using your van for a skiing holiday

[Michelle_5091352]

Hi,

We are looking at taking our caravan to france for a skiing holiday. Has any one any good sites and tips for us. Ie snowchains how to stop things freezing over etc.

Thanks

Mich

 

[cris_408518]

N doubt somebody know better, but I associate sking with mountains and years ago I was told that ski areas can ban travel unless you have 4 wheel drive and then they will not let motorists with trailers etc into mountainous ski slope ares.

Good luck, but I guess some one will know or you could find somewhere near Andorra, no Idea how far the daily drive is, but my son says "Andorra Rocks".

 

[rob_jax]

Hi,

Using your caravan as a ski-chalet is popular with my Dutch co-workers.

In December or thereabouts, someone is usually off from Rotterdam to Austria for the weekend with their caravan. The van is then left at a specialist winter camp ground until April - when it's again possible to retrieve the van from the site.

If the roof of your van was not designed to take a snow load (UK van?) - you need to fit a snow canopy over the van roof - and if your van was not winterised by the manufacturer then it might get a bit cold.

The ski-camp sites are specially set-up for winter camping, and they are fun - you're right in the heart of things and can walk everywhere - but you need to leave your van there for 4 or 5 months.

Great if you can share with friends and use a different van each year, but somewhat expensive if you are only going to use it for one or two weeks.

Don't have any experience of low level camp sites away from the slopes.

You also need to consider fitting snow tyres to your car - the standard pattern UK road tyre is designed to shift water - and don't grip at all well in snow. Obviously you must take snow chains and all the other compulsory stuff.

Robert

 

[Lutz]

Winter tyres, with a special softer rubber mix to suit low temperatures, are compulsory in Germany, Austria and Switzerland (maybe in Alpine regions of France, too, but I'm not too sure about that). This requirement applies to the caravan as well. Snow chains alone are NOT adequate because these can, of course, only be used on snow and not on dry roads.