Can we use it to ski (1 Viewer)

Cannons

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:Smile:We have just bought a Bessecarr E450, which we love. When we bought it we aksed if it had a double floor., ie., insulation for use all year round. The answer was yes, it is a van you can use all year round and has a double floor. We've now had a chance to look underneath, but we don't think our motorhome has a double floor as we can see the watertank.!! Any advice would be greatly appreciated, we are very new to all this but would dearly love to use our motorhome to do a ski season.:Blush:
 

Geo

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Most Motor homes have a double floor of some form the term you wanted was"is the van winterised" and the smart a**e salesman probably knew that too
"Haganap" (Paul) will pick up on your post as will a few other skiing buffs, Me? the only ice I need comes in a gin and tonic:Doh:
however it go's enjoy and welcome to fun
Geo
 

Blisters

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Hi

Welcome to fun, firstly your van, there will be two tanks on the van, a waste water tank usually black, and a fresh water tank usually clear, if you can see either of these under your van then in freezing weather they will freeze,

Our experiance of british vans is that they are poor when it come,s to winterisation, many have the clean tank under a seat with the waste tank is under slung and therefore prone to freezing, also they tend to have several vents which let the cold in and heat out (often theres a biggish one in the door), fully winterised vans will have both tanks on the inside and heating both in the van and under the floor to ensure nothing freezes up

we brought our current van with skiing in mind, its a Eura Mobil and i'm told its the only van certificated down to -20c, many of the other Germany vans are certificated down to -15c but in use i don't think there much in them, but put them against anything british and they will win hands down, down mean to put a downer on your dreams, but if your going to use it for skiing take plenty of blankets

If you look in members for Haganaps and pm him, i know he went skiing with someone who had an English van I think a swift, and i'm fairly sure they had alsorts of problems including froozen tanks and difficulties keeping thier van warm

also ask him for the website that combine motorhomig with skiing, its full of interesting info and loads of site where you can stay

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haganap

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hi canons and welcome to the forum.

In answer to your question im afraid it will be a no in standard form. You will have to make some mods to your van to be able to use it.
last year We took ash & Lynn with us in his very nice Swift. Unfortunately when the temps dropped to -10 and down to as low as -25 he had a bit of trouble. This was because his water pump was actually outside (i think). Fortunately Ash is a builder type chap and was able to do all sorts of stuff to stop him from freezing.

In all truth, British vans are not made for seriously cold winters. They can with a bit of care and knowlege be used though. Our first trip skiing was in -20s in a CI, that too froze but its quite simple to get things lagged and sorted.

Our current van (adria) is fully winterised with underslung but heated waste, on board interior fresh water, fully insulated walls and roof. It was such a difference having it for the last trip.

This is a site I have contributed to and use often for skiing info. Good advice to ski on a budjet.

Welcome to MotorhomeSki.com


What ever problems you come accross they can always be sorted. I had one whereby my Van would not level on the chocks. A kind French guy came and jacked up my van and lowered it on. I would of never thought about that :Blush:

Skiiing in a motorhome is great fun we have done Scotland a few times and the alps. We are going again at xmas and February half term for sure, may even try and get another small meet together for those brave enough to want too but have never done so.

So good luck and any questions please fire away. :thumb:
 

champers

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Thank you for the info regarding winterising a m/h for skiing and the link giving more info which is very interesting as this was our main objective in having a campervan enabling us to go skiing without the hassle of airports etc

We had extra insulation added from top to bottom for this purpose when our van was being converted but will prob need more lagging on hindsight for the water tank housed in the rear possibly for the toilet cassette housed inside near the sliding door... could this be a problem?

Also we would be interested in a ski meet that had coped for all levels of ski :ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:ok we like the easy runs etc eg at Morillon 7km patroled :thumb::thumb:
 
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Cannons

Cannons

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Thanks to you all for your replies, I thought it might be the case that we cuould not use the motorhome for skiing. I have looked at the motorhome ski site and it does have lots of useful information and tips.

Ah well, it looks like I will have to suffer a catered ski chalet again this xmas !!!! Lol.:Doh:

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scotjimland

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Thanks to you all for your replies, I thought it might be the case that we cuould not use the motorhome for skiing. I have looked at the motorhome ski site and it does have lots of useful information and tips.

Ah well, it looks like I will have to suffer a catered ski chalet again this xmas !!!! Lol.:Doh:

Hi

I would not give up on your plan, your van can be used if you prepare it for freezing conditions .. for less than the cost of a chalet holiday..

First of all identify all the vulnerable waste and fresh water pipes... if they are underneath re route inside the van and lag.

Insulate your waste tank and fit a tank heater .. same for the fresh water tank if it is under slung ..

Buy good quality silver screens for all windows including roof lights, both inside and outside, or make your own if they are not readily available.. silver builders insulating material is sold in most DIY stores .. cut to size and it can be fitted inside using suckers or gaffer tape..

High Tog value bedding or winter sleeping bags

Goes without say, take Propane gas and fit the biggest cylinders that your locker will accommodate ..

Buy one or two low wattage ( around 800watt) 230v oil filled heaters, these can be left on and will make a huge difference. A higher wattage fan heater can also be used in the day time if the EHU supply is adequate .. look for a site with a 16A ehu

When you go to bed, leave the kitchen sink and bathroom cupboard doors open, this helps prevent the pipes inside from freezing..

Fit winter fridge vent covers.

You will also need snow chains, not just common sense but a legal requirement on many roads during winter.


Good luck,


Jim
 
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Haganaps idea for a newbies ski expedition sounds good Im sure our Amy would love the idea I may even be brave enough to try but only on the nursery slopes for people who fall over a lot..Will have to look out for the next Aldi ski bits sale now.Thanks to Haganaps for organising a great meet last weekend by the way .
 

peter marshall

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Hi Cannons
I had a Bessaccar 465 2006 Reg, It had waste tank under, Fresh water inside at the back, all water supply pipes ran inside under the seating but i wuld not have said it was winterised, but then we never tried it out:thumb:. welcome and enjoy the site and your new van. Pete :thumb:
 

haganap

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I'm an oldbie MH number 9
is there any one on here thinking off planning a ski trip meet

Hi Terry,
i did do one last year and we started off with 6 vans but in the end only two vans went. We had a great time though.

However when we go in February we will probably go alone as we are going to check out a few new places. The difficulty in doing it as a group is that when you land on an aire you have to find room not just for yourself but for however many you take.
That said we do spend a week on a site and that tends to be Pralognan due to its elevation and normally excellent snow forecast. The site we use is really nice with good facilities. We may be there in the Feb half term as we tend to go for two weeks. But as you know you can plan one thing and then the snow or lack of it can have you travelling a lot less or a lot father than you intended.

So yeah maybe one of my secret aires might get some use in February or maybe we can arrange something. Im open to ideas. :thumb:
and I cant wait to try my new skis, so im going to Scotland Christmas week and praying that there is snow.:Eeek:
 

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