How to Live Well on the Road, According to Pro Skier Kalen Thorien

Professional skier Kalen Thorien has been living out of her 1993 Bigfoot trailer and 60-series Land Cruiser for two years. This past winter, she used the setup to chase powder all over British Columbia, and then posted up at Brundage Mountain Resort in Idaho.

“The snow was just too good, plus they have free camper parking,” Thorien says. Right now, she’s filming with Warren Miller on Beartooth Pass in Montana, and she’ll be headed to Escalante National Monument in Utah later this month for canyoneering and backpacking. For Thorien, the ability to chase snow, or any good adventure, has been freeing. “It’s been great to just move with the seasons and go where I want to go,” says Thorien. “It allows me to go to all the places I really love and not have to sacrifice being stuck owning a home or renting a place.”

“I’ve had [Francis the Land Cruiser] long before the trailer. She’s an old ’86 diesel with about 250,000 miles. She’s been the best purchase of my life.”

“Francis is a rust bucket, but she goes.”

Thorien’s trailer has an attached awning that pulls out to create a patio hangout space.

“The nice thing about this trailer is that I’m definitely not roughing it. I love the fact that the outdoors are right at my front door. It’s pretty rare to get that unless you have a million dollars—or a camper.”

The Bigfoot trailer kitchen has a sink, gas stove, fridge, and even an oven. “I splurged on nonbreakable cookware so you can, like, whack people with a plate and it won’t shatter.”

“I didn’t want to deal with a septic system, so I changed my ‘wet bath’ to a ‘wet-gear room.’ It holds all my climbing gear, mountaineering gear, canyoneering gear, outerwear, tents, backpacks, ice axes, yoga mats, and laundry.”

“My favorite part about sleeping in here is knowing that where I’m waking up is just the best place I could possibly be. It’s somewhere I actually want to be, and it usually means there’s an adventure ahead and something to do.”

“I’ve been putting photos and everything from my travels up here—places that make me happy.”

“I’ve got my library of sophistication, so it looks like I study things!”