No need for ski lodging with tricked out van
By Kade Krichko, Outside
Lars Chickering-Ayers, the runner-up of the 2011 Subaru Freeskiing World Tour and winner of 2013’s Kirkwood stop of the Freeride World Tour is a van life vet.
For years he and his brother, Silas, have traveled around North America to FWT stops in a souped-up 1993 Ford E350 dubbed “The General.”
“We designed [the General] to travel around the World Tour because we wanted to get ourselves and our gear pretty much anywhere,” he says. “Basically it’s fun and it’s convenient.”
Chickering-Ayers represents a growing number of skiers and snowboarders using vans to carve out prime slope access. What their vehicles lack in indoor plumbing and kitchen convenience, they make up for mobility, making them an ideal option for those that live life one winter storm at a time.
Some resorts like Squaw Valley offer free overnight parking for 72 hours (except on storm days).
Been there, done that, talk about living on the road for a few hundred bucks a month. Plywood floor, foam pads, extra sleeping bag underneath, goes a long ways to being warm in a snow storm.