Hey everyone!
Quick intro: I’m Matteo (21, originally from Paris — been living near the Pyrenees and the Alps for the past 3 years), and this is my girlfriend Justine (21, she grew up in the Alps). We’re both students at the École Normale Supérieure de Lyon, studying physics and geography — so yeah, lots of hours sitting in lecture halls. We’ve had enough of it. That’s why we’re taking a gap year to make a wild dream come true: hit the road, meet people, and most of all… climb, ski, and enjoy the mountains!
A bit about us and our mountain background:
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Sport climbing in the 5.11–5.12 range, 5.10b–c in trad
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Skiing and ice climbing (up to grade 4/5)
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Mountaineering in the Alps (Chamonix, Écrins…) and Pyrenees — I’m currently training to become a mountain guide.
The plan in a nutshell:
• Buy a camper van (or a 4x4 with a setup) in British Columbia around September/October 2025. Ideally, we’d go directly to the US to buy it there, but for resale purposes, it’s probably easier to buy in Canada.
• Originally, we were planning to head south into the U.S. for climbing (Yosemite, Indian Creek, Moab…), but we might stay entirely in Canada to avoid border complications. We don’t really know what we’re going to do yet.
• Move north again around December to spend winter in the Canadian Rockies — skiing, ice climbing, and winter mountaineering (we might get ski gear locally).
• Sell the van in Canada at the end of the trip (we need to be back in France by early March 2026 since Justine is starting her AMM training – Accompagnateur en Moyenne Montagne). I already know the Rockies a bit, but I’m dying to go back in winter for some proper ice climbing. It’ll likely be too cold to sleep in the van, so we’re hoping to rent a small cabin, hut or lodge — ideally just for us, or shared to cut costs. Another option would be to work for a month or two at a mountain lodge in exchange for housing, then rent something the next month to fully focus on mountain adventures.
• Visas: we’re hoping to get a Working Holiday Visa (still waiting for the answer). That would allow us to work during the trip. For the U.S., we’ll just go as tourists (a work visa is too complicated and expensive). If anyone has tips on working visas — especially alternatives for Canada — we’d love to hear them. Same for the U.S. — is it really that hard to get a working visa?
• Thanks to the money we’ll earn working in a mountain hut this summer, we should be able to afford the van. For daily expenses, I plan to give online tutoring sessions in math and physics.
We live pretty simply and know how to make the most of what we’ve got — we’re planning to sleep mostly in the van, cook our meals, wash in rivers, and take advantage of wild, free camping spots. We’re super motivated, passionate about all kinds of mountain sports, and totally fine with living simply for a year.
We’re also brewing up more adventures for later in the year: a climbing trip to Greece by bike, and maybe a mountaineering expedition to Patagonia.
On top of all that, I’m also really into photography and drone videography, and I’d love to dive deeper into that during the trip — creating mountain content and maybe even sharing it professionally.
Questions & Advice Needed:
As you can imagine, planning a trip like this raises a lot of practical questions. It’s our first time doing something this big, so we’d love to hear your experiences and advice — especially if you’ve done a van trip in North America or a WHV in Canada!
Here’s what we’re wondering:
1. Buying (and selling) a van in British Columbia
We’ll likely fly into Vancouver. Should we look for the van on online marketplaces, Facebook groups, used car dealerships? Any red flags to avoid? And for selling a year later — any tips to make it smooth (best time to sell, paperwork, etc.)?
2. Vanlife budget in North America
If you have any info on daily or monthly vanlife costs in Canada/USA, that’d be super helpful. We’re thinking of things like gas (probably a big expense), maintenance, insurance, tolls, campgrounds…
In France, we never stay in campgrounds – we like to sleep wherever we feel like (safely and discreetly). Can we do the same in North America? Are there good apps or tricks to find free/cheap spots?
3. Visas, borders & bureaucracy
We hope to get the WHV for Canada (but I’m less and less confident). For the US, we’ll just do the ESTA (90 days max). Has anyone here combined a Canadian WHV with a US road trip? Anything to know about crossing the border in a van (insurance, customs, max stay, etc.)? We’d like to avoid any admin trouble.
4. Climbing & skiing itinerary / seasons
Our rough plan is to climb in the US starting fall 2025 (Sept/Oct). Is that a good time for Yosemite, Indian Creek, Moab, etc.? Any must-see places on the way?
For winter, we’re aiming for December to March in the Canadian Rockies (Banff, Jasper, Golden…) for skiing and ice.
Got any advice on must-do ice climbs or ski tours? We have all our gear for climbing/skiing/mountaineering — is it better to bring it all or buy some of it locally
5. Wilderness Season Pass in the Rockies
We found out about the “Wilderness Season Pass,” which gives you 7 months of unlimited nights in HI mountain hostels in the Rockies. Has anyone used it? Are the dorms crowded?
That’s about it for now 
We know it’s a lot, but if you’ve done a similar trip (or even just parts of it — vanlife, climbing tour, Canadian winter…), we’d love to hear your stories. And if you’re around at the same time, maybe we can climb together! Any contacts, tips, or advice would mean the world to us.
Thanks so much in advance!
We can’t wait to read your replies and fine-tune our plans with your help.
Matteo & Justine
