Looking here at their website I see quad occupancy rates of $916 per person for 7 nights and 5 days of skiing. I can't see an RV being anywhere near as inexpensive, and more of a pain than anything else.
Would highly recommend renting in the US.
Not only will it be cheaper to do so, but crossing the border, in a rented RV, as a group of young men on a ski trip could be a huge pain in the ***.
I enjoy RV'ing, but as others have stated, it is rarely the most cost effective form of travel, and you will likely run into issues finding sewage and water hookups in the winter, effectively meaning you're travelling in an oversized van with some mattresses.
Best of luck, it certainly sounds like a great trip!
I think the RV is what will make half of this experience vs. a hotel room.
Having said that, I can't see many chicks wanting to head back to the shaggin' wagon at the end of the day with you four. If you're single guys, you may be better off at a hotel with a hot tub and stuff.
I think the RV is what will make half of this experience vs. a hotel room.
Having said that, I can't see many chicks wanting to head back to the shaggin' wagon at the end of the day with you four. If you're single guys, you may be better off at a hotel with a hot tub and stuff.
I was going to add this in as well. It's not often you find an RV site close to major amenities, so unless you're cool with grabbing your drinks from a liqour store, and the 4 of you hanging out inside an RV all night drinking, (nothing wrong with this) it may be difficult to socialize, as I don't imagine any campground you find is gonna be very busy.
If you get a hotel, you get the added bonus of hot tubs, likely a restaurant, bar, lounge, close to other hotels and bars, that's where the action is at.
First things first, I'm going to buck the trend of naysayers and say DO IT!
Secondly here's a shameless plug for a video from our trip a few years ago:
Warning: Amateur skiing and snowboarding!
We rented from CanaDream. Each RV was $1,300 between 5 people or approximately $30/night plus gas of course. Sleeping in the parking lot was amazing of course. We made a no bathroom rule and used the bathrooms as a gear locker for wet ski gear. We tried to find hot springs when it was time for a shower which may have only happened once. Despite concerns the RV was big enough and we had no issues with people getting on each others nerves. Firing roman candles out of moving RV's is a riot when the convoy doesn't expect it. You can also have one hell of a party in the back when you're not driving.
All in all it was one of the best trips I've ever been on and can't wait to do it again. I'm blowing the winter budget on a Japow! trip instead this year but next season I hope to rent an RV to head to Jackson or Smithers/Terrace et al. On that note I've heard Jackson doesn't quite live up to the hype.
The RV has dishes and all we brought was a toaster and numerous electrical and hand powered coffee devices. We had brought winter bags for a night under the stars but never ended up using them. Man that RV was great!
I don't really know what to say other than do it! We have touring gear as well so didn't ski resorts every day. That and cooking most meals in the RV, the cheap accommodation, splitting gas and the cheaper hill tickets in the Kootenay's (compared to AB) it wasn't just an affordable vacation it was probably cheaper than a week at home/work with a weekend trip to ski.
Oh man just the memories got me jacked for winter!
The Following User Says Thank You to kevman For This Useful Post:
Oh yeah, the RV's from CanaDream are winter rated. They're insulated so you still have water and they have dual pane windows so they don't condense up. That random cheap RV you find off Kijiji won't be anywhere near as comfortable. That and it's a vacation - why worry about the maintenance on your RV?
As for slippery roads - it's a non issue! Sure you're going to go slow but unless your the poor sap that's driving that night you're going to be so wasted in the back it doesn't matter. That and they're fairly sure footed. We only lost the back end a few times on purpose in parking lots...
^ yikes one shower during a week long ski vacation when you are sweating - i could not handle that......but i am a sissy boy i guess......but that being said, i could see where it could have the potential as a crazy road trip
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Thanks for all the feed back guys. Kev your trip sounds unreal and that's probably a little more crazy then we'd get as we're trying to keep our group smaller but that's why we want to do it. I have a vision of sitting in lawn chairs on the roof of the RV eating breakfast and enjoying my breakfast beer as fat snowflakes fall from the heavens.
We do a boys ski trip like this every year and we always stay in hotels so this would be fun and something different. From what I gather the Apres at Jackson are similar to Whistler? If we meet girls there will be plenty of places to hangout without having to bring them back to the meth lab.
Thanks for all the feed back guys. Kev your trip sounds unreal and that's probably a little more crazy then we'd get as we're trying to keep our group smaller but that's why we want to do it. I have a vision of sitting in lawn chairs on the roof of the RV eating breakfast and enjoying my breakfast beer as fat snowflakes fall from the heavens.
If the weather is on your side, I don't think your vision is far off. I've had great times RVing in the winter like that.
You could encounter really poor winter driving conditions between Montana-Idaho-Wyoming, in the mountain passes.
After Whitefish it's all interstate. No more mountain passes until you hit the range literally right outside of Jackson. That one however might be interesting in an RV in winter...
Go to Tarhgee as well, found better conditions there, less crowds, half the price, and some insane hiking up Mary's Nipple if it's not foggy.
Jackson is by far the best town I've ever been in to party. Also, try Pinky's for pizza, and the breakfeast burrito truck at the hill.
After Whitefish it's all interstate. No more mountain passes until you hit the range literally right outside of Jackson. That one however might be interesting in an RV in winter...
Go to Tarhgee as well, found better conditions there, less crowds, half the price, and some insane hiking up Mary's Nipple if it's not foggy.
Jackson is by far the best town I've ever been in to party. Also, try Pinky's for pizza, and the breakfeast burrito truck at the hill.
Going through Whitefish means you took a wrong turn somewhere, and there are no interstates in that area. The I15 can be awful in the winter all through Montana, but 1000's of Senior Canadians make this drive every winter.
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We did a similar ski trip two season ago. Skied Whitefish, Targhee and Jackson Hole. One bit of advice to Jackson Hole, stay at the Plywood Palace (or see if you can just park in their parking lot) - http://www.thehostel.us - This place was the spot to be for ski bums and as close to on hill as you get in Teton Village. It was run that year by Rob Maris and his wife, he was a pro skier back in the day, left Alaska because everyone he knew was dying in avalanches. We had a beer and sat down with him one night and he gave some insights on where to head in the morning on Jackson. We skied three days at Jackson and there was 0 new snow. When it was dumping the night of the 3rd day he is the one that pointed us over to Grand Targhee where the snow would be deeper and the lines shorter, he was right. We left at 530 in the morning and the tram line up in Jackson was ridiculous.
Its a pretty "rustic" place, but awesome to meet fellow ski bums.
I've rented from CanadaDream on 3 occassions in the past ~10 years. You pay a bit of a premium for sure, but I've always felt like it was worth it. If you're going to rent an RV, I wouldn't have any hesitation about using them. The equipment is new, it's clean, and everything works. Within the context of travelling via RV, having that piece of mind is worth the premium.
And frankly, we spent ONE night in a Walmart parking lot. It may have been a fluke, but we met some amazing people that night and had an absolute blast.
Despite concerns the RV was big enough and we had no issues with people getting on each others nerves. Firing roman candles out of moving RV's is a riot when the convoy doesn't expect it. You can also have one hell of a party in the back when you're not driving. 
After Missoula we hit the I-90 then the I-15.
