Winter Van Life: 2021/22 - Indy Pass & Brundage Passport to Powder

I was getting ready to do a recap of 2022/23 and realized that I never published anything about our 2021/22 season. So here it is, even though it’s already June 2023.

But first, what happened to 2020/21? Well, there was the COVID pandemic. With the situation constantly in flux, it seemed easiest to just park it in one place for the winter. Especially with work, we didn’t want the logistical hassle of figuring out ski resort reservations, travel restrictions, etc. Plus, figuring out medical care on the road was a concern. We went on a month-to-month stay with McCall RV Resort and got Brundage season passes. While our season didn’t involve travel, Brundage had a powder-filled season. No complaints!

What ski passes did we have for the 2021/22 season?

We had season passes to Brundage again, which gave us unlimited, unrestricted skiing and riding at their mountain, plus 36 free days at 12 ski areas including:

Homewood (CA)
Loveland (CO)
Monarch (CO)
Silverton (CO)
Ski Cooper (CO)
Sunlight (CO)
Mt. Bohemia (MI)
Red Lodge (MT)
Diamond Peak (NV)
Mt. Hood Meadows (OR)
Beaver Mountain (UT)
Powder Mountain (UT) – with lodging
Snow King (WY)

Plus, we were eligible for discounted lift tickets at Alta and an additional discounted day at Silverton.

We also had Indy Passes with blackout dates. This gave us 2 free days at each of the following ski areas in the west:

Eaglecrest (AK)
Sunrise Park (AZ)
China Peak (CA)
Mt. Shasta (CA)
Snow Valley (CA)
Pomerelle (ID)
Silver Mountain (ID)
Soldier (ID)
Tamarack (ID)
Lost Trail (MT)
Red Lodge (MT)
Hoodoo (OR)
Mt. Ashland (OR)
Beaver Mountain (OR)
Eagle Point (UT)
Powder Mountain (UT)
49 Degrees North (WA)
Hurricane Ridge (WA)
Mission Ridge (WA)
White Pass (WA)
Antelope Butte (WY)
Snow King (WY)
White Pine (WY)

There are many other ski areas across the US and Canada that participated in Indy Pass during 2021/22. However, since we only had plans to travel the western US, I’m going to skip listing every ski area. We hope to make it back east and north to Canada in a future season.

Why did we get Brundage and Indy Passes?

We picked up Brundage passes because we weren’t sure how the ski season was going to play out due to COVID. We wanted to have a home mountain that we could go back to in case stay-at-home orders went into effect again.

We got the Indy Pass if on the flip side, the season was amenable to travel. Brundage and their Passport to Powder perks were are also great for touring the west for many years, including 2021/22. However, it seems for the 2023/24 season, Brundage is no longer offering Passport to Powder. If you want perks at other mountains, their answer is purchasing an Indy AddOn Pass.

We were happy to start our season in McCall skiing and riding at Brundage in December and the first half of January before we decided to start traveling. All the holiday craziness was over and it didn’t seem there would be any new COVID restrictions.

Where did we go?

We traveled roughly 4,000 to 5,000 miles across Idaho, Oregon, Washington, and Utah to 12 ski areas.

#1 Brundage | Mid-December to Mid-January

By our fourth winter on the road, we spent dozens of days at Brundage without tiring of it. Kicking off our season in mid-December, their base was already deep enough to do our favorite tree runs from top to bottom. Christmas and New Year’s week was especially soft and fluffy. While McCall and Brundage certainly see an uptick in visitors during the holidays, we find it easier to tolerate than other ski destinations.

#2 Hoodoo | MLK Weekend

We already fell in love with Bend and Sisters, Oregon in the spring of 2021, and our appreciation deepened after a trip to Hoodoo. Warm hospitality extends from guest services to the lifties bumping chairs to locals tailgating in the parking lot. There are no fancy amenities, so it’s all about the skiing and good times with your favorite ski and ride buddies. I intentionally picked Hoodoo for the MLK weekend in hopes that their mountain would be less stressful than other ski areas. It was a good choice.

#3 Mt. Hood Meadows | January + February

I was dreading a trip to Meadows as I anticipated crowds that we’ve been experts at avoiding since leaving Lake Tahoe. While we still had to arrive at 7 am for parking, the mountain felt surprisingly uncrowded on a Sunday. I didn’t think trails were congested, and we never stood around in a lift line. My guess is that Saturdays are the most dreadful and our timing was lucky. We enjoyed spring skiing conditions but were bummed that it was too firm for Heather Canyon and Private Reserve to open.

#4 49 Degrees North | Super Bowl Weekend

Conditions were variable, but we were still able to go off-piste and explore most of the mountain. Hopefully, next time we’re in the area, we can time it for a powder day or slightly softer snow. We appreciated peace and solitude in this northeast corner of Washington.

#5 Silver Mountain | Presidents’ Day Weekend

Silver instantly became one of my new favorites. Presidents’ Day weekend and fresh powder brought crowds, but nothing “epic”. I don’t think I had a single disappointing line, and the snow quality was almost unrivaled all season. Each chairlift ride offered an engaging conversation, and one guy generously shared a hand warmer on the gondola after I briefly exposed my hands. I wish I could recall the names of two ladies at the ticket window. I made an unintentional mistake when reserving our Indy Pass tickets, and they completely understood why I was mislead. Their kindness saved our entire weekend.

#6 Tamarack | Late February

Two times now, our timing has been off visiting Tamarack. Our first visit in December 2019 was too early for them to open much terrain. In February 2022, it was too firm. We’ll keep trying because Tamarack is close to McCall and Brundage, and we always include them in our winter travels. Plus, Tamarack has 2,800 feet of true vertical. The smaller, less-crowded ski areas we’re focusing on are typically shorter.

#7 Pomerelle | March

Everything was slow to open at the mountain on a powder day, but locals were unphased. Nobody was waiting in line at the lift while ski patrol completed their snow safety work, and nobody left their gear in an attempt to hold their place in line either. Everyone was just chilling in the lodge until ski patrol gave the green light. We loved the laid back experience.

#8 Soldier | Closing Day in Mid-March

It was a last-minute decision to squeeze Soldier into our travels, but we were only two hours away. I didn’t want to pass up spring turns on their last day of the season. The parking lot was full of Idaho plates, but there were a handful of non-locals excited to be there with their Indy Passes, including us. The only disappointment was that we didn’t hit the mountain until closer to 1 pm when their highest lift had already closed for the day. Now we know for next time.

#9 Beaver Mountain | March

Beaver was another one of our favorite finds during the 2021/22 season. Inevident tree runs were hiding all over the mountain, and I had fun uncovering numerous stashes. I was shocked at the low cost of a full-day ticket which was only $60 at the time. Beaver had a different demographic than what we’d seen at other ski areas. On one side of the mountain we saw a lot of parents hauling babies in carriers on their backs, and on the other side was the college crowd from Utah State University. Everyone I talked to was super awesome.

#10 Powder Mountain | March

This was our second time to Pow Mow with our first time being around New Year’s 2020. Snow conditions weren’t as fresh, but there was still a lot of good snow to be found if you didn’t mind some uphill skating and poling or unstrapping. While this sometimes earns Pow Mow a negative rating, I love feeling like I’m in the backcountry by myself.

#11 Nordic Valley | Closing Weekend in March

Our first time at Nordic Valley was one of the more interesting experiences I’ve ever had at a ski area. Learning to snowboard in SoCal, I’m used to seeing more dirt on the mountain than snow. But I think Nordic Valley wins at keeping the most terrain open with a limited base. It didn’t seem anything was off limits. It was a fun day for $23, and I would do it again.

#12 Eagle Point – Closing Weekend in April

We had a tough time figuring out the best place to park between two base areas and navigating the mountain was a little funky. While you can ski from Skyline Lodge down to Canyonside Lodge, you can’t do it in the opposite direction. You must take a free shuttle bus. Once you know how it works, it’s not so bad. Plus, it will all change with a future lift. The drive into the Tushar Mountains was so beautiful that we intend to return when the leaves change. Fall colors have to be stunning.

Where did we sleep in our van?

While Visiting Brundage in McCall, Idaho

Brundage allows overnight RV camping, but we stayed at McCall RV Resort since we were going to be in McCall much longer than just a few days. It’s nice to have immediate access to clean showers and laundry facilities, especially when you’re working.

Traveling from Idaho to Hoodoo near Sisters, Oregon

We slept at the Sage Hen Rest Area in Hines, Oregon on US Highway 20.

While Visiting Hoodoo

We stayed overnight in Hoodoo’s parking lot, Bend/Sisters Garden RV Resort (Sisters, OR), Tumalo State Park (Tumalo, OR), and Santiam Sno-Park (across the highway from Hoodoo).

While Visiting Mt. Hood Meadows in Oregon

We did a crazy amount of driving between the two days we skied at Mt. Hood Meadows. The 3 AGM house batteries in our 2019 Winnebago Revel were suffering from battery drain and trying to get an an appointment was tough with all the new RVers during the pandemic.

However, Dan’s Mobile RV Service & Repair in McCall, Idaho could squeeze us in within a couple of days. We decided it wouldn’t hurt to go back to McCall since we had Brundage passes. Blue Lake Auto and RV Repair in Fairview, Oregon (near Mount Hood) could also take in our van a week after Dan, so we booked an appointment with them too as a backup.

Before rushing back to Idaho, we first stayed the night at Roamer Sites in Sandy and skied Mt. Hood Meadows.

We then drove back to McCall to meet with Dan at McCall RV Resort.

Dan was able to fix a grounding issue with the solenoid underneath our passenger seat with help from Winnebago’s phone support.

Unfortunately, Dan was about to leave on a multi-week and much-deserved vacation and wasn’t going to be around long enough to find out if our issue was completely resolved. We chose to drive back to Oregon just in case we needed to keep the Blue Lake appointment. We stayed at the Deadman Pass Rest Area in Pendleton, Oregon on I-84 along the way.

We stayed a couple of nights at Roamer Sites in Sandy while we put our batteries to the test. While there was some improvement, they were still draining too fast, so we kept our appointment at Blue Lake. We decided to get a room at the Comfort Inn Troutdale-Portland East in Troutdale while our Revel was in the shop for a few days.

Comfort Inn Troutdale-Portland East (February 2022)

After much troubleshooting, whatever was continuing to cause our batteries to drain remained a mystery. All 3 AGMs even tested healthy. We decided our next best option was to replace all 3 batteries. It was going to take a few days for the new batteries to ship, so we picked up the van and spent the night at the White River West Sno-Park on Mount Hood and spent the next day skiing and riding Mt. Hood Meadows. We did another night at Roamer Sites before checking back into the Comfort Inn and taking the van back to Blue Lake.

Our new AGM batteries were installed, and we noticed an immediate difference in their performance. Between Dan fixing the grounding issue with the solenoid and Blue Lake installing new batteries, our batteries never performed so well.

Traveling from Oregon to 49 Degrees North in Chewelah, Washington

We spent the night at the Hatton Coulee Rest Area in Lind, Washington on US Highway 395.

While Visiting 49 Degrees North

We stayed one night each at the 49 Degrees North RV camping area, Chewelah City Park, and Chewelah Motel & RV Park.

Chewelah Motel & RV Park (February 2022)

While Visiting Silver Mountain in Kellogg, Idaho

We transitioned back and forth between Silver’s parking lot and Tamarack RV Park in Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho a couple of times.

Traveling from Silver Mountain to Tamarack in Idaho

While Silver and Tamarack are only about 6 hours apart in Idaho, we wanted to keep our travels slow for work. We stayed a night at Scenic 6 RV Park in Potlatch and Bear Den RV Resort in Grangeville before arriving back at McCall RV Resort in McCall, only 30 minutes from Tamarack.

Traveling from Tamarack to Pomerelle in Albion, Idaho

We stayed a night at Mountain Home RV Resort in Mountain Home, Idaho.

While Visiting Pomerelle

We stayed a couple of nights in Pomerelle’s parking lot before transitioning to Heyburn Riverside RV Park in Heyburn, Idaho for showers.

While Visiting Soldier in Fairfield, Idaho

We slept in Soldier’s parking lot.

Traveling from Soldier to Beaver Mountain near Logan, Utah

We stayed a night at Aspen Grove RV Park in Trementon, Utah. This is our favorite place to stay after traversing southern Idaho via I-84 and crossing the border into Utah.

While Visiting Beaver

We stayed a night at Little Creek Campground in Randolph, Utah. On our drive to the campground, we saw more than a half dozen bald eagles in a tree on private ranch property. So cool!

While Visiting Powder Mountain in Eden, Utah

We stayed a few days at Brigham City / Perry South KOA Journey in Brigham City, Utah. Technically, Century RV Park is 10 minutes closer to Powder Mountain (40 minutes versus 50 minutes), but we like the KOA more.

Brigham City / Perry South KOA Journey (March 2022)

While Visiting Nordic Valley in Eden, Utah

We squeezed in a day skiing and riding at Nordic Valley in the middle of 4 days at Powder Mountain, so we stayed a night in Nordic Valley’s parking lot. A lift ticket to stay the night at Nordic Valley was cheaper than fuel and the cost to stay a night at the Brigham City Perry South KOA Journey.

Traveling from Northern Utah to Eagle Point in Southern Utah

I had been wanting to visit Utah’s Antelope Island State Park, and while it wasn’t on the way to Eagle Point, it wasn’t far out of the way either. We stayed at the Bridger Bay Campground within the park and had a chance to explore a good chunk of the island before moving on. We probably would’ve stayed longer, but AT&T cell service was worse than I was expecting based on reviews I read ahead of time. Zoom calls were not going to work.

After Antelope Island State Park, we stayed at Rollin’ Home RV Park in Nephi and Beaver KOA Journey in Beaver.

While Visiting Eagle Point near Beaver, Utah

We stayed a night in Eagle Point’s parking lot.

After the 2021/22 ski season

We didn’t know the 2021/22 winter season was going to be the last in our 2019 Winnebago Revel. Not long after we left Eagle Point, we randomly put a down payment on a custom van build. It would be completed by All Advantures in St. George, Utah (now Van America) on a 2021 Mercedes Sprinter with the 144″ wheelbase, and we were excited to take delivery of it in November 2021. More on that story and how the van held up over the 2022/23 winter season later.