European Season in a Van

milo-mcsenderson

milo-mcsenderson

Member
Staff member
Hi NS,

I am looking at maybe spending a winter season in the Alps (probably mid december onwards), sleeping in a van and crashing with friends wherever possible. I was wondering who has done this before and what tips you might have? I was thinking of buying the Tirol Ski Pass as it gives access to a huge area of Austria and then going over the the French alps for a week here and there and chasing some pow and good parks later in the winter. Followed by a summer in L2A.

I was wondering mainly if anyone has any experience with sleeping in a van in France and Austria, how easy is it to do for free? what are the camping areas like in winter? and generally how it works out. Also what tips do people have for staying warm and drying out shit.

I am looking at buying a pre converted van (189k miles) which has had replacement:

flywheel

clutch

clutch master cylinder

clutch slave cylinder

clutch lines

starter motor

radiator

with a full engine service

Since then it has driven 20,000km

So all new with a long life still

Features of the camper are:

Fully insulated

100W solar panel with solar controller

220W Deep Cycle leisure battery

Battery split charger

150W 12V to 240V converter

Power points

USB charger ports

17L Fridge

Removeable/foldable bed

Roof ventilation fan

LED lights

Gas cooker

Gas Bottle

Double Bed

Under bed Storage

Storage draws

Food storage

Table

Darkest legal tint on back window

The van also comes with

Portable shower

Kitchen utensiles

Tent

Tarp

Chairs

Portable table

4L Desiel Oil

2L coolant

0.5L Brake and steering fluid

Front seat blow up bed and pump

Jumper cables

if anyone can tell me if i'm missing something or if it's likely i'd need to do more work on it before starting out or just general advice that'd be sick.
 
You need to look for campervan sites before you go if you can, that stuff is pretty regulated in France. You can park your van anywhere you want as long as you don't have anything outside (tent, chairs, etc) and you don't block the wheels. There might be some limit as to how long you can stay in one spot too, but I think you're usually good to go for a couple of nights.

Driving advice for France: get 4 brand new winter tires before your trip and a pair of chains just in case. Some counties don't salt the roads in winter to preserve water reserves and nature in general, so the roads can be quite slippery even after the snowplow passed, and sometimes the police won't allow you to go to certain resorts if you don't have proper winter tires and/or chains during heavy snowfalls (roadblocks, checking each car, etc).

As for Les 2 Alpes, I hope you like MTB, because the glacier closes earlier every year (it closed last week), and you might not be doing much skiing in late July or August....
 
I would think a solar panel might not be to reliable unless you dont mint wiping the snow often. On the subject of wiping, what if you need to poop in the middle of the night. I'v used a 3 gallon bucket with kitty litter in it and some pipe insulation around the rim before for such emergencies. Don't know a thing about Europe but the van sounds like 5 star living to me.

Oh and humidity sucks sleeping in a vehicle, drying stuff could just run the engine and use the vents, takes alot if gas and time though.

**This post was edited on Aug 12th 2019 at 4:50:15am
 
I'd definitely recommend Zermatt or Saas-Fee over Deux Alpes for summer... much shorter lift lines, better parks, don't close at the beginning of August and if you're van camping you should still be able to do it cheaply. The best option is probably to park up in Cervinia and access Zermatt from there.

There are a few dope, good value, multi-area ski passes these days: Tirol Pass is a great option, as is the Salzburger Card (both Austria). There's also Top 4 Pass & Magic Pass in Switzerland, and Verbier has an under 25s pass for 400 as well. I believe there's a Dolomiti Superski pass in Italy too.

Your van setup sounds cushy, definitely more luxury than most. Winter tyres and chains are going to be a must, and make sure to clear off that snow! Hopefully someone can weigh in here on the ease of van life in other places, but in Switzerland, I think it's pretty sketchy with the law. I know for sure that wild camping (with a tent) is not permitted, so you have to be stealthy about it (arrive late, leave early), not ideal if you want to set up a more permanent base.
 
Thanks for these bits of info guys. Yeah I was thinking Zermatt or Saas Fee would also be a good option for summer. I was just in L2A so have a bit of an afterglow from that.

The van set up looks decent doesn't it. The only issue is I'd have to retrieve it from France pre-season which would mean it'd be harder to check out the internals and bodywork before buying and I'd need to brush up some mechanical skills beforehand as well.

I would probably try and couch surf as much as possible to shower and dry stuff but the bum life is kind of appealing. It seems that snow tyres and chains are priority number 1, the van needs two fresh back tyres anyway to pass its CT.

I think an elegant solution to drying stuff needs figuring out though as that would be my main concern alongside humidity. Keeping the van clear of snow as well I guess comes pretty high on that list. I am just currently trying to find out if it's a viable option. Finding places to stealthily camp and keeping moving is also high priority.

Sounds like it's relatively viable but quite a lot of work. Would be an incredible way to spend the season though
 
I know plenty of people who spend every winter in a van in France but they usually stay the whole season in the same resort and park their vans/big rigs at a campsite with dozens of others doing the same. Obviously you have to pay some sort of a daily fee for the parking space and electricity. I don't know anyone personally who's done the itinerant ski bum life in Europe, but I've seen videos of Salomon pros doing it on Youtube so it's definitely doable and it didn't look like too much trouble. Except drying clothes and ski boots... That looked like a total bitch.
 
14051118:BrawnTrends said:
I know plenty of people who spend every winter in a van in France but they usually stay the whole season in the same resort and park their vans/big rigs at a campsite with dozens of others doing the same. Obviously you have to pay some sort of a daily fee for the parking space and electricity. I don't know anyone personally who's done the itinerant ski bum life in Europe, but I've seen videos of Salomon pros doing it on Youtube so it's definitely doable and it didn't look like too much trouble. Except drying clothes and ski boots... That looked like a total bitch.
Click to expand...

Do you know which resorts in France are the best for this? I was hoping to kind of drift around where possible and get a big pass and try and chase a couple of storms and link up with friends ( provides a shower and a dry space )

But yeah, drying shit is the main concern really, other than finding a spot to park up
 
14051195:milo-mcsenderson said:
Do you know which resorts in France are the best for this? I was hoping to kind of drift around where possible and get a big pass and try and chase a couple of storms and link up with friends ( provides a shower and a dry space )

But yeah, drying shit is the main concern really, other than finding a spot to park up
Click to expand...

You won't find a pass that allows you to go to different areas with your van, at least not in France. The big agglomerates of resorts all offer links between their resorts by lift, so tourists can go to most of them in one day (Les Portes du Soleil, Les 3 Vallées, etc).

But Switzerland has the Magic Pass, which offers 30 resorts for a pretty competitive price (it was 350 euros when it launched, not sure how much it is now). I know Saas Fee, Crans Montana and les Diablerets are part of it, but not Verbier.

Austria maybe has something like that too?
 
I just got done with a season over there last winter. There are definitely places around Chamonix you could put a van as long as you move it around every couple days. I was staying in an apartment but definitely noticed a small van-life contingent. I stayed in a van for 15 days in Norway last April and found it pretty easy to get around and stay places for free. I wasn't chasing park skiing but had a great time, old ski culture is awesome over there, prepare to spend all your money and more, haha..
 
Someone mentioned humidity. Can't believe I've never thought of this con before. Anyway since you have a van and likely some space, this thing works absolute wonders for humidity. I had a small house in college with no exhaust vents and humidity out the ass, and this thing worked for the whole place. I've gotten smaller ones for my car but for your van I'd chose the large tub. Just don't spill it.

https://smile.amazon.com/DampRid-FG50T-Hi-Capacity-Moisture-Absorber/dp/B0029EGUNG
 
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