One thing on my list of things I wanted to do in 2024 was winter camping. That is why I decided to go to Andorra to have some fun and experience Winter Vanlife!
Winter Vanlife and Snowboarding in Andorra
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Andorra is a tiny tiny country in the Pyrenees, between Spain and France. The country has beautiful mountains and very nice ski resorts. Also, it is possible to stay with the Campervan right below the ski lifts! Andorra is not a part of Schengen or the European Union by the way and most of the people working seasonal jobs here are either from Chili or Argentina. I visited 2 populair ski places in Andorra: Ordino-Arcalis and Pal-Arinsal.
Ordino-Arcalis
The first place I visited here in Andorra was Ordino-Arcalis.
I arrived late at night and could park right below the ski lift, in front of the ski school where I had booked a snowboard class for the next early morning so it was really convient and it felt special to be able to just spend the night here!
There was more sun than Snow down the slopes but my solar panels were happy. Also, the black back is a Solar Shower which warms up the water slightly. Cold showers are not for the weak. However, it was colder than it looks in the picture and I decided to belong to the weak and skip the shower for the day. Babywipes it is
Here under the lifts you can see that there is much more snow, not a lot but it looks much better already
The snow on the slopes was actually amazing. It was not too soft, not too icy but just perfect powder! A lot of people who are living in other ski areas came here to enjoy the snow, since they say it is much better here. Also, I feel like the powder snow is very forgiving and as I am still a beginner forever beginner I feel like the ice can sometimes be a bit overwhelming so ice free slopes make me happy.
Pal-Arinsal
The next Ski resort I visited was Pal-Arinsal. Pal and Arinsal are 2 villages but they share a Ski Resort.
There it is also easy to park right beside the lifts of Arinsal. This place is very popular for tourists from the UK. It is a very beginner friendly place to get started with winter sports, which is one of the reasons that it is so popular for families. The Apres-Ski sucks by the way. For Apres-ski, Austria is still the place to be.
The ski Map of Pal-Arinsal
The day I went to Pal-Arinsal it was actually very windy in the afternoon, So windy that the lift between Pal and Arinsal was actually going to close in the afternoon. Only the people who had to go back were still allowed to switch villages so luckily I could still go back. When I got back in Arsinsal the wind got stronger, it got colder and the visibility started to be bad due to all the snow in the air. I felt like it was enough for the day and my Vanlife Chapter of Snowboarding in Andorra came to a beautiful end. Time to drive down the mountains to some warmer place :)
When you look down at the village, you can not see any trace of snow
It was a beautiful experience to be able to Spend a couple of days here with the van and it is amazing that it is possible. Wake up and just hit the slopes and have fun in the snow, sliding down the mountains and having tea ''at home'' during the breaks. I really love snowboarding and this tastes like more! I am actually already considering planning 2025's snowboard trip with the Van! I am thinking about Turkey :)
But there are also disadvantages which kinda belong to this blog. I remember after 3 days of snowboarding and just baby wipes and ''washandjes'' Dutch type of washcloth I remember sitting in the lift and wandering how nice it would be to take a shower at the highway, you know, those showers for truckers. Dreams do really adjust to where you are in life I guess haha.
Usually I can shower cold but after using a lot of energy outside on the slopes, taking a cold shower is just a lot.
Also, as my watertank is underneath the Van I decided to not wash my dishes for 3 days, which was actually not a problem as I have enough cups and plates. For my next trip I should install a second watertank inside, like a 20 liter jerrycan or so, to make sure nothing can accidentally freeze and I don't have to leave my dishes inside the sink.
The cold in the Van was actually very bearable with my electric blanket to keep me warm and the Van is insulated well enough to keep the worst cold out. At night it was around -2 degrees Celsius so inside it was around 6 which is very okay if you are used to something.
Thank you for reading my little story about my Winter-Vanlife experience. Would you like to stay in a Van in winter or do you rather sign up for a nice resort with a Sauna and Spa? Let me know! :)
Regards,
Sascha
