mountains both stay close by or are going for a few months.
Nevertheless, as Hannah says, the hassle and expense wanted to ensure your automobile is correctly capable of hand a winter within the mountains typically makes it not value it except you intend to spend months on the market.
It’s additionally much more tough when it comes to sensible life- you might have moist clothes and damp to cope with, water, gasoline and electrical points and the fixed concern about getting snowed in. For those who’re simply doing it to get monetary savings in your highway journeys, you may need to assume once more or at the least do the sums very rigorously earlier than you commit.
Phew! That was a variety of data to absorb however, as we found, ski tenting is a very completely different kind of motorhoming or vanlife.
Nothing beats ‘doing it your self’, however I hope you are feeling way more knowledgeable earlier than your first motorhome ski journey.
For those who’ve been snowboarding and brought your motorhome or camper and have another suggestions, please do depart a remark and share your knowledge.
Protected travels!
Final replace on 2024-07-28 / Affiliate hyperlinks / Photos from Amazon Product Promoting API
