We actually really enjoy winter van life - it has a really cosy feel to it. There are some great campsite both in the UK and the Alps with good facilities that make it so easy - that thrown in with the odd night wild camping still keeps costs down so we can travel for longer 🚐 Thanks for watching our vlogs 😊
Your finishing comment asking your viewers if we'd enjoyed "A Life in the Day" of early retirement skiing just sums up how well you have life sorted! Living each day totally. You have planted a seed... thank you. we have built our van (plenty of insulation and a diesel heater) in retirement anticipation. We bike a lot (on and off road/mtb), swim, paddleboard/canoe, walk and love the wild but returning to skiing after a gap of 35 years? Having spent time last year at several ski resorts in summer in France and Scotland I need to scratch that itch. i had a skiing accident in Les Arcs in 1987.I'm grateful I can walk again after a knee replacement 16 years ago but the worry of damaging it plus the huge cost of skiing as a regular holiday when you have to take pot luck with snow conditions. Just need to implement an early retirement plan in the next couple of years so the need to ski dawn to dusk in your precious "week" is removed, and no bankruptcy risk. I promise to be content with blue runs.... 🤣🤣
We have certainly loved skiing from the campervan 🚐 I am a firm lover of cruisy blues anyway as speed and heights scare me a little 🤣 although when the snow was good earlier in the holiday I did enjoy some of the red runs. Being there for an extended time did change our attitude towards skiing - as you say, not feeling the need to ski dawn to dusk. We are back in March (to make the most of our season pass🤣⛷️) and are taking our hiking boots as the weather may be nice to get out hiking too. Happy travels in your van, wherever it takes you 🚐 I have to say, the alps in the summer are just as stunning, we want to explore the dolomites this year.
The best feeling when skiing ( besides the gorgeous mountains and exercise) is removing the boots 😂. Looks amazing and I enjoyed skiing alongside you both 😊
I absolutely agree! My walking shoes feel like slippers after 😊⛷️ we have had a fab time, the mountains are definitely our happy place- summer or winter 🏔️🚐
Thank you - have a great trip skiing - it is dumping down with heavy snow as I write with about half a metre more on the way. We are heading out in the 2nd week of January for a few weeks so getting very excited! ⛷️
@@earlyretirementwanderlust I can vividly remember a very peculiar type tiredness, hunger and ache after a full day on the slopes. The Aprez food and beers never tasted so good and sleep was never so deep!
Looks like you had a wonderful day. Footage brilliant as usual. Another very enjoyable video and I just love it that your video is there to watch early on a Sunday morning. Starts my day on a good note😀
We stayed at La Plagne Montalbert for a short while in 2018 after Bourg in the old motorhome aire (now closed) which was ski in-ski out and we loved it
We stayed in the Aire in the summer before it became part of a posh new apartment complex. A shame as montalbert is a beautiful place as a base to explore. Many happy memories of skiing from there
Great video! Love Huttopia, we’ve stayed there to ski for the last couple of years. The Brits who stay there for the season are great fun. Hope to catch up with them again this year.
Thanks for the feedback Caroline- we are just about getting used to using an action camera as well as our iPhones. We think it helps that we just love being in the mountains- it is our happy place!
I love what your doing, but I don’t think I could cope having to get out the van to use the toilet, a larger van or caravan it would have to be for me, I must look at winterising our van😊
Great video, having camped in a larger motorhome and ski’d in the Grand Massif. We now have a smaller camper so really enjoyed your review about the site and how to get onto the slopes 👏 just checking I guess your ski pass is used for the funicular ?
Hi guys, we're off to Italy with our motorhome in a couple of weeks to try the campsite near Corvara. We've stayed in nearby Selva a few times in the past for skiing (in a hotel) and it is the most beautiful place we've ever been skiing, so we are excited to try it in the van. Have you been skiing in that area? If not is it a region you would be interested in? It is further to drive to than Bourg, that's for sure, but definitely worth it. We stayed at the Bourg campsite over christmas and it was excellent. so the Corvara one has a lot to live up to!!
We have literally been looking at Italian ski resorts with campsites today as we drive home!! We are already thinking about next year and like you say, Bourg was so easy, especially in our small VW. What campsite are you staying at? Would love to hear how you get on. I have never skied in Italy, Richard went as a teacher on a few school trips. We loved it in the summer when we stayed in the Cortina area. We are back at bourg in March when schools are back for a couple of weeks to make the most of our season pass 🤣 Have a fab time ⛷️
@@earlyretirementwanderlust I did a reply with a link to the place we're staying, but it's disappeared! Maybe comments with links aren't allowed? It's called camping colfosco. Its got quite a few bad reviews but it's in the area we want to be so we'll risk it!! Also you can't book it, you have to just turn up and hope there's space, which is really stressful for anyone driving a long way and not having the security of somewhere to stay at the end of the journey! I'll let you know how we get on 🙂Safe journey home guys. Ness
@DeansGoTravelling fingers crossed it works out ok 😬 we had that a lot in the summer in the Italian mountain resorts - no booking but it’s a little easier to just move on in the summer 🤣🚐
I’m just back from Canazei, there is a large camp site there, and I also noticed two sites in Corvara when I did the Sella Ronda, I’d guess that each village has a site.
Looks amazing, do you both speak the language or do you find most places are English speaking. I have signed up for Rosetta stone to start brushing up on my German. Would you recommend camp ground for a few days to look around the local area as not sure were fit enough to ski this year lol
Skiing from the Bourg St Maurice campsite was really easy and a great base in the valley. We follow the winterised motorhome ski group on Facebook where there is lots of information and help and advice for campgrounds all over Europe for winter based activities. We do speak a little French - enough to get by and I can read French quite well which helps when looking for information - Richard is nearly on a 600 day streak on Duolingo which is helping a little!! To be honest most places will speak back to you in English even if you spoke to them in pigeon French 😂
Fantastic footage again, thanks for sharing, so so beautiful. I’m excited to get myself out on the slopes again this year. Well done, that’s a great days skiing. I will definitely take my van across when I go. ⛷️❤️😎👍
Yep- with no fresh snow forecast for the foreseeable! We filmed this video last weekend and since then it has got warmer and warmer. Yesterday it was saying it was 19 degrees in Arc 1600 when we were up there. The lower pistes are rock hard with icy patches. Up top the snow remains good…but everyone heads up so the lifts are busy. Keep doing the snow dances for later in the season🤞
Lovely video! You are both a total inspiration. I am maybe confusing videos but I thought you had a drying room on site? Do you leave your boots in the locker with the skiis and are they dry in the morning? Nothing worse than putting on wet boots :) Do you pay for the locker? So, so many questions!! I may have to come back with more!
Thankyou - we chose to leave our skis and boots up in arc 1600 as we felt it was easier to just walk to the funicular and I am on a mission to do 300,000 steps a month 🤣 the lockers are heated so warm ish, dry boots and it was €7 a night. The ski locker room at the campsite is very warm and ok and no hassles if you get the buses to and from the campsite. It was just down to choice 😊⛷️
Looks pretty amazing! We've never skied but I can see the appeal. Was never able as a kid and in later years my (GP) wife spent her spring dealing with people severely damaged by skiing accidents, so she never wanted to go anyway! I absolutely love the mountains though and my happy place is cycling up and down them in the better weather, but those views of the snow capped peaks were stunning! Enjoy the rest of your trip.
The mountains are our happy place too. We probably love it just as much in the summer hiking and cycling. I can see your wife’s point of view, we have seen some pretty bad crashes!
We used to always ski in La Plagne, haven’t been for a while and really enjoyed your video. We’ve also done the route from Les Arcs over to Montabert on the (aptly named) VANoise express - it’s quite a days skiing!! Really enjoyed learning about camping and skiing from the van as a fellow VW campervan owner. ⛷️ ☀️ 🚐
It is a great extensive ski resort. We hardly scratched the surface in over 3 weeks!!! We only went across the vanoise twice so when we return in the spring we will make more of an effort. Montalbert is such a lovely little ski village - but wow did my legs ache that night 🤣 thanks for watching the vlogs 😊
You have convinced us to use our van more than just the summer. Using the van in the Alps looks great. Loving your vibe and videos. Thank you.
We actually really enjoy winter van life - it has a really cosy feel to it. There are some great campsite both in the UK and the Alps with good facilities that make it so easy - that thrown in with the odd night wild camping still keeps costs down so we can travel for longer 🚐 Thanks for watching our vlogs 😊
Your finishing comment asking your viewers if we'd enjoyed "A Life in the Day" of early retirement skiing just sums up how well you have life sorted! Living each day totally. You have planted a seed... thank you. we have built our van (plenty of insulation and a diesel heater) in retirement anticipation. We bike a lot (on and off road/mtb), swim, paddleboard/canoe, walk and love the wild but returning to skiing after a gap of 35 years? Having spent time last year at several ski resorts in summer in France and Scotland I need to scratch that itch. i had a skiing accident in Les Arcs in 1987.I'm grateful I can walk again after a knee replacement 16 years ago but the worry of damaging it plus the huge cost of skiing as a regular holiday when you have to take pot luck with snow conditions. Just need to implement an early retirement plan in the next couple of years so the need to ski dawn to dusk in your precious "week" is removed, and no bankruptcy risk. I promise to be content with blue runs.... 🤣🤣
We have certainly loved skiing from the campervan 🚐 I am a firm lover of cruisy blues anyway as speed and heights scare me a little 🤣 although when the snow was good earlier in the holiday I did enjoy some of the red runs. Being there for an extended time did change our attitude towards skiing - as you say, not feeling the need to ski dawn to dusk. We are back in March (to make the most of our season pass🤣⛷️) and are taking our hiking boots as the weather may be nice to get out hiking too. Happy travels in your van, wherever it takes you 🚐 I have to say, the alps in the summer are just as stunning, we want to explore the dolomites this year.
The best feeling when skiing ( besides the gorgeous mountains and exercise) is removing the boots 😂. Looks amazing and I enjoyed skiing alongside you both 😊
I absolutely agree! My walking shoes feel like slippers after 😊⛷️ we have had a fab time, the mountains are definitely our happy place- summer or winter 🏔️🚐
Just found your channel, heading to Bourg 29th December, great video👍👍
Thank you - have a great trip skiing - it is dumping down with heavy snow as I write with about half a metre more on the way. We are heading out in the 2nd week of January for a few weeks so getting very excited! ⛷️
@earlyretirementwanderlust just heading over for new year, was going to tour around for a month but can't find that many places to stay near resorts.
Nice to meet you Richard and Jackie, kept enjoying, Andy and Debbie aka Trailing Rose
Likewise it was lovely to meet you both - hope the skiing in Samoens goes well and looking forward to hearing about your Norway adventures 🚐
Another great video, what a landscape. Enjoy.
It’s been beautiful in the sun but very icy this week!
Another great video, spectacular scenery there in the mountains.❤
Cheers - it is absolutely stunning 🏔️
Fabulous!
Cheers 😊
@@earlyretirementwanderlust I can vividly remember a very peculiar type tiredness, hunger and ache after a full day on the slopes. The Aprez food and beers never tasted so good and sleep was never so deep!
Looks like you had a wonderful day. Footage brilliant as usual. Another very enjoyable video and I just love it that your video is there to watch early on a Sunday morning. Starts my day on a good note😀
Thank you. We had a great day even though it was sooo cold!! Happy Sunday x
Brilliant! 👍
Cheers 😊
Another super VLOG. Thank you.
Cheers it was a great day in the sun and the cold x
Fab video thanks for sharing.
It was a great experience skiing from the valley 😊⛷️
Love the ski series guys! We're getting our first van very soon and this is definitely on the list. Keep up the good work 🙂
We decided that we have invested so much in the van, it needs to be used all year round 🚐 it has been a great experience 😊⛷️🏔️
We stayed at La Plagne Montalbert for a short while in 2018 after Bourg in the old motorhome aire (now closed) which was ski in-ski out and we loved it
We stayed in the Aire in the summer before it became part of a posh new apartment complex. A shame as montalbert is a beautiful place as a base to explore. Many happy memories of skiing from there
Great video! Love Huttopia, we’ve stayed there to ski for the last couple of years. The Brits who stay there for the season are great fun. Hope to catch up with them again this year.
It has been a fantastic and friendly place to stay. We have used several Huttopia sites this year and are really impressed with them
Your camera work and editing is very good and I loved watching the mountain footage. Looks like you are making the very most of your early retirement.
Thanks for the feedback Caroline- we are just about getting used to using an action camera as well as our iPhones. We think it helps that we just love being in the mountains- it is our happy place!
I love what your doing, but I don’t think I could cope having to get out the van to use the toilet, a larger van or caravan it would have to be for me, I must look at winterising our van😊
Great video, having camped in a larger motorhome and ski’d in the Grand Massif. We now have a smaller camper so really enjoyed your review about the site and how to get onto the slopes 👏 just checking I guess your ski pass is used for the funicular ?
Thanks for this John- yes the ski pass does cover the funicular which works really well for our time on the campsite.👍
Hi guys, we're off to Italy with our motorhome in a couple of weeks to try the campsite near Corvara. We've stayed in nearby Selva a few times in the past for skiing (in a hotel) and it is the most beautiful place we've ever been skiing, so we are excited to try it in the van. Have you been skiing in that area? If not is it a region you would be interested in? It is further to drive to than Bourg, that's for sure, but definitely worth it. We stayed at the Bourg campsite over christmas and it was excellent. so the Corvara one has a lot to live up to!!
We have literally been looking at Italian ski resorts with campsites today as we drive home!! We are already thinking about next year and like you say, Bourg was so easy, especially in our small VW. What campsite are you staying at? Would love to hear how you get on. I have never skied in Italy, Richard went as a teacher on a few school trips. We loved it in the summer when we stayed in the Cortina area. We are back at bourg in March when schools are back for a couple of weeks to make the most of our season pass 🤣 Have a fab time ⛷️
@@earlyretirementwanderlust I did a reply with a link to the place we're staying, but it's disappeared! Maybe comments with links aren't allowed? It's called camping colfosco. Its got quite a few bad reviews but it's in the area we want to be so we'll risk it!! Also you can't book it, you have to just turn up and hope there's space, which is really stressful for anyone driving a long way and not having the security of somewhere to stay at the end of the journey! I'll let you know how we get on 🙂Safe journey home guys. Ness
@DeansGoTravelling fingers crossed it works out ok 😬 we had that a lot in the summer in the Italian mountain resorts - no booking but it’s a little easier to just move on in the summer 🤣🚐
I’m just back from Canazei, there is a large camp site there, and I also noticed two sites in Corvara when I did the Sella Ronda, I’d guess that each village has a site.
Looks amazing, do you both speak the language or do you find most places are English speaking. I have signed up for Rosetta stone to start brushing up on my German. Would you recommend camp ground for a few days to look around the local area as not sure were fit enough to ski this year lol
Skiing from the Bourg St Maurice campsite was really easy and a great base in the valley. We follow the winterised motorhome ski group on Facebook where there is lots of information and help and advice for campgrounds all over Europe for winter based activities.
We do speak a little French - enough to get by and I can read French quite well which helps when looking for information - Richard is nearly on a 600 day streak on Duolingo which is helping a little!! To be honest most places will speak back to you in English even if you spoke to them in pigeon French 😂
Fantastic footage again, thanks for sharing, so so beautiful. I’m excited to get myself out on the slopes again this year. Well done, that’s a great days skiing. I will definitely take my van across when I go. ⛷️❤️😎👍
It was a long day skiing but a fab day out! We have really enjoyed our time skiing from the van
I heard the weather is getting milder there
Yep- with no fresh snow forecast for the foreseeable! We filmed this video last weekend and since then it has got warmer and warmer. Yesterday it was saying it was 19 degrees in Arc 1600 when we were up there. The lower pistes are rock hard with icy patches. Up top the snow remains good…but everyone heads up so the lifts are busy. Keep doing the snow dances for later in the season🤞
Lovely video! You are both a total inspiration. I am maybe confusing videos but I thought you had a drying room on site? Do you leave your boots in the locker with the skiis and are they dry in the morning? Nothing worse than putting on wet boots :) Do you pay for the locker? So, so many questions!! I may have to come back with more!
Thankyou - we chose to leave our skis and boots up in arc 1600 as we felt it was easier to just walk to the funicular and I am on a mission to do 300,000 steps a month 🤣 the lockers are heated so warm ish, dry boots and it was €7 a night. The ski locker room at the campsite is very warm and ok and no hassles if you get the buses to and from the campsite. It was just down to choice 😊⛷️
@@earlyretirementwanderlust thank you this was really helpful!
Nice 👍 Are the lockers at 1600 heated? Do you get toasty boots to put on?
Yes ours was great and toasty. A family with a 4 person locker said not?
@@earlyretirementwanderlust Thanks 😀😀
There in 2 weeks, hope it snows ❄️
@@earlyretirementwanderlust Just double checking, are these the lockers at the Intersport?
Yes - hope it snows too. It was very icy out today.
Does the waste water freeze in your sink? I don't have an onboard waste tank so need to use a bucket/ waste hog but am a little nervous
We have drained the fresh water and wash up in the camp facilities which is much easier. So no waste water 💧
Ah yes, just like we did last week when it was only -7 🤣🤣
Looks pretty amazing! We've never skied but I can see the appeal. Was never able as a kid and in later years my (GP) wife spent her spring dealing with people severely damaged by skiing accidents, so she never wanted to go anyway! I absolutely love the mountains though and my happy place is cycling up and down them in the better weather, but those views of the snow capped peaks were stunning! Enjoy the rest of your trip.
The mountains are our happy place too. We probably love it just as much in the summer hiking and cycling. I can see your wife’s point of view, we have seen some pretty bad crashes!
We used to always ski in La Plagne, haven’t been for a while and really enjoyed your video. We’ve also done the route from Les Arcs over to Montabert on the (aptly named) VANoise express - it’s quite a days skiing!! Really enjoyed learning about camping and skiing from the van as a fellow VW campervan owner. ⛷️ ☀️ 🚐
It is a great extensive ski resort. We hardly scratched the surface in over 3 weeks!!! We only went across the vanoise twice so when we return in the spring we will make more of an effort. Montalbert is such a lovely little ski village - but wow did my legs ache that night 🤣 thanks for watching the vlogs 😊