Yes, you can enjoy a skiing holiday in a caravan! John Rawlings and family have a real blast
“BUT WERE YOU warm enough?” was the question that most people asked after they heard we’d stayed in a caravan for our first family skiing holiday. And by the way, the answer was a resounding “Yes!”
It’s a fair question and the first thing my wife asked about when I suggested a skiing holiday by caravan. She also worried about coping with damp ski outfits in the van and wasn’t thrilled at the prospect of walking to the facilities across a snowy campsite.
Thankfully, the reality was much better than expected and we all agreed that we’d do the trip in a caravan again – success!
I was very impressed by how the Truma Combi blown-air heating kept us snug in the van. Some evenings, we actually turned the heating down, and we had it on the lower power consumption mode most of the time, because we weren’t sure how many amps the hook-up was providing. Overnight, we used the ‘eco’ setting for the fan to keep temperatures topped up.
Skiing at Les Arcs
I think our great experience of a caravan skiing holiday was helped by a good choice of site: Camping Huttopia Bourg St Maurice in the Les Arcs ski area of the French Alps.
It was one of the places recommended for skiing holidays by the Caravan and Motorhome Club, and we booked the site, the ferry crossings and our travel insurance through its foreign travel service.
Like a lot of sites near ski areas, Camping Huttopia Bourg St Maurice has a handy heated room, where guests can leave their ski gear – skis, boots and clothing – so they could dry out overnight and were warm when you put them on in the morning.
The campsite also provides a free shuttle service to the centre of the village, where the funicular train takes you up to the ski resorts at Les Arcs 1600, 1800 and 2000. There’s also a tourist bus, which stops just outside the campsite, and sometimes we walked it in less than 30 minutes.
You can buy ski passes from reception at a slight discount, but remember to do this (and book the minibus) the day before you intend to ski. Alternatively, you can buy them at the train station or at www.lesarcs. com. Next to reception is a big lounge with an open fire and tables you can use all day.
Check road conditions
I made sure to look at the approach to the campsite on Google Maps to check what the
