What is RV ski camping and where can I try it in BC?

#rvlife #travel #ski #winter

2021-03-14

Winter RVing definitely brings its challenges. There is condensation to worry about, staying warm, and making sure lines and tanks don’t freeze. It may be different to fair-weather camping, but it is definitely worth the effort. Especially when you get to park it right at the bottom of a ski hill!

To celebrate the 1-year anniversary of our first YouTube video (and Mel’s birthday), we headed to a local mountain to try RV ski camping. It definitely surpassed all of our expectations, with the exception of a snowplow coming through at 6am…

What is RV ski camping?

RV ski camping is exactly as the name suggests- RVing at the base of a ski hill. It is by far one of, if not the, most affordable way to stay slope-side. On top of that, it was the perfect option for us in these covid-19 times because it meant that we could reduce the number of people we would come into contact with, while still letting us get out for a great day of skiing.

 

The best part of the entire thing was seeing the sunrise on the mountains, and being the first on the slopes minutes after the chairlift started up.

Where to RV ski Camp in BC

There are a lot of options for winter camping around BC and in areas close to ski resorts, but we want to share with you the ones that we know will put you as close to the chair lifts as possible.

 

1. Manning Park

This is one of the smaller mountain resorts in British Columbia and the one where we chose to try RV ski camping. They provided us with a place to park our RV and a 15amp electrical hookup right below the day parking lot. We were even closer to the slopes than those staying in the resort’s cabins! There was a day lodge for food and washrooms during opening hours, and pit toilets further up the way that were open all hours. Luckily we were self-contained and didn’t need to make any frosty jaunts to the loo in the night. This park also has a no-service winter boondocking option in the Lightning Lakes day-use lot that you can learn about in our Manning park winter boondocking video and post.  

2. Revelstoke

We have not yet had the pleasure of skiing at Revelstoke, but have heard that they have some of the best skiing in the province. This massive ski resort allows RVers to park for free for 1-night. They don’t have any hookups or services available, so it will be important to be self-sustained. Overnight parking permits can be obtained from the Sutton Place Hotel front desk.

3. Whistler

Not exactly slope-side, but the Riverside Campground in Whistler offers amazing value for being a 3 km walk away from the lifts. It has the added bonus of being located next door to the famous Scandinave Spa and comes with all the hookups and services you could want!  

4. Big White

        Another top ski resort in British Columbia is Big White. They are also well known for beautiful powdery conditions. It was difficult to find the information on their website about RV ski camping, so I ended up contacting them directly and was informed that it is possible to RV ski camp in the Happy Valley Overflow lot. They do require that RVer’s be self-contained as, similar to Revelstoke, they do not have any hookups or services. Registration for an overnight pass can be done at the Central Mountain check-in desk.  

  

We could not have been more happy with our adventure RV ski camping at Manning Park. The convenience of it all was so perfect and we were very thankful to have amazing weather and some gentler slopes to get our confidence back (it had been 8 years since we had last skied).

Thanks for reading and be sure to check out our video (linked at the top) to see more about our adventure.

Until next time, keep on living the life you’ve imagined,

Mel, Jay & Benny