Skiing Escapes - Escape Trailer Owners Community
Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×

Go Back   Escape Trailer Owners Community > Escape Me | General Topics > General Escape
Click Here to Login
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 10-29-2019, 06:48 AM   #1
Senior Member
 
rmitch's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: WALNUT, California
Trailer: 2019 5.0 TA The Glass Inn
Posts: 229
Skiing Escapes

Looking at the all the info on winterizing trailers and bemoaning the coming of winter got me wondering if there are others here that share my passion for skiing. I consider myself a reverse snowbird. I live in SoCal most of the year, store the trailer there. January - April I head to my happy place in the Utah mountains and spend the winter skiing. Anyone else here looking forward to winter?
rmitch is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-29-2019, 08:09 AM   #2
Senior Member
 
Jim Bennett's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Calgary, Alberta
Trailer: 2017 Escape 5.0 TA
Posts: 15,532
I enjoy winter and have done a ton of camping during it, but almost none in a trailer. I love to ski, but prefer to get away from the commercial downhill sites and head into the backcountry. Most of my accomplices have either moved away or are not as keen on doing it anymore, unfortunately.
__________________
2017 Escape 5.0 TA
2015 Ford F150 Lariat 3.5L EcoBoost
2009 Escape 19 (previous)
“Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” — Abraham Lincoln
Jim Bennett is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-29-2019, 08:30 AM   #3
Member
 
Dee08802's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2018
Location: Asbury, New Jersey
Trailer: 2019 19'
Posts: 56
We purposely picked up our Escape in March to hit the slopes. We went from Chilliwack to Whistler then to Whitefish and Grand Targhee. We have been doing this for six years now starting in January in New England and ending in Colorado in April. Our first trailer was a 16' Scamp which we got when we retired. The trailer is kept winterized, so for water we use gallon jugs which we get refilled at Walmart's or grocery stores for about $.35. We use the gray water drains just being sure to add some RV antifreeze every once in awhile. Then we pick a warm day to dump the gray tank when it isn't gelled. A lot of ski areas let you park in their lots for free, though we noticed out west last year that some are starting to charge $15 to $20 which is still a bargain. For showers we use hot springs or Community pools which let you use the locker rooms for around $3. We find its wise to not travel at night or when snowing especially over the passes. In bad weather almost anyplace will let you stay in their lot, especially if you patronize their restaurant or bar.

Our avatar is from the Whitefish parking lot last year. It was an awesome powder day.

Hope you give it a try. We have lots of great memories and many friends we see every year.

Happy trails Ken and Dee
Dee08802 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-29-2019, 10:34 AM   #4
Senior Member
 
suncoastdancers's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2017
Location: Powell River, British Columbia
Trailer: 2017 Escape 17B
Posts: 118
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dee08802 View Post
We purposely picked up our Escape in March to hit the slopes. We went from Chilliwack to Whistler then to Whitefish and Grand Targhee. We have been doing this for six years now starting in January in New England and ending in Colorado in April. Our first trailer was a 16' Scamp which we got when we retired. The trailer is kept winterized, so for water we use gallon jugs which we get refilled at Walmart's or grocery stores for about $.35. We use the gray water drains just being sure to add some RV antifreeze every once in awhile. Then we pick a warm day to dump the gray tank when it isn't gelled. A lot of ski areas let you park in their lots for free, though we noticed out west last year that some are starting to charge $15 to $20 which is still a bargain. For showers we use hot springs or Community pools which let you use the locker rooms for around $3. We find its wise to not travel at night or when snowing especially over the passes. In bad weather almost anyplace will let you stay in their lot, especially if you patronize their restaurant or bar.

Our avatar is from the Whitefish parking lot last year. It was an awesome powder day.

Hope you give it a try. We have lots of great memories and many friends we see every year.

Happy trails Ken and Dee
Your post reminds me of a winter trip we took through Utah in the late 90's, camping in an 18ft 5th wheel trailer. We stayed at Bryce Canyon and X-country skied. Then on to Beaver Mountain Ski Resort near Logan. One evening, we were woken around 4AM and asked to move so the snow plow could clear the parking lot.

After Utah, we headed back to BC and stayed near Kelowna to ski Big White and Mount Vernon. There, we stayed for a month at a resort nearby so we had services.

20 years and many RVs later, still love to head out to the mountains in the winter.

Paul
Attached Thumbnails
Scan 9.jpg  
suncoastdancers is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-29-2019, 11:21 AM   #5
Member
 
Dee08802's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2018
Location: Asbury, New Jersey
Trailer: 2019 19'
Posts: 56
Isn't life grand.

Also been to Bryce in the winter where we snowshoed. Love the National Parks that time of year. Best time was at Black Canyon. Got up there as it started snowing. Was told by the only ranger working that the park roads were not plowed for the winter but the roads were all groomed for cross country skiing. We then asked about the camp ground. He said sometimes they plow out one site and we were free to check it out. We found it partially plowed and with a little shoveling were able to set up for the night. Woke up to fresh snow and a beautiful sunny day. Spent the day skiing the park out to all the canyon overlooks. Incredible views with everything snow covered. Saw maybe four people all day.
Attached Thumbnails
IMG_0257a.jpg   IMG_0290a.jpg  
Dee08802 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-29-2019, 12:01 PM   #6
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Calgary, Alberta
Trailer: 2019 Escape 19
Posts: 176
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dee08802 View Post
We purposely picked up our Escape in March to hit the slopes. We went from Chilliwack to Whistler then to Whitefish and Grand Targhee. We have been doing this for six years now starting in January in New England and ending in Colorado in April. Our first trailer was a 16' Scamp which we got when we retired. The trailer is kept winterized, so for water we use gallon jugs which we get refilled at Walmart's or grocery stores for about $.35. We use the gray water drains just being sure to add some RV antifreeze every once in awhile. Then we pick a warm day to dump the gray tank when it isn't gelled. A lot of ski areas let you park in their lots for free, though we noticed out west last year that some are starting to charge $15 to $20 which is still a bargain. For showers we use hot springs or Community pools which let you use the locker rooms for around $3. We find its wise to not travel at night or when snowing especially over the passes. In bad weather almost anyplace will let you stay in their lot, especially if you patronize their restaurant or bar.

Our avatar is from the Whitefish parking lot last year. It was an awesome powder day.

Hope you give it a try. We have lots of great memories and many friends we see every year.

Happy trails Ken and Dee
Are you just using the trailer furnace for heat in the 19? I am curious about battery like in the winter with the furnace running.
Mark B1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-29-2019, 12:46 PM   #7
Member
 
Dee08802's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2018
Location: Asbury, New Jersey
Trailer: 2019 19'
Posts: 56
We only use the propane furnace. In both the scamp and escape we had a single 12 v battery. In the scamp we could run the furnace for two to three nights before having to recharge. In the escape it seemed the best we could do was two nights but we didn't have any real cold weather last year. It seems like the Escape will need more battery power so we added a second 12 v battery this summer. We charge with the tv or a portable solar panel for longer stays. We also picked up a Big Buddy for emergency heat. The sail switch crapped out on us four times last winter. I have added a piece of electrical tape to cover the switch activator where the lint sticks to see if it helps. I will post a follow up after this winter to let everyone know if it worked. As a point of reference we have found we use a lot more propane back east than in the west. Here it stays cold day and night. Out west the days always seem to warm up.
Dee08802 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-29-2019, 01:08 PM   #8
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Calgary, Alberta
Trailer: 2019 Escape 19
Posts: 176
Thanks. Does your 19 have the extra insulation, dual pane windows, and belly insulation.

Sorry for all the questions but we have discussed using the trailer for skiing as well. We are likely picking it up in March, however our trip home is much shorter than yours, but there is lots of skiing on the way.
Mark B1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-29-2019, 01:37 PM   #9
Senior Member
 
rubicon327's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Burlington Twp., New Jersey
Trailer: 2010 Escape 19
Posts: 7,126
Love this thread. Hope to get out to do some more skiing. Just got some new sticks for this season. This snowy shot is actually our fishing base camp getting hit with lake effect snow off of Lake Erie in early November last year.
Attached Thumbnails
snow.jpg  
__________________
Mods to Rubicon: https://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f...tml#post249508
“One way to get the most out of life is to look upon it as an adventure.”― W.F.
rubicon327 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-29-2019, 02:28 PM   #10
Member
 
Dee08802's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2018
Location: Asbury, New Jersey
Trailer: 2019 19'
Posts: 56
Mark
No worry about to many questions, that's what the forum is for. I haven't seen too many posts from skiers here so nice to find other with the same interests.

We do have the extra insulation, dual pane windows, and belly insulation. The Escape has a lot more exterior surface area and window surface than our Scamp had which is probably the reason for more heat demand. I will be adding more floor insulation under the bed and dinette benches to cover the floor area not insulated. You will find the underbelly insulation only covers between the frame rails leaving the outboard sections uninsulated. I will also cut some reflectix panels for use in window openings and the roof vent on really cold nights as we did in the Scamp. This also helps with winter condensation though we did note much less in the Escape as compaired to the single pane windows in the Scamp.

Side note. If anyone reading knows how to add the clip box from a previous post when replying to questions please let me know how its done. I tried without success.
Dee08802 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-29-2019, 02:38 PM   #11
Member
 
Dee08802's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2018
Location: Asbury, New Jersey
Trailer: 2019 19'
Posts: 56
Quote:
Originally Posted by rubicon327 View Post
Love this thread. Hope to get out to do some more skiing. Just got some new sticks for this season. This snowy shot is actually our fishing base camp getting hit with lake effect snow off of Lake Erie in early November last year.
Hi neighbor. Love the winter camping pic. I'm getting antsy to get out. Just got a text from our Colorado mountain saying they got 18" yesterday. Maybe we will cross paths one day.
Dee08802 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-29-2019, 02:40 PM   #12
Member
 
Dee08802's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2018
Location: Asbury, New Jersey
Trailer: 2019 19'
Posts: 56
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dee08802 View Post
Side note. If anyone reading knows how to add the clip box from a previous post when replying to questions please let me know how its done. I tried without success.
Disregard my question. I got it to work.
Dee08802 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-29-2019, 03:03 PM   #13
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Calgary, Alberta
Trailer: 2019 Escape 19
Posts: 176
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dee08802 View Post
Mark
We do have the extra insulation, dual pane windows, and belly insulation.
Hmm. We did not order the belly insulation to keep things easier to access and keep weight down, and I thought I could just add Styrofoam insulation after the fact as others have done if I wanted too. However, that would not cover the tanks and you are likely retaining some heat to your grey water tank with the spray foam. Something to think about.
Mark B1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-29-2019, 03:11 PM   #14
Member
 
Dee08802's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2018
Location: Asbury, New Jersey
Trailer: 2019 19'
Posts: 56
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark B1 View Post
Hmm. We did not order the belly insulation to keep things easier to access and keep weight down
One issue we had with the Scamp was corrosion of the frame from salt exposure. The foam insulation does a nice job sealing the underbelly to hopefully minimize this issue. Just have the outboard side rails and axle assembly to keep an eye on.

Another issue we had with the tubular steal framing members on the Scamp was with salt getting in the open ends of the framing and corroding from the inside. On the Escape I spray foam sealed all the open framing ends.
Dee08802 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-31-2019, 11:47 AM   #15
Senior Member
 
rmitch's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: WALNUT, California
Trailer: 2019 5.0 TA The Glass Inn
Posts: 229
Thanks for all the replies good to know there are others here who share the passion for winter.
Grand Targee is a wonderful mountain have skied it several times.
We have never camped when skiing, but with the new 5.0TA I am seriously considering this type of trip.
The national parks are amazing in winter. Have been to Sequoia and Yosemite in winter but not camping. The most memorable trip was Yellowstone in winter. Rented a snowmobile in west Yellowstone stayed at the Old Faithful snow lodge and toured the park on the snowmobile for three days. Nothing like seeing Old Faithful go off with a large group of three people watching.
You were very close to our winter hideout when you skied Targee. We winter in Eden Utah and our home area is Powder Mountain. Snowbasin is also very close.
If any one is interested we will be in Eden for most of the winter. Send us a message.
A picture from Pow Mow
Attached Thumbnails
20151223_101405_HDR.jpg  
rmitch is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-31-2019, 12:01 PM   #16
Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: Houston, Texas
Trailer: 2019 Escape 19
Posts: 51
Quote:
Originally Posted by rmitch View Post
Looking at the all the info on winterizing trailers and bemoaning the coming of winter got me wondering if there are others here that share my passion for skiing. I consider myself a reverse snowbird. I live in SoCal most of the year, store the trailer there. January - April I head to my happy place in the Utah mountains and spend the winter skiing. Anyone else here looking forward to winter?
We go to our apartment in Utah also for the skiing for about 6 weeks every winter. We are thinking about doing Whistler in early April after we pick up our new Escape 19 in Chilliwack.
Hopefully the conditions will be ok to do this and then make our way home to Texas.
Glens is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-31-2019, 12:41 PM   #17
Member
 
Dee08802's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2018
Location: Asbury, New Jersey
Trailer: 2019 19'
Posts: 56
Quote:
Originally Posted by Glens View Post
We are thinking about doing Whistler in early April after we pick up our new Escape 19 in Chilliwack.
Hopefully the conditions will be ok to do this and then make our way home to Texas.
That's what we did last year. We stayed at Riverside Campground. Real convenient. They were completely full when we were there in March so might be wise to make a reservation now. We had no issues with weather. Also the Capilano River RV Park in Vancouver is a great stopover if you want to spend a day in the city.
Attached Thumbnails
IMG_20190303_150304.jpg  
Dee08802 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-31-2019, 03:43 PM   #18
Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: Houston, Texas
Trailer: 2019 Escape 19
Posts: 51
Thanks Dee08802, we will check it out and we will try to get some reservations.
Glens is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-31-2019, 09:39 PM   #19
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: Whitehorse, Yukon
Trailer: 2018 Escape 21
Posts: 18
Skiing Escapes

Thanks, Dee08802 and others, for the inspiring stories of using your Escape for skiing/winter excursions. Obviously, here in the Yukon, we have lots of opportunity for cold weather travel, but so far have just kept our Escape 21 tucked away and winterized....

Our questions: What is it like towing on winter/snowy roads? Also, do you change the standard trailer tires to snow tires?

Thanks!
Leo and Lynn
Escape2Yukon is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-01-2019, 07:06 AM   #20
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Burlington, Vermont
Trailer: 2014 17b/ 2012 Chevy Colorado
Posts: 736
From 2015 -2017 we camped for 6 weeks each winter in a campground in Tetonia Idaho and skied the backcountry around Teton Pass with a couple of days on Grand Targhee. Last winter we brought the trailer out to Victor but rented a small house there which enabled us to have guests. We piled into the Escape in March and headed NW to hike and ski in Oregon and Washington. Our last day on snow was 6/27 the day after the Going-to-the-sun-road. Our first summer ski adventure!
yardsale is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off




» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Escape Trailer Industries or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 06:41 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Copyright 2023 Social Knowledge, LLC All Rights Reserved.