RV Gear & Tips for Ski Season

RV Gear & Tips for Ski Season
Insights for winter adventures in your RV.

By: Kelly Laustsen & David Somach

While it can be easy to hang up the keys for the winter and focus on trip planning for next summer, we think winter is one of the best times to own a van or RV. Our Winnebago Revel has vastly expanded our options for getting outdoors in the winter and made it significantly more comfortable. 

When taking extended winter trips, our van gave us the flexibility to chase winter storms and go where the skiing was good. While we now mostly use our van for shorter trips in the winter, we still enjoy the ability to make plans last minute and react to the weather. With some preparation, we think anyone can enjoy a winter adventure in their van or RV. 

Here are some of the gear we use and tips we follow to enjoy the snow and ski season:

RV Gear for Ski Season

• Ski Storage Box: We use a Thule 250 on our roof and swapped out our solar panels with the long/narrow option from Zamp. It's worked great for us! If you don't want to modify the roof layout, Owl Vans makes a ski box to mount to the rear door that would be easier to manage and would still keep your skis or boards protected from the elements.

• Cigarette lighter splitter with remote: We leave our ski boots in a bin in the back of the van and use a cigarette lighter splitter that plugs into an outlet to power multiple boot dryers at once. We’ve positioned the remote so we can turn it on or off from the bed. Dry boots certainly make for a better day of skiing!
• All-weather floor mat: We use a WeatherTech floor mat in the driving area to hold snowmelt and mud from dirty boots. We only enter the van through the front passenger door and take off wet clothes and shoes here to keep the rest of the van clean and dry.

• Magnetic hooks: Hooks are used throughout our van to hang up damp ski gear needing to be dried out. The magnetic hooks are especially handy on the sliding door and in the cab. We put the hooks up when we need them and take them down when we are done. The bathroom is a great place to hang wet outer layers so they can drip-dry into the drain.
• Outdoor table, chairs, and cooking set-up: We love coming back to the van for a hot lunch or enjoying après-ski in the parking lot. 

• Wood or propane fire pit: Many ski resorts allow fires if contained. We think one of the most challenging parts of winter RVing is how early it gets dark, so a campfire lets us enjoy more time outside in the evening.
• Games and indoor activities: Winter means long evenings and, inevitably, more time in the van. We bring lots of activities to pass the time after it gets dark and too cold to be outside, including games, books, and pre-downloaded movies and TV shows. We used magnetic mounts on the back of our tablet to attach it to the wall for watching movies or TV in bed.

Ski Season RVer Tips

• Resort Camping: Many ski resorts have great options for camping at the base of the mountain; some even have hookups! We’ve used the Facebook group “Ikon and Epic Pass Van and RV Dwellers” to help with trip planning.
• The northwest has Sno-Parks: Many of these allow overnight parking. We have also found public lands near ski resorts with dispersed camping spots that can be accessed in the winter if there isn’t too much snow.

• Ski Town Parking: Overnight parking can be hard to come by in some ski towns. We use the app iOverlander to help find spots, and also relied on other RVers we met while skiing for tips. Now we often plan our ski trips around places we know are RV friendly – a list that just keeps growing as more ski resorts seek to attract van lifers and RVers.
• Multi-mountain passes: These are perfect for RVers who plan to ski more than a few days in the winter and want to try different areas. There are lots of options, including the IKON pass, Epic pass, and Indy pass. We have found ski trips are much more affordable when you bring your own accommodations, allowing us to explore more ski resorts.
• Take Precautions: Always carry extra water, food, and warmth in case of an unexpected snowstorm or delay.

Check out some of our other go-to winter RVing gear items for our Winnebago Revel, here.