This month, we have something really cool for RV enthusiasts that like to use their RV’s for ski and snowboard trips! We interviewed one of our RV experts and sales consultant Keith Crone about where he likes to take his family on ski trips with this Coachmen Mirada motorhome.
Keith has been touring around and visiting the best Western Canadian ski resorts with his family for years! Here are his thoughts, tips, tricks, and a little more about how to make a motorhome ski trip with your family that you will never forget.
Let’s Sit Down with Keith:
Keith, tell us a little about yourself. What makes you an RV Expert?
I consider myself very lucky. I grew up with parents that owned several boats and RVs that we enjoyed as a family throughout my childhood years. My father operated an Esso service station, and after graduating high school in 1977, I worked alongside my father for one year. By the summer of 1978 he suggested that I leave the service station family business and pursue a career doing something that I felt passionate about. I started my RV selling career in Saskatoon in 1978. I turned sixty this year and have never looked back. Over the past forty years in this amazing industry, I have toured over thirty manufacturing plants and have been trained on the finest products available for sale over that time.
Why do you like using your Motorhome in the Winter?
Quick answer- no crowds, no reservations required, no bugs. The long answer- with the seasonal nature of the RV industry, I have more free time in the winter. My wife and I enjoy taking the motorhome south in search of sun and summer-like weather in the winter, but really I think we enjoy being north of the 49th in the winter equally as much. Our money spends at par, and we don’t require extra medical insurance. I am amazed at the number of people that invest in an RV and then store it from the September long weekend through until the May long weekend. Just as people are putting their RV away, we are really starting to use ours.
What is your favourite winter time activity with your motorhome?
Skiing with a motorhome! With the exception of the National parks, most ski resorts welcome RV overnight guests to stay at no charge in their parking lot, and they had me at no charge! If we can park our motorhome overnight at no charge, I am a happy camper.
All of a sudden, the numbers work, when we take our motorhome skiing. We eat our food- breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the motorhome. Our motorhome is our own personal ski in ski out condo at the base of the resort. The lift ticket is all we really spend our money on. Over the last few years, we have visited ten ski resorts. My favourite resort is the one that has powder snow when we wake up.
What are your Top 5 Ski Resorts picks?
- Sunshine Village (Banff) – If you want to do an overnight trip, stay at Tunnel Mountain!
- SilverStar Mountain Resort
- Revelstoke Mountain Resort
- Fernie Alpine Resort
- Mount Washington Alpine Ski Resort
Any other suggestions of places to go in the winter with a motorhome?
Vancouver Island. We love Vancouver Island in the winter. Yes, Mount Washington is a great ski resort on the Island, but even if you don’t Ski, Vancouver Island is a great place to visit in your motorhome. Two December’s ago, we thought we would head to Long Beach Tofino and Ucluelet for a little storm watching. Somehow we managed to fit in six days of summer-like weather. Bluebird sky, no wind, and six of the most amazing sunsets ever. The resort that we stayed at was called Crystal Cove. I recommend site 42.
Anything else you would like to Add?
Using your motorhome in the winter does require a little know-how. First of all, we have a set of mounted winter tires that we install from Oct to May. I know lots of people travel in the winter without winter tires; they just carry chains. I like winter tires, but the only time I felt that we needed them was once at Silver Star outside of Vernon the parking lot had a thick layer of compact snow, and without winter tires I think we would have gotten stuck. The weak link in most motorhomes is the water system. Not all motorhomes come equipped to withstand sub-zero weather. We put a remote RV thermistor down in our wet bay. One time at Panorama the temperature dropped to -21 overnight. Our RV thermistor was reading -2.6. I placed a space heater in the wet bay, fired up the generator and supplemented the heat to avoid freezing. We don’t like skiing or doing anything at -21 so we dumped out holding tanks, winterized the water lines and headed for home. We enjoy our motorhome year round and you should too. If you have any questions about motorhoming summer or winter north or south of the 49th Parallel please feel free to contact me. If I am not using my RV my next favorite thing is to talk about using my RV.
The RV Experts at Bucars RV Dealership Provide Great Advice
Well, there you have it! Thanks to Keith for all of that great information about winter ski trips with a motorhome. After reading that, it sure has us wanting to head to the slopes! Motorhomes are a great way to make winter camping an enjoyable experience, and motorhome ski trips are a great activity to go along with that sort of thing!
If you’re looking to hit the road on a winter ski trip with your RV and stay in an RV overnight area at one of the resorts, consult the RV experts at Bucars RV Dealership just north of Calgary! Our team has tons of experience with winter camping, how to prepare, and can help you get the things you need to make your motorhome ski trip an enjoyable experience!
