World’s Largest Resource for Winter Sports #Vanlife

It is possible to rent a motorhome for a ski trip but you must make sure you hire a suitably winterised motorhome and have all the correct equipment with you.

When we first learned about aires we were excited about the prospect of being able to park in ski resorts for such a small amount of money. As touring seasonnaires, the biggest cost we thought we would have to account for was parking or staying in campsites, but aires offered a very cheap alternative. We will readily admit, we knew very little about how aires worked and nothing about the customs and etiquette involved – something we have learned is quite different in winter. What do you need to know about staying on aires in winter? There are some fundamental things that it is useful to know if you’re planning to stay on aires in winter – particularly if you intend to use them as your base for a skiing or snowboarding holiday: Electric hook up Access to fresh water Disposing of waste Toilets and showers Access and parking up The costs of staying on a motorhome aire The rules and etiquette Finding winter aires for skiing The concept of a ‘camping car aire’ might be entirely new to you, or you may only have used them when touring in summer – if so, we suggest you read this article […]

Words: Winterised Caravan Skiing Guru John Wilson Preparing for your first trip to the mountains with caravan in tow might be a little daunting – the lure of chalet holidays past might still be strong, with afternoon cakes and warm accommodation enticing. However, all these comforts can still be yours, as long as you are happy to do a little bit of DIY before you set off, and when you get there – being the driver, the provider of the cakes. How do I get my caravan ready to go skiing? To begin the process of getting your caravan ready to go skiing we recommend spending time surveying your caravan and take a ‘bottom up’ approach to preparing for the adventure. Here’s what we’ll cover here to get your caravan ready to go skiing: • Getting the Right Tyres • Awning Skirts • Waste Pipes • Gas Locker • Inside the caravan • On the Roof Getting the Right Tyres Unlike your car (or a motorhome – check here for up to date information on winter tyre regulations for motorhomes) there is no requirement for your caravan to have winter tyres with the snowflake symbol (3pms) as it is classed […]

One afternoon in May, a few years ago, James and I decided we’d get a motorhome and take it skiing for a season. We went online to work out some of the logistics of actually undertaking this venture, and due to the sheer lack of information about, we concluded that we’d pretty much invented the whole concept. Wrong. Despite being late to the motorhome skiing party by about 40 years, we did establish one thing. There’s not a lot of information out there to help first timers and so here we’re going to share some of the things we learned early on in our motorhome skiing adventures. In this Beginners Guide to Motorhomes Skiing we’re going to cover the following: Planning your trip Preparing for departure The journey What you should do on your first How to go with the flow What to do if it all goes wrong What not to do under any circumstances How to do it better next time If you haven’t got a van yet, you can check out detailed information on Choosing a Motorhome for a Ski Trip, and Three ways to go Motorhome Skiing – this guide is about the trip itself. Planning […]

If you’ve read our No BS Essential Motorhome Skiing Items list then you’ll know that we’re pretty opinionated when it comes to some of the stuff that people will tell you is vital for survival when it comes to high altitude winter camping! We’ve also always been on a fairly tight budget when it comes to travelling – we put work on hold for extended periods of time and that means we’re usually watching the pennies more than many who are either working a season, living the good life in well-earned retirement or cramming their skiing into a few short weeks. We’re known for spending smart – investing in high quality gear that will hopefully last a long time and leaving out stuff that we think we can do without. This list is specifically about electrical gear and it’s stuff we’ve found invaluable or it’s made life a load easier one way or another. Motorhome Wifi iBoost (All year round) Heavy Duty Insulated Cable for EHU (All year round) Fishing Rod Stands (Winter use) Rubber Cable Cover (all year round) Power Spliter (All year round) Motorhome Wifi iBoost (All year round) In 51/2 months, we used a grand total of […]

Anyone who’s spent any time touring Europe in a motorhome will know that if you are planning to stay on a campsite, it is best to book in advance. Campsites that open in and around resorts for the ski season are limited – far fewer than are open in summer which means that if you are travelling during any of the holiday periods, they can get very busy – not only that, not all welcome caravans in winter. For this reason, we consulted with Winterised Caravan Skiing Guru John Wilson. All the campsites listed here are also open to motorhomes. If you’re considering taking your caravan skiing, also check out John’s article ‘Can I Take My Caravan Skiing’. So let’s answer the question, where can I take my caravan skiing? Here are ten excellent winter campsites that welcome caravans during the ski season:  Austria Panorama Camping, Tirol Camping Arlberg, Tirol Tirol Camp, Fieberbrunn Aktiv Camping Prutz, Tirol Camping Solden, Solden Camping Hofer, Tirol France Camping Huttopia, Bourg St Maurice Camping Caravaneige Le Giffre, Samoëns Camping Chantalouette, Praz sur Arly Germany Camping Oberstdorf, Oberstdorf As you can see from this list, there are plenty of options for taking your caravan camping […]

We’re very pleased to offer a discount on purchases made on the official GasIt LPG web shop. You’re going to find this useful whether you’re maintaining your existing LPG system, looking to upgrade or fit one from scratch. The Winterised discount code is variable – what that means is you’re not going to know exactly what value discount you will receive until you apply the code at checkout. Why is the code variable? Actually it’s pretty smart. GasIt are a British company based in North Wales in a competitive sector. They also have to import a lot of components and products to complete their excellent LPG systems. The world is a topsy-turvey place right now and so rather than applying a blanket discount, they cut their cloth according to their own margins, the exchange rate and the variable duties they are required to pay. Bravo to them for being sensible. Example: We input our complete system requirements this morning and the averaged discount was 5% on the total order. Very happy with that on an already like for like price. Please do not share this across any social media or GasIt will have the right to remove it and that […]

We departed for our first ever motorhome skiing trip without any plan further than Dunkirk, and even that didn’t pan out as we were re-routed to Calais in bad weather.

For our first season in the mountains and to our surprise, our motorhome didn’t come equipped with any solar panels so with only a few weeks to go before departure, and a lot going on in preparation for leaving, we hastily investigated whether we’d need a generator for our motorhome skiing trip.

When we began planning our first motorhome ski adventure, every forum we came across mentioned Montgenèvre. We put it on the to-do list and when we arrive, weren’t disappointed to discover a fantastic aire and everything we needed close by.

When we were planning our route around Europe we wanted to cover as many ski areas as possible and obviously, Switzerland was high on the priority list. When we started to do some research we found that there are a lot of things you need to consider before you go.

If you’re going on a motorhome ski trip, there are a lot of reasons you should consider avoiding the French school holidays if you can.

For an unfathomable bunch of reasons, snow sports are about as minor as niche activities get. Couple that with choosing to travel and tour in a motorhome whilst participating in snow sports and you’ll find that there are more people globally building tiny pirate ships in miniature rum bottles than there are people in your tribe. That tribe is our tribe. Winterized. Motor racing is also pretty niche. With the Lewis Hamilton’s and the Ken Block’s of the world filling front, back and home pages, you’d be forgiven for believing that motor racing is a big deal. It’s not. The reason I know this is because after over 15 years working in the sport, I can confirm that pretty much everyone knows everyone or has a mate/colleague who does, and unknown to many, the entire global business that is motorsport is run from a mid-terrace in Paris. What’s this got to do with snow sports? Everything. A few years ago whilst slurping a tepid brew under a leaky tent in a field in Northamptonshire, waiting for a break in the monsoon, I was introduced to the crazy concept of the Andros Trophy. Nattering about crappy weather and racing, an OG […]

As advocates of the old-fashioned road trip, we feel like we’re pretty experienced at in-car-entertainment but it’s changed dramatically since we were kids – podcasts and audible are the new i-spy.

If you’re genuinely looking for some winter van build inspiration, search ‘winter van build’ on YouTube or Google and you’re probably going to be a bit disappointed. It felt like summer 2017 all over again when we discovered that Google had a black spot in the motorhome skiing department. There’s a generous amount of ‘living in a van in winter’ stuff and the odd credible winter van conversion video but certainly nothing that James or I found particularly helpful or inspiring. The aim of this Winterized Winter Van Build series is to walk you through your own winter van build, warts and all, showing you where you can scrimp, save and splash, dependent on your budget, skills and time. We’ve researched our conversion to death, and James has even donated his beloved VW T5 plumber’s-mate as the test-bed for things that have the potential to go horribly wrong. This is us, as complete newbies, screwing things up, just for you. We’re good like that! If you’re up for building your own snow-mobile and you fancy the freedom of mountain hopping, you can find the blog sign up at the bottom of this page and more details about how to follow […]

In preparation for the 2019/20 season, we’re starting early with a bunch of upgrades to the Winterized website that are going to make it more usable.

GAS IT Discount: Many of you in the motorhome, campervan and #VanLife community may qualify for the Defence Discount Services or Blue Light Discount schemes

These are the top of the range Wed’ze ski socks and unless you have very poor circulation, are as much as you need to keep your tootsies.

THE SEXIEST PRIZE GIVEAWAY YOU WILL EVER FIND ON THE INTERNET! (Thetford competition for bog and cassette stuff!)

Can British household name ‘Nikwax‘ restore relegated but beloved garments and catapult them back into the premier league of ski gear?

Turns out, you do need a plan. For the first bit at the very least. The bit where you get a van, and then fill it with all sorts of stuff that seems critical for survival.

Guest article for Fall-Line Skiing: SNOWCHASERS Part 1 of 5

2018/19 has not been the greatest of seasons. It makes you realise just how lucky we are to be mobile and just how much longer the motorhome ski season is.

Madder about cows than Milton Keynes, the fabulous commune of Le Grand Bornand is an excellent place to take a motorhome skiing trip.

Things that give me the willies about winter motorhoming and how I overcome them – from getting stuck on a chair lift to flying off a cliff edge in our van.

Ever thought of Snowshoeing? Do what?  But I’m at a ski area, why would I want to do anything different to skiing or boarding ALL DAY EVERY DAY??

Skiing or snowboarding isn’t for everyone but there are loads of other ways to enjoy the mountains in winter.

The Winterized 2018/19 motorhome ski season.

Helly Hansen kit is for you if you want classic pieces – If you’re the girl (or guy) who spends big on some seriously nice ‘staple’ and timeless items.

The Keen Winterterra boots are a hardy and worthy competitor to their Canadian rivals Sorel. Waterproof, all leather upper and toastie as heck.

I love the Landrover Explore smart phone. There, I said it. Why? Because I have come to realise I only have three basic requirements from a ‘mobile’.

This is an essential for motorhome skiing. If you’re in a 7.5t A-Class, a coachbuilt motorhome, a van conversion or a camper – you need a screen cover.

It’s probably no surprise to anyone who has dipped in and out of our adventures over the last year to discover we’re off again.

Intermediate skis – tried and tested by intermediate skiers.

Not all vans are created equal.

Can you take your motorhome skiing in Chamonix? Yes is the answer and there are lots of options open to you from campsites with facilities to aires with none.

This is the long awaited ‘how much cash did you splash?’ blog. An average of €45/each/day… so how did we do that when a week in Les Arcs will cost you €1000?

WD40, Cable ties and Caravan and Motorhome cleaner – The three things that will get you through any crisis 

We spent hours researching snow shovels before making what was not an insignificant purchase in the lead up to our motorhome ski adventure in the Alps – and you might be surprised to learn, it wasn’t a snow shovel because… you don’t need a snow shovel.

I am vindicated. I knew 200 powder free nitrile surgical gloves would come in handy but I didn’t expect it to be on our penultimate day skiing in a winter wonderland.

I’m a 39, wine drinking, female. I do not feature as part of a demographic in any of Red Bull’s marketing meetings. James, a slightly unhinged 35 year old male however features heavily on their spider diagrams of targets. They needn’t waste their budget – he’s in. When I was sat in a meeting in Les Deux Alpes a few months ago whilst James turned his hand to skiing with his BFF Reuben and I was informed about an annual ‘thing’ that Red Bull stage in various resorts, nothing registered. And I mean nothing. That information went in the brain file labelled ‘stuff for the kids and plonkers to get involved in’. For a start, it involved bibs. I’m not a bib sort of gal. Sporting some fresh Helly Hansen swag that I’m testing for work (crap job but someone’s got to give it a proper run in!)… I felt no need to cover my mint jacket (complete with life pocket) with some sort of park-rat style basketball shirt. No thanks. It also involves a disclaimer (disguised as a registration form – you can’t trick me Red Bull know this game intimately), some sort of timing tag and what turned […]

We’ve had a few people raise eyebrows when we say we left our jobs and hit the road. There are of course a bunch of people who plan long in advance of taking off on life affirming adventures – we do not fall into this category.

Tuesday 20th February 2018: Alagna, Italy Just Do It. Do not leave the Caravan, Camping & Motorhome show without a plan as to how you’re going to get yourself a home on wheels. You’re visiting for a reason. Some of you are visiting because you have a dream, some of you are already living it and are inspiring other people to do so. Some of you are meeting old friends and some of you are meeting people you know from their YouTube channels! Everyone’s ideas of what they want to do with their motorhome life differs greatly – from weekend warriors exploring their local regions to others, like us, with a very specific goal in mind – giving ourselves the freedom to pursue our favourite activities. In our case, chasing the best snow around the Alps all winter long. Granted, our story is a little extreme and I know that the idea of giving up houses, packing everything into storage and running away from home isn’t everyone’s cup of tea – but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t elements of what we’re doing that aren’t exactly the same as everyone else with a motorhome. The range of options is mindboggling – […]

There are alternative ski-life options to ‘ski-in-ski-out’ and they come with a host of perks. From going home leaner and fitter to benefitting from cheap ski accommodation and finding secret resorts… this is why we think ski-in-ski-out is so last season.

…and other first world problems. If you love skiing and hate boots or simply need to do a lot of walking, read on.

Why you should travel by ferry

A) Don’t try British sarcasm on the Gendarme; B) don’t try to dry your hair, roast a chicken and charge a drill all at the same time on a three day drained leisure battery; and the classic, C) never eat yellow snow.

We’ll be frank, we weren’t 100% sure that you do need winter tyres or that they were necessary for this trip.

You couldn’t write it. We got snowed in at Elddis. Yup. The day we were collecting our van; the day before we were due to have our winter tyres fitted; the day before the day that we were due to do a dummy overnighter. It snowed. Hard. The journey north Elddis is a truly British manufacturer and upholds some of the manufacturing traditions that are rare in modern robot-run warehouses. Friends and family open days and Friday early shutdown, Elddis is the stronghold of a small former mining town in the North East of England. And the nicest thing of all is that having only visited a few times, we really feel like family. Despite having spent five and a half years in Newcastle as a student, 15 years of southern life means that a trip up north is still ridiculously exciting for me and Thursday was no exception. If a road trip past Watford Gap and collecting the motorhome wasn’t enough, as we hit the M18 it started SNOWING…. So here’s where we start to uncover the motivation behind this winterized motorhome ski trip… IT’S SNOWING… if you understand the way in which that statement should be read aloud […]