If you’ve ever needed to take your motorhome snowboarding or park up within the mountains over winter, this submit is for you!
Learn the way to winterise your motorhome & put together for snow and residing in excessive chilly. We additionally speak about 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 probably the most out of ski tenting.
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Motorhome skiing- what’s it?
One of the issues we love most about travelling in our motorhome is the liberty. The skill to go the place we would like, once we need to (world pandemics apart!)
We spend plenty of time touring Europe in a motorhome and we prefer to assume we’re pretty good at adapting to the environment. We’re fairly self-sufficient, know the way to keep off-grid for a number of days with out challenge and might handle energy, water, waste and all that different stuff which comes with expertise.
But…
There is one thing about staying in a motorhome up excessive within the mountains, whereas temperatures drop nicely under freezing, snow falls (loads!) and issues get much more inaccessible which is a completely totally different kind of vanlife.
Your choices are fewer and it’s a must to be rather more ‘on the ball’ with issues like campervan heating and taking good care of your automobile.
This is motorhome snowboarding (or ski tenting, because the Europeans name it).
So, what’s the large cope with motorhome snowboarding?
We’ve been within the mountains as late as December, and once more in March. Both instances 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 spent every week at Mont Dore in central (ish) France, and had a VERY steep studying curve each earlier than we went and while we had been there. In this submit, 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 largest concern is whether or not our motorhome (a UK-built Swift 685) might 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 fallacious?
To assist educate ourselves, we spoke to somebody who has spent months in mountains over winter. In reality, 95% of all her time in a motorhome EVER has been throughout winter.
Please be aware that winterising your motorhome to be used in mountains just like the Alps is NOT the identical as making 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.
If you’re not going to be utilizing your van for a number of weeks, we extremely advocate shutting it down safely to keep away from burst pipework or injury. Read 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. If you like to learn or need extra info on factors mentioned within the video, you’ll discover them under.
We hope you discovered the video helpful. If you probably did, we’d adore 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 below are some tricks to put together your motorhome or camper for winter spent within the mountains. Some of them genuinely are life-saving; getting caught in temperatures and circumstances like these with out being ready is not any joke.
Winterise & Prepare your automobile
It is very seemingly that your motorhome or campervan is not going to be enough in its present state (until you acquire one particularly for winter use!)
Therefore, 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 ‘grey’ lagging insulation is just not sufficient. The black model (referred to as Armaflex) is the one to get- out there from most European {hardware} shops or Amazon. Places to focus on embody:
- External water tanks and pipework (It’s price including some to inside water tanks too in the event you can)
- Any pipework which runs alongside the ground (that’s most of it!)
- Wheel arches
- The flooring– attempt to create a ‘double floor’ impact utilizing insulated matting the place you may, or use carpet items
Essential 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 is just not an exhaustive listing, however start line contains:
Using your motorhome throughout winter
It’s necessary 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 perform in the way in which you may be used to, and there might be different jobs it is advisable to do to maintain every part working.
Even in the event you’re used to wild tenting together with your motorhome, make sure you take note of the following pointers:
Waste tanks
When you park up, place an exterior bucket or container underneath the gray waste drain, and depart it open. This helps forestall freezing. Be certain to empty the bucket frequently!
Most Aires can have locations to get rid of waste, though not all services can be found on a regular basis (we’ll get to that!)
Water
Many aires and campsites will depart a recent water faucet working, in order that it doesn’t freeze. We additionally counsel utilizing a water filter for ANY campsite water- simply in case (or get considered one of these AMAZING lifesaver jerrycans)
TOP TIP: Don’t drink yellow snow… ????
Power & Heating
Many campsites within the mountains don’t have 16 amp electrical energy provide and so your campervan or motorhome heating may not work in addition to you might be used to! It additionally means it is advisable to be selective about how a lot electrical energy you might be utilizing directly (you don’t need to be THAT van which is consistently tripping everybody’s electrical…)
Gas heating is a good alternative- however it makes use of plenty of fuel. We get by means of a 6kg bottle in about 3 days. We extremely advocate becoming refillable fuel bottles in your motorhome in the event you’re going to be travelling in Europe a lot- be sure to know the place the closest provide is (and if it stays open throughout winter!)
Diesel heating can be an ideal different, however many vans don’t include it as commonplace. If you do match it, pay attention to the load and the way it impacts your motorhome payload.
Don’t neglect, you have to someplace to dry moist gear. It helps when you’ve got a rest room with heating- string a line throughout the highest and cling every part as much as dry in a single day.
READ MORE: Everything it is advisable to find out about motorhome/ camper heating
Solar
You can’t depend on solar energy throughout winter in the identical means you may at different instances of the yr. The solar isn’t as sturdy, there are extra nighttimes and extra areas of shade. Also, 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 it is advisable to be extra vigilant about taking care of them, ensuring they don’t run too low, giving them cost frequently and usually babying them.
READ MORE: Everything it is advisable to find out about motorhome leisure batteries
Generator
If you’re going to take your motorhome snowboarding, you’ll most likely need to carry a motorhome generator. Everyone does- simply make sure you use it through the day, not late at night time!
LED lights
We at all times advocate LED lights to avoid wasting power- particularly in the event you’re doing plenty of motorhome wild tenting, however in winter it turns into important.
Of course, don’t neglect your clothes. Here’s a vital information of what to put on when snowboarding
Hiring a motorhome or campervan for snowboarding
There are firms which lease out motorhomes or campervans for snowboarding. If you select to try this, please ensure the van is correctly insulated and outfitted with every part you want.
Motorhome skiing- aires or campsites?
One of our largest questions was HOW do you discover someplace to remain within the mountains? Motorhome touring in France is straightforward sufficient in ‘normal’ seasons, however we all know many mountain roads shut throughout winter- so how do we all know the place we will 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 out there.
There are execs and cons as to if you keep in an aire or on a campsite on your ski tenting journey!
TIP: If you’re on the lookout for ski tenting websites, search for the phrases ‘caravaneige’ or ‘snowmobiling’- each phrases utilized by the French
Pros of campsites
- Can usually be booked in advance- simpler in the event you’re reserving ski colleges or gear rent
- More dependable electrical hookup
- Bus or service to take you to the lifts if it’s not close by
- Drying rooms- this looks like an ideal resolution to the moist clothes issue- there’s nothing worse than damp ski jackets and pants the day after! (Remember to take your personal padlock for safety within the drying room)
- Help getting towed out in the event you get caught
- Other services, equivalent to a small store or restaurant, which will be helpful
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!)
Pros of Aires
- Cheaper
- More flexibility to observe the snow
- Feels extra like an journey!
How to seek out locations to stick with your motorhome throughout winter
It will be troublesome to discover Aires in Europe within the normal means for motorhome snowboarding. It’s not simply discovering the places- it’s realizing if they’re open throughout winter, what services they’ve open throughout winter and what number of areas might be out there (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 info than you might even assume to ask!
Is motorhome snowboarding cheaper than happening a ski vacation?
This is a troublesome one. Most individuals who go on a snowboarding vacation solely go for every week or two most.
Most individuals who take their motorhomes to the mountains both reside close by or are going for a few months.
However, as Hannah says, the hassle and expense wanted to ensure your automobile is correctly in a position to hand a winter within the mountains usually makes it not price it until you intend to spend months on the market.
It’s additionally much more troublesome when it comes to sensible life- you might have moist clothes and damp to cope with, water, fuel and electrical points and the fixed concern about getting snowed in. If you’re simply doing it to economize, you may need to assume once more or not less than do the sums very rigorously earlier than you commit.
Phew! That was plenty of info to soak up however, as we found, ski tenting is a completely totally different kind of motorhoming or vanlife.
Nothing beats ‘doing it yourself’, however I hope you’re feeling rather more knowledgeable earlier than your first motorhome ski journey.
If you’ve been snowboarding and brought your motorhome or camper and have some other suggestions, please do depart a remark and share your knowledge.
Safe travels!