Skiing with an RV

Hi......We are visiting the US this winter from the UK and purchasing an RV but we will not have a toad. We plan to go through Colorado and Utah.

1. Which is the best campground to stay at to access the slopes, bearing in mind we will need a shuttle/transport to the slopes.
2. Which resort would you recommend? We are both skiers, beginner and intermediate, love powder snow and would like a decent apres ski scene.

Cheers

We have a few RVer skiers here - hope that one will see your inquiry and respond.

Most of us do the opposite - flee from the cold and snow!

My answer to #2 would be Aspen or Vail in Colorado. But I have no idea about where to say in an RV. I suspect you'll need hookups to stay warm. Hopefully, someone else here can help with that info.

Wendy

When I read your subject line, I had visions of a 40' motorhome on skis.   Likely you will need an RV with very good insulation to stay warm.

Mammoth Mountain in California is where I would go. Lot's of RV parks in the area and you couldn't ski all the runs there in a month. I have lived at Lake Tahoe, they have great skiing but few RV parks and the ones they do have are pricey. I have lived in Salt Lake City Utah and they have great ski areas and reasonably priced RV parks, but I would take Mammoth over any of them.

First let me suggest that you might find it cheaper and more comfortable during ski season to rent a cabin or condo (along with a car for transportation), than to buy an RV and try to find a campground open that time of year in the Colorado ski country.

However if you go the RV route, you might note that if you drive that RV (or anything) in the mountains in winter, it's likely there are times the "chain law" will be in effect, meaning that chains will be required. Of course if you can wait a few days (or sometimes just a day), you may be able to find a time when you can travel.  Still, there are often a lot of bright sunny, even somewhat warm days up there during the winter, so you might get lucky.  You'll probably also want to check on the proximity of grocery stores to your RV site.

When you look at a listing of things "in the area," note that sometimes "near" or "close" may mean within 20-50 miles, depending on the specific context.

Some ski areas to Google for might be Aspen, Vail, Steamboat Springs, Winter Park, Breckenridge, Summit County, Purgatory, and likely others I can't think of right now. Of course a lot depends on what else you might want to see on your trip, but so much is closed or difficult to access in the winter.

Still, some RVers who ski may have some good ideas for you.

As for Utah, if you're looking at such places as Bryce, Canyonlands, Arches, etc., weather permitting you can enjoy them a lot. Good luck.

This would not be my first choice of a park to stay at but it meets two of your important criteria,it is on the bus route and it is open all year.
It is literally right off I- 80, so close to The Canyons, Park City Mtn. Resort and Deer Valley (Utah ski resorts)
http://www.parkcityrvresort.com/

Main Street, Park City is delightful during the winter with lights, good food and fun activities. The buses run pretty late are well monitored and there are several taxi services available and reasonable should you miss the bus.
I can't suggest anything for Colorado as it has been years since I was there during winter

We are fulltimers who spend most of our winters skiing.  There aren't many campgrounds near ski areas that are open in the winter and at most of them you will need a car to get to the slopes.  You will also need to buy an RV that is well insulated (most of them aren't).  Some ski areas allow overnight RV parking in their parking lots, but you will want electrical hookups when the temperatures fall below freezing.  We've had several nights in Colorado when our thermometer read below 0 degrees F.

Your best bet for Colorado is Steamboat Springs.  It's a great ski area and a very nice town.  The Steamboat Campground RV park is at the west end of town.  There is a bus line that stops there and goes to the ski area.  The campground has changed hands since we stayed there several years ago, but it was a good place to stay.  Tiger Run RV Resort in Breckenridge is another good choice.  As I recall, there was a bus that went to the ski area, but it was a long walk to the highway to catch the bus (we drove).  Tiger Run is the only RV park we know of that has a ski club, so you might be able to meet other skiers and ride with them.  The closest RV park to Aspen is in Basalt, about 30 or 40 miles away.  We researched this pretty thoroughly a few years ago, and those were the only choices at that time.  I think Vail and Copper Mt. still allow overnight RV parking, but no hookups.

In Utah, the Park City RV Resort is probably your only choice near a ski area.  There was no bus transportation when we checked it out, but that may have changed.  We have stayed in Salt Lake City and driven to various ski resort

Seilerbird mentioned Mammoth Mountain in California.  We have skied there many times, but there is only one campground open in the winter.  When we stayed there, the water and sewer hookups were shut off for the season.  We had to pack up and drive to the dump station, which was often frozen shut.  I'm not aware of any public transportation to the slopes.

We have spent the last three winters in Bend, Oregon skiing at Mt Bachelor.  Wonderful skiing, but no apres ski scene.  We stay at Crown Villa RV Resort.  Again, transportation is a problem.  We drive about five miles to catch the shuttle bus that goes to the slopes.

We have never needed chains on the highways, because we wait until the roads are dry before moving to another location.  However, we have had to put chains on when we get to a campground  to maneuver into our parking spot.

Jeannine

Forget trying to find an RV park in Aspen or Vail Colorado in the winter (or any other time for that matter).
If you are in an RV in the winter in Colorado for skiing, look for an RV aprk within driving distance of a ski area that is at a warmer location.

For Example, If you want to ski at Vail then select an RV park in the Denver Area. For skiing at Aspen you might check to park your RV at the Rifle, Colorado Area.

One recommendation, and one that would work and be much more economical ( Aspen and Vail are oriented more toward Billionairs) is to check out Crested Butte, Colorado and Monarch Ski Area East of Gunnison. There are over a dozen RV parks in the Gunnison area (near Crested Butte) that are not open in Winter. However, RV parks in Salida and Montrose are open in the winter and within driving distance to the Ski Area. Also, If you stay at a RV Park in or near Salida, even West of Salida on U.S. 50, you are close to Monarch Pass Ski Area. In these areas there are also many other attractions that you will enjoy in the winter (actually all year around), in addition to Skiing.

I would just like to second Jeannine's recommendations. We have used both Tiger Run and The Steamboat Springs Campground for skiing several years though the late 90's and had a great time. We spent time at both campgrounds during the summer of 2009 and they were still great places to RV.

In the early '70s I skied with my boss and his family all over Utah, CO and Mammoth CA in his home-built house-car. We bought a Alpine 38 and went to CO - Tiger Run a couple of times. The coach was fine until it dropped below freezing, we had to supplement with some space heaters below and oil radiator set over a heating grate inside. No way could we have dry camped as the Gen could not keep up unless it ran nearly 24/7.  We are going to buy a truly winter capable coach - still researching so recommendations appreciated - and we are planning to spend the next couple of winters chasing good snow!
Any advice on where to park, hookup, etc. are appreciated.

Dawntreader2 said:

In the early '70s I skied with my boss and his family all over Utah, CO and Mammoth CA in his home-built house-car. We bought a Alpine 38 and went to CO - Tiger Run a couple of times. The coach was fine until it dropped below freezing, we had to supplement with some space heaters below and oil radiator set over a heating grate inside. No way could we have dry camped as the Gen could not keep up unless it ran nearly 24/7.  We are going to buy a truly winter capable coach - still researching so recommendations appreciated - and we are planning to spend the next couple of winters chasing good snow!
Any advice on where to park, hookup, etc. are appreciated.

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Skiing or wintering in an RV the single most important issue is the Heater - Aqua Hot or equal - runs on Diesel so make life so much easier - next thing is to be sure to get a quality coach insulation package - last just learn the ropes.

BOL,