Family has a strong drive to hit the slopes

About 10 years ago Kelly and John Martinek, parents of four young children, had finally saved a little extra money.

“We had been married quite a few years but had never bought ourselves a decent bedroom set,” recalls Kelly. “We debated whether we should spend the money on nice furniture for us or on an older model RV for the family.”

The Spokane Valley couple chose to forego the matching dresser and four-poster.

“We decided if we invested that money into something we could do together as a family,” says Kelly, a registered nurse, “we would have memories that would last a lifetime.”

For the first three or four years the family mostly used their rig in the summer months. “We have favorite camping spots on Priest Lake that my parents took me to when I was 3 years old,” says Kelly.

Six years ago the Martineks, both longtime skiers, sat down and added up all the money they were spending for their three oldest children’s participation in soccer – including fees, shoes, balls and treats. They realized the family could actually go skiing for a season for the same price as a season of soccer.

“I remember hating those soccer Saturdays,” recalls Kelly. “It fragmented our family going in three different directions for three different games. It was horrible.”

By that time, the Martineks had upgraded their RV to a 1997 28-foot Majestic Squire Class C motor home made by Thor Industries.

“It is a bunkhouse model,” says John, who works with Idaho Veneer in Post Falls.

“There are bunk beds in the back with a dinette across from them,” says John. “Up front there is another dinette and a couch, so each of the kids has a bed. My wife and I sleep over the cab in the queen-size bed.”

After one season, the Martineks, including the children – Drew, 18; Adam, 15; Alex, 13; and Bethany, 11 – were hooked.

This season they plan to make at least 20 weekend trips to 49 Degrees North Ski Resort near Chewelah.

“We think 49 Degrees North is the best place to ski if you own a motor home because they provide electric hookups,” says John. “Other ski resorts will let you stay in the parking lot for a fee, but there aren’t any hookups.”

Electric hookups at 49 Degrees North run $13 a night or $130 for the season. All money received from RV fees support the Ski Patrol.

Each Friday the Martineks drive the 55 miles to the ski resort, arriving near 8 p.m.

“After we get set up,” says John, “We’ll knock on doors to meet some of our skiing friends.”

Saturday morning everyone rolls out of bed early, eats a hot breakfast and heads for the lifts.

After skiing or snowboarding all day, they return to the RV for a big meal in the evening. “We usually just watch a movie after dinner because we are really tuckered out by then,” says John.

Sunday the Martineks ski for half a day before heading home.

“We have such a wonderful time with our kids,” says Steve. “It is huge, huge family time for us.”

Kelly adds: “Having an RV has made this possible and so much more enjoyable. It has made it like a mini-vacation.”

Winter RVing tips

The first winter the Martineks went skiing, Kelly noticed that their RV was the only one with fogged-up windows.

“I thought the steam and humidity inside our RV was because there were six of us in there who had been out in the weather skiing all day,” she says.

Not only did the fog cover the windows, but moisture ran down the walls and dampened clothes and bedding.

When Kelly asked her RV neighbors what they did to keep their rigs from fogging up, they said they leave their ceiling vents cracked a little. “It creates just enough airflow and allows humidity to escape,” she says.

While the Martineks wanted moisture inside to escape, they also wanted as much warmth as possible to stay.

To help solve this problem, they installed a quilted silver insulation cover over the ceiling vent. “Because it has Velcro edges,” says Kelly, “we can pull one corner open a little to allow for air circulation.”

After purchasing the vent cover and seeing its simple construction, the Martineks decided they could make similar insulated covers for all the windows near the beds.

“Now I don’t have a cold draft on my backside,” says Kelly.

For more information

•To learn more about the facilities at 49 Degrees North go online to www.ski49n.com or call toll free (866) 376-4949.

•Thor Industries can be reached through its Web site at www.thorindustries.com.

•The Martineks keep in touch on the slopes by using Motorola Talkabout two-way radios. Prices vary from $25 to $150 a pair depending on range (two to five miles), number of channels and whether they are powered by alkaline or rechargeable batteries. They are available just about everywhere.

Wheel question

Is there anyone out there who uses their RVs to go ice fishing, cross country skiing or snow mobiling? If you would like to share your experience, get in touch with Wheel Life, at The Spokesman Review, 999 W. Riverside Ave., Spokane, WA 99201. Or call Julianne Crane at (509) 459-5435 or e-mail juliannec@spokesman.com.