Our Great Big Tiny Ski Area Tour

db_cooper

Been planning to do this for a few years, but recent craziness at our local larger ski areas got us motivated.  This picture from Vail this week I think sums up our desire to get away from the crowds.

Will post pics from each area with notes on the T@bs performance.

db_cooper

Drove from Puget Sound to Salem Saturday to visit friends and ski Hoodoo on Sunday and Monday.  Great sunny skies and packed powder, no lift lines on Sunday, and maybe 200 people on the mountain Monday.  Hoodoo really caters to campers, with 24 hour showers and bathrooms, $20 bucks a night.

db_cooper

I should add we're dry camping, no hookups even if available. Using toilet with RV antifreeze to flush.

Today, Tuesday, was a travel day to tiny Ski Bluewood east of Walla Walla.  The maintenance people locked us in 15 minutes after we arrived. Guess we're in a gated community for tonight. 😁

ChanW

So Vail looks awful.... We're planning a trip to ski Taos sometime early spring. We shouldn't expect the same, should we?

db_cooper

I would hope not, but haven't been there in 20 years, are they an Epic or Ikon pass place?

We're using the Indypass for this trip, with the exception of where we're at tonight. Got Bluewood tix for $30 online here in the parking lot.  

ChanW

I don't know any of that. We thought we'd just stop for a day (probably 2  ), so a multi-day pass doesn't make sense (unless there's a two day pass!).

I was surprised that the Taos day pass prices were somewhat reasonable, compared to the Northeast anyway.

Tampakayaker

db_cooper said:

Been planning to do this for a few years, but recent craziness at our local larger ski areas got us motivated.  This picture from Vail this week I think sums up our desire to get away from the crowds.

Will post pics from each area with notes on the T@bs performance.

It looks like the crowds at Disney World !

db_cooper

So we finished the trip yesterday, after skiing Silver Mountain in Kellogg, ID and 49 Degrees North in Chewelah, WA.   Zero high speed lifts,  zero lift lines,  maximum skiing with friendly people.  Very chill trip.

Some notes on the T@b performance, couldn't be happier, and very happy with some of the mods we've made. And a lot of the stock T@b features are great for camping at ski areas as well.  For example the insulation and double pane windows are great for 4 season camping.

First 5 nights, 6 days we used 2.4 gallons of propane, could easily have finished the trip on one tank, but didn't want to chance it the last 2 nights. Temps at night were mostly upper 20's, would probably use less propane next trip, as we were too hot a couple of nights.

We moved every couple of days, so the dual GC batteries got charged up regularly and never dropped below 12.4.

Black tank is the only limiting factor for staying put more than 5 days,  had to dump on day 6.  Used about a gallon of RV antifreeze to flush, and no problem dumping at lower elevation where temps were in the low 40's.

One of the mods I did was constricting the propane going to the Alde so it wouldn't make the freight train noise when camped at altitude.  Alde ran great, was super quiet, and I'm sure adding the constriction is reducing the propane usage giving us more bang for the buck.

And last but not least, replaced the foam in the 4 cushions that get sat on, and the comfort level for hanging out in the camper was so much better. 

This thing is a boondocking machine now,  love it more than when we bought it 4 years ago.

ChanW

@db_cooper, great 'review', sounds like a great way to do a ski trip! Thanks for the inspiration!
  
Which method did you do to 'constrict' the propane line?

db_cooper

https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/8956/alde-freight-train-fix-15-and-10-min-install

I did the Tabaz fix version.  Haven't had problems at Sea level or altitude, but still don't know if there will be long term problems from leaning out the fuel supply. So far the plusses outweigh the minuses. 

Hfisher

Curious how the T@B handled the mountain roads in the winter.  I am hoping to buy one to use this ski season but nervous it won't perform as needed.  I will also be planning on using primarily off propane instead of hooking up.

DougH

@Hfisher We have an all wheel drive tow vehicle with snow tires.  Always carry chains and a winch but don't need them. T@B on winter mountain roads has never been problem, but I don't travel if there's more than 6" of unplowed stuff.  Wouldn't brake hard in the corners on slick stuff of course, but aside from that everything's fine.  Our T@B tires travel in the path left by the tow vehicle.  May not be the same in your case, in which case you may have a little more rolling resistance in deep snow.

ChanW

@Hfisher, when I've towed on snowy slick and hilly roads, with our 4WD Tacoma, my concern wasn't so much stopping the truck, it was the possibility that the Tab might beat us to the bottom of a hill! 
Properly adjusted Tab brakes, and chains on the Tab, might be the only real answer to that...

CharlieRN

This is an interesting thread for me as a skier. Thanks to a) having the vacation time and b) the Ikon Pass, we've been driving rather than flying from PA out to the Rockies the last couple of seasons, an extended trip that allows us to get to a few places and bring the dog with us.

We have a Boondock on order that I was hoping to use occasionally in the winter in addition to regular 3-season camping. The thought was to haul it west and and use it for overnights on the trip out and back, eliminating the need to find pet-friendly motel lodging. I also thought that is may give us the freedom to do a few days at some of the more isolated ski areas instead of using AirBnB's.

Seeing that others are successfully doing ski-related winter camping gives me hope that we'll be able to as well.

db_cooper

I find towing the T@b in winter conditions to be similar to towing a snowmobile trailer, and have been fortunate to only hit a few unplowed patches and some slush.  Worst conditions were leaving Whistler after a couple days of heavy snow, the road to one of the RV parks is steep and windy, so we came down it real slow, but never any drama.  Key is avoiding icy roads, and staying put if it snows a lot (not hard to do as a skier  )

bergger

My ski RV/ accommodations are my house which is only 15 minutes from the resort!  sorry to rub it in!!

CharlieRN

bergger said:

My ski RV/ accommodations are my house which is only 15 minutes from the resort!  sorry to rub it in!!

After rubbing it in, the least you can do is to offer your driveway up to fellow T@B skiers. I'm guessing "15 mins" means Cooper . . . rumored to have some great cat skiing.

CharlieRN

db_cooper said:

I find towing the T@b in winter conditions to be similar to towing a snowmobile trailer, and have been fortunate to only hit a few unplowed patches and some slush.  Worst conditions were leaving Whistler after a couple days of heavy snow, the road to one of the RV parks is steep and windy, so we came down it real slow, but never any drama.  Key is avoiding icy roads, and staying put if it snows a lot (not hard to do as a skier  )

Two years ago, as we were headed home to PA from Telluride, the DOT closed I-70 at Dillon, CO, forcing us around the reservoir and up Loveland Pass in very heavy snow. I foolishly thought that things would be OK, lulled into complacency as we were crawling along US 6 in bumper to bumper traffic.

Paraphrasing Gob Bluth, it turned out that "I made a huge mistake." Along with dozens of other car and truck drivers, I was an unwitting participant in 30 miles of high-tension white-knuckle driving that took more than 4 hours. Not something I would ever in a million years do again - and I've been caught in huge dumps in the Cottonwoods more times than you might imagine.

I'm thinking that with the Boondock, once the snowflakes start to come down, we'll head to the closest Cracker Barrel, Cabellas or Wallyworld, turn on the Alde, make a pot of tea and just wait things out.

DougH

@CharlieRN Yup the powder is usually just as good 4 hours later after the plows have gone through...

bergger

CharlieRN said:

bergger said:

My ski RV/ accommodations are my house which is only 15 minutes from the resort!  sorry to rub it in!!

After rubbing it in, the least you can do is to offer your driveway up to fellow T@B skiers. I'm guessing "15 mins" means Cooper . . . rumored to have some great cat skiing.

Yes and yes there is some good cat skiing up on Chicago Ridge, but I have yet to try it with so much good AT skiing behind my house!  Oops did I rub that in again??    And with an average snowfall of 142 inches you'd be surprised at how small and narrow our driveway gets.  Sometimes we almost run out of room to move the snow! But if you ever come up this way I'll let you know if we have room..