All Tales From The Road since the beginning of time:
2022-2023
We’re currently taking a pause and building a new van. Check out our Van Build page to follow along!
SNOW CHASING.
That’s how we would describe our first winter in the van (2017/2018). Wherever the storm was, we would go for it! As much as we had fun doing this, the truth is that involves A LOT of driving; and we’d rather be riding than driving… On top of that, backcountry skiing is very different than mountain biking. Exploring new mountain biking zones is easy enough: open Trailforks and follow the trail! For backcountry skiing, it generally gets better the more you know the area. And it’s safer as well because you know the history of the snowpack, and, therefore, you can make smarter decisions.
PARK AND WAIT.
That was the strategy for this winter! We decided to rent an apartment in Revelstoke and wait for the storms to come to us. With a world-class resort (Revelstoke Resort) at less than a 10 minute drive and a world-class backcountry area (Rogers Pass) at a 45 minute drive, in retrospect, it was an excellent idea! We loved it here. Here is how it went:
Commute.
Swivel -> Suit Up -> RIDE! The feeling of putting our boots on with the heater blowing on our feet just doesn’t get old, we still LOVE IT after all these years! (see our swivel seat review here: faroutride.com/swivels-review)
Earn your turns.
Feeling small.
At the top.
Leave your trace.
Immersion.
2 planks.
I decided to give skiing a shot this winter. Turns out both snowboarding and skiing are fun in their own way! I think nothing beats the feeling of surfing on perfect powder, but skiing is more fun in “all-around” conditions.
40th Birthday.
It’s my 40th birthday today and to make sure I don’t get time to search for the meaning of life, I woke up super early, went on an all-day adventure, and had just enough wine & cheese fondue to fuse with the couch. All of that with the person I love the most. I can’t think of a better way to spend the day!
Back to Vanlife.
It’s warming up, days are getting longer, and deep powder is getting scarce… It’s time to go back to #vanlife, get our bikes ready, and ride some dirt!
That's it for now!
We’re still not sure what’s our next move at the time of writing this, so stay tuned on Facebook or Instagram to get the latest updates:
So, on public radio tonight, we heard that there are increased restrictions on sleeping in vans in Squamish. How is this affecting you, if all?
It has only been a few days since this is in effect. Actually it always was illegal to sleep in vehicle in the street, but now it will be interesting to see if they really enforce it. The problem is that there’s not many options outside city limits; we’d had to drive a lot. We’ll just keep on doing our things and hope we don’t get caught…
Another question about your winterization: I assumed you left the battery in because you were running the heater occasionally. Did you turn off the B2B and MPPT so you didn’t accidentally charge the batteries when it was below freezing?
We left the batteries in, and we left the B2B and solar ON. If it’s too cold, the built-in BMS (in the Battle Born) will isolate the batteries to protect them. So no need to worry about that!
Good to know. Does the BMS also block using the the batteries?
Yes, please refer to the specifications: https://faroutride.com/battleborn-review/#specs
I recently discovered your blog and webpage. Thank you so much for providing such great insight into what the van life can look like
Yes, knowing the weekly history of the ice is nice, anywhere. Here in Michigan, the kick wax on XC skis is lots easier if you know what worked yesterday.
But now the snow is gone and the migrating birds are starting to come thru. Buffleheads, canvasbacks, red headed ducks, and other creatures we see but once a year.
Wondering, did you winterize your water system or just leave the van heat at 2C? And did you get a nice deal like last spring on your rental, or were you caught at resort “winter” prices?
Cheers
We didn’t heat the van, so we did completely drain our water system: tank, pump, accumulator, water heater, etc. Now it’s back on and all is good 🙂
We paid full tourist price for our apt, but we were downtown and REALLY enjoyed staying there, so no regrets!
Happy spring!