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How about something different

deadheadskier

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I'd imagine the reasons you don't see many RVs in winter are

lack of utility hookups where you wish to travel

Likely poor performance in snow

Desire to protect the investment. Having the frame rust out from salt exposure on a $40k SUV is one thing. Having it happen to an RV that costs multiple times as much is a different story

Would be cool, but just not very practical for most skiers. I'd rather own a second home in ski country or go with a seasonal rental

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BenedictGomez

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I’m not an RV guy but I admire it from afar. I don’t know about doing it in winter weather. It boxes you in, especially at night. Part of the RV appeal is spending time outdoors.

That's a great point, but what about for all the people who already own them. Seems to me if you own one and go to parks in the summer & fall it would make sense to use it at a mountain too.

I've also noticed culturally far more people out west own RVs than people in the east. Perhaps due to the tons of parks they have. In Utah it's common for people to have a special RV garage in their house, basically a normal 2-car garage, but then a third bay with a very tall garage door for an RV. You see them all over. Either that or an outdoor slip made specifically for an RV; we just dont see that commonly in the east.
 

jimk

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That's a great point, but what about for all the people who already own them. Seems to me if you own one and go to parks in the summer & fall it would make sense to use it at a mountain too.

I've also noticed culturally far more people out west own RVs than people in the east. Perhaps due to the tons of parks they have. In Utah it's common for people to have a special RV garage in their house, basically a normal 2-car garage, but then a third bay with a very tall garage door for an RV. You see them all over. Either that or an outdoor slip made specifically for an RV; we just dont see that commonly in the east.

I'd agree with the point that RVs are popular in the US West. Anecdotally, there are a ton of them in the SLC suburbs I roam.

Winter RVing: from everything I've heard trying to effectively winterize an RV is a big pain! There is an amazing older gentlemen on pugski.com who lives in western Canada. Every winter for more than a decade he has traveled to Canadian and US ski areas for extended trips (3-6 weeks) using various camper set-ups. He even brings a small dog for companionship. He is an expert at it, yet still has some harrowing tales. He is full of cautionary advice about winter camping/trailering/RVing. It's not for the faint of heart. He uses a good winterized truck and camper. Driving a huge RV around snowy mountain roads would be even more demanding. Keeping all the various aspects of an RV from freezing up in a very cold climate like January in Vermont is no small task. My advice: anybody considering winter use of an RV/trailer/camper should rent or borrow first.
The trailer my dad took us skiing in several times back in the 1960s was one he rented short term from military special services. My brother who supplied this old photo told me there was a caption on the back: The Night the Soup Froze :p
(BTW this photo was taken at Blue Knob, PA at elevation ~3100'. We slept in the trailer on the windy summit parking lot as Blue Knob is an "upside down" ski area with lodge, ticket office, parking, etc. at summit. There used to be a 1950s cold war USAF tracking installation on the summit of Blue Knob and when the ski area opened in '63-'64 it took over some of the recently abandoned infrastructure, some can still be seen in this photo from late 60s.)
 

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deadheadskier

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If I had to hazard a guess, the demographic that can afford a RV is the same that can afford a boat. We have far better boating in the East than they do out West.

If I lived out west, the idea of owning a RV to take up into the mountains for weekends and vacations as a home base for MTB and hiking would be compelling. Because I live in the East I own a boat instead and will be spending my weekends on the water.

That said, RVs around me in NH are quite popular, but they're used differently. I can think of a handful of campgrounds within 10 miles of me that are packed with RVs. The difference is they are used seasonally. Many owners leave their RVs at these places year round. They get used April through October like a vacation home and just leave the RV there for winter. This would be one of such places:

https://www.wellingtoncampingparkleenh.com/index.html


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jimk

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If I had to hazard a guess, the demographic that can afford a RV is the same that can afford a boat. We have far better boating in the East than they do out West.

If I lived out west, the idea of owning a RV to take up into the mountains for weekends and vacations as a home base for MTB and hiking would be compelling. Because I live in the East I own a boat instead and will be spending my weekends on the water.

That said, RVs around me in NH are quite popular, but they're used differently. I can think of a handful of campgrounds within 10 miles of me that are packed with RVs. The difference is they are used seasonally. Many owners leave their RVs at these places year round. They get used April through October like a vacation home and just leave the RV there for winter. This would be one of such places:

https://www.wellingtoncampingparkleenh.com/index.html


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That all makes sense. A lot of very modest homes in SLC have BIG RVs in the driveway. They love their toys out here.
 

JimG.

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That said, RVs around me in NH are quite popular, but they're used differently. I can think of a handful of campgrounds within 10 miles of me that are packed with RVs. The difference is they are used seasonally. Many owners leave their RVs at these places year round. They get used April through October like a vacation home and just leave the RV there for winter. This would be one of such places:

https://www.wellingtoncampingparkleenh.com/index.html

This.

And caravan another car (with my wife driving) when we move it elsewhere. Then just use the car to and from.
 

cdskier

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Grilled some pizzas last night together with a finger lakes Rose and Cabernet Franc
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Tonight grilled some flank steak with chimichurri along with grilled fingerling potatoes and grilled cauliflower. Also opened a 2010 Napa Cab and a 2007 Toro that I’ve had for a while...
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BenedictGomez

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Is the price of ground beef insane everywhere or is it just because I'm near the epicenter? I've heard prices are elevated nationwide, but I noticed it was $7 and $6 per pound at the two places I went yesterday (and one was WMT). Typically this would be something like $3 or $3.50 I believe.

Fortunately I have many, many, pounds of ground venison in my chest freezer. Hunting's never felt so economical before.
 

icecoast1

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Is the price of ground beef insane everywhere or is it just because I'm near the epicenter? I've heard prices are elevated nationwide, but I noticed it was $7 and $6 per pound at the two places I went yesterday (and one was WMT). Typically this would be something like $3 or $3.50 I believe.

Fortunately I have many, many, pounds of ground venison in my chest freezer. Hunting's never felt so economical before.

Prices of meat are up drastically here in rural NY. Probably a combination of demand being through the roof and processing facilities shutting down. Farmers have also been killing their livestock which could present a problem going forward with the supply chain. Might be smart to stock up while you can or figure out other creative ways to get protein in your diet
 

deadheadskier

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I grind my own with the attachment for my stand mixer. I keep an eye out for sales on Bottom round or Chuck roasts, cut into cubes and throw in the freezer. Pull and grind when needed. Also like to incorporate Boneless Short rib meat for burgers.

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snoseek

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I grind my own with the attachment for my stand mixer. I keep an eye out for sales on Bottom round or Chuck roasts, cut into cubes and throw in the freezer. Pull and grind when needed. Also like to incorporate Boneless Short rib meat for burgers.

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Jesus you are doing the hamburger thing right! Do you add fat ever?
 

chuckstah

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I grind my own with the attachment for my stand mixer. I keep an eye out for sales on Bottom round or Chuck roasts, cut into cubes and throw in the freezer. Pull and grind when needed. Also like to incorporate Boneless Short rib meat for burgers.

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Perfect strategy. I've been doing that for 35 years, being in the business off and on. No reason to ever pay more than the sale price of the lowest price product (within your standards) over a period of time. Storage dictates how much you can stock up. Ground beef prices are really high right now.

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BenedictGomez

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I grind my own with the attachment for my stand mixer. I keep an eye out for sales on Bottom round or Chuck roasts, cut into cubes and throw in the freezer. Pull and grind when needed. Also like to incorporate Boneless Short rib meat for burgers.

Amen. That's normally the absolute best strategy. You can find sales on better cuts of meat like London Broil & make better ground meat for cheaper & vacuum seal it for a LONG time. But that strategy will fail miserably today as the price of whole cuts of beef are through the flippin' roof. Which is somewhat obvious given even the lowly ground beef I'm asking about it elevated.
 
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