Ski trip in a Motorhome. Am I crazy?

[holstein13]

My dream of full timing in a motorhome generally consists of following the sun and chasing perfect weather. Unfortunately, my wife and kids would like to ski for a couple of weeks this winter.

So I need your advice, council and recommendations on what to do. Here's the setup: I'll be traveling in a brand new 45 foot King Aire with Oasis Hydronic heating and a 200 gallon diesel fuel tank and 140 gallons of fresh water. In addition, I'll have the factory installed solar panels (400 watts, I think). The coach is all electric, no propane.

I'm traveling with my wife and two girls (9 and 12). I'd like to visit either the Denver surrounding area or Salt Lake City surrounding area. I like Denver because my nephew lives there and I like SLC because it's closer to Arizona and I can get to warm weather easier afterwards.

Here are the questions I have, but feel free to comment on any other point you think I should know about:

1) Should I even attempt this or try and find a hotel or VRBO instead?
2) Can my rig handle the cold weather of winter at elevation for a couple of weeks?
3) How am I going to drive around on snow or icy roads?
4) Where should I camp? Should I boondock? Are campgrounds even open near ski lifts?
5) If I camp, should I keep my hoses inside and only hook them up temporarily as needed?

I look forward to your replies.

[Crespro]

We went to Salt Lake City for the 2002 Winter Olympics. You can camp near Salt Lake and easily drive to one of the eight area ski resorts. Salt Lake is usually above freezing during the day.

[frankdamp]

No, you're maybe in a minority, but not crazy. We bought an old Class C from a guy who was a snowmobile enthusiast. We found a bunch of things that his lifestyle had caused, during our brief ownership of the RV.

The biggest problem was condensation damage. From what we could tell, he and his buddies just dumped their cold, wet clothes in the rig and didn't take any precautions regarding condensation. Th amount of mold and mildew we found, in areas that weren't readily visible, was mind-boggling.

If you do use the rig for skiing and snowshoeing, take care to put your wet clothing to dry somewhere other than in the living area. Had we known how that MH had been used, we'd never have bought it. $8,000 lesson learned! BTW, in a 26' Class C, there was no room for a washer/drier. Frankly, there wasn't enough room for husband and wife and 2 Labradors to sleep! I'm surprised that POS didn't put us off RVing for life!

[sealevel_ram]

holstein13 wrote:

1) Should I even attempt this or try and find a hotel or VRBO instead?
2) Can my rig handle the cold weather of winter at elevation for a couple of weeks?
3) How am I going to drive around on snow or icy roads?
4) Where should I camp? Should I boondock? Are campgrounds even open near ski lifts?
5) If I camp, should I keep my hoses inside and only hook them up temporarily as needed?

Our experience:
We have usually driven out to SLC every year over the holidays or late winter when the slopes are still open. Have relatives there. We usually take five days to get there, in our leisurely fashion. A couple of times we have had to wait out a storm.
Stay in an RV park in the valley. Drive our Jeep Liberty to Alta or Snowbird. Can be putting on skies usually within 45 minutes to an hour. Have never seen a MH in either parking lot for good reason.
I usually fill up on Diesel before getting to SLC. I fill water tank as needed. On previous MH I put colored lights in tank areas for heat, but current one doesn't need it.

[bsinmich]

You will find that Newmar probably has better insulation than most houses. I think you will be very comfortable in that. I would just avoid driving in the miserable weather.

[Ivylog]

Very little salt in the air unless you are within a mile or two of the ocean. Salt air on the outside of a fiberglass MH is not near the problem as salt on your chassis. Having looked at a Monaco DP that spent a lot of time in Key West, every steel part on the outside was rusted.
I agree there are a lot of places where you could use the RV without getting it in the salt by driving the car an hour or less to the ski area.
Yes I'm still out west, headed to Redmond and the FMCA rally. No need of repair shops... for now. Did not even have two items that the new Monaco would have fixed labour free this past week at the pre rally.

[Cbones]

Busskipper wrote:

Ivylog wrote:

holstein13 wrote:

The salt issue does concern me on a brand new coach. A friend of mine has offered to let me use his 4 bedroom townhouse in Steamboat for a couple of weeks.

From Ft. Laud I might take it to the Boone, NC area where they make snow and rarely have to use salt on the roads. Sugar Mtn has 1,000' of vertical more than enough for kids that are 12 and 9. Once you spoil them with Western skiing they will not be happy in the East so DO NOT take up your friend's offer.
Even Key West's salt is hard on a MH.

Ivy,

My guess is that when you are in Florida, you get a lot more salt just blowing around and in the air than we get driving in it a couple times in the winter.

Did you get back from Canada or are you still out West, finding all the good repair shops?

Busskipper

I totally disagree. Have you ever seen what a winter delivered mh looks like? Just one trip in the salt and muck will make that mh look like it went to hell and back. Do a little searching on this forum and you will find plenty of horror stories of corrosion and winter deliveries. I live right near the beach on Long Island and I can tell you that corrosion from the salt in the air is no comparison to the corrosion from road salt or even brined roads. In any event it all depends on how long the OP intends to keep the coach. The coach is not going to fall apart from 1 vacation in the snow, but I can guarantee a few will make his coach look 10 years old in no time. If it can be avoided, why subject a new coach to the damage?

[ferndaleflyer]

These are my own observations. As I said before I used to live near Baltimore and have skied out west and lived in Switzerland for awhile.....Living in Baltimore and using the RV, buying season passes, and skiing in the East we were able to go and afford to go skiing as many as 40-50 days in one year many years with 5 of us.....the equipment never left the RV all winter and even during the week we could run up to Round Top for the evening if we wanted.....salt never was a problem but maybe that was because I never kept the RVs very long. I did lay one on its side in the snow at Wisp once but normally it went well in the snow....I never bought an RV so I could rent a Hotel and drag my stuff in and out, I bought it for me to use not save for someone else.....But that is your choice

[msmith1199]

I can't speak for the locations you picked, but I can tell you there are campgrounds in California that are near sea level that are only about 1.5 hour drive from the ski areas. In fact back when I was a skier, in the vast majority of my ski trips I left from my home down near Sacramento and drive up into the mountains just for the day. I assume you have a toad? You could actually go snow skiing during the day and get back down out of the mountains and go water skiing in the early evening.

[rgatijnet1]

holstein13 wrote:
Wow, lots of great experience and suggestions. I've learned a lot.

Thanks everyone. The salt issue does concern me on a brand new coach. A friend of mine has offered to let me use his 4 bedroom townhouse in Steamboat for a couple of weeks. It's only about a block and a half from the gondola so I think I'll take him up on that.

Maybe when the coach gets older, I'll bring her out to the slopes.

If you have the time for the drive, you would be missing all of the great things to do and see on your way out to Steamboat and back that can only be experienced with your RV.

[mrkoje]

holstein13 wrote:
My dream of full timing in a motorhome generally consists of following the sun and chasing perfect weather. Unfortunately, my wife and kids would like to ski for a couple of weeks this winter.

So I need your advice, council and recommendations on what to do. Here's the setup: I'll be traveling in a brand new 45 foot King Aire with Oasis Hydronic heating and a 200 gallon diesel fuel tank and 140 gallons of fresh water. In addition, I'll have the factory installed solar panels (400 watts, I think). The coach is all electric, no propane.

I'm traveling with my wife and two girls (9 and 12). I'd like to visit either the Denver surrounding area or Salt Lake City surrounding area. I like Denver because my nephew lives there and I like SLC because it's closer to Arizona and I can get to warm weather easier afterwards.

Here are the questions I have, but feel free to comment on any other point you think I should know about:

1) Should I even attempt this or try and find a hotel or VRBO instead?
2) Can my rig handle the cold weather of winter at elevation for a couple of weeks?
3) How am I going to drive around on snow or icy roads?
4) Where should I camp? Should I boondock? Are campgrounds even open near ski lifts?
5) If I camp, should I keep my hoses inside and only hook them up temporarily as needed?

I look forward to your replies.

Watch this: Clicky

Even if you don't get anything out of it it is still entertaining. They full time and hit the mountains with the snow.

[Dale_Traveling]

holstein13 wrote:
A friend of mine has offered to let me use his 4 bedroom townhouse in Steamboat for a couple of weeks. It's only about a block and a half from the gondola so I think I'll take him up on that.

You have that option and even considered driving the coach? I enjoy traveling in my coach but a four bedroom townhouse within walking distance of the slopes? The coach stays winterized and at home.

Have fun on the slopes!

[Busskipper]

Ivylog wrote:

holstein13 wrote:

The salt issue does concern me on a brand new coach. A friend of mine has offered to let me use his 4 bedroom townhouse in Steamboat for a couple of weeks.

From Ft. Laud I might take it to the Boone, NC area where they make snow and rarely have to use salt on the roads. Sugar Mtn has 1,000' of vertical more than enough for kids that are 12 and 9. Once you spoil them with Western skiing they will not be happy in the East so DO NOT take up your friend's offer.
Even Key West's salt is hard on a MH.

Ivy,

My guess is that when you are in Florida, you get a lot more salt just blowing around and in the air than we get driving in it a couple times in the winter.

Did you get back from Canada or are you still out West, finding all the good repair shops?

Busskipper

[SkiingSixPack]

holstein13 wrote:

A friend of mine has offered to let me use his 4 bedroom townhouse in Steamboat for a couple of weeks. It's only about a block and a half from the gondola so I think I'll take him up on that.

Can we come?!?!?! 🙂 Have fun. I was going to suggest Tiger Run (wouldn't need a toad as they have the Breck Ski Bus come to their resort) or Park City RV (we were there when the owner had just bought it and was refurbishing it) Both are awesome!!! But, with a friend's condo, there isn't much of a decision 🙂

[J-Rooster]

2bzy2c wrote:
One thing I discovered while ski camping.Don't put your jacks down in the snow. They tend to freeze to the ground. Found that out the hard way.

X-2, Another thing that I discovered is I had my slide outs extended out overnight and it snowed and when it was time to leave I couldn't retrack my slides due to the snow on top of the slides, and I didn't have a ladder with me. So I had to climb up onto a snowy, icy, roof with a broom a brush all the snow off the slide toppers. Then I was able to retrack the slides. Bring a ladder with you in case it snows!