How do I get ready for ski season?

[sierragirl]

I bought my LR3 recently (and just joined this great message board--you guys are a wealth of information!) and I want to take my car to the mountains on the weekends for skiing. Can I hear some suggestions on what equipment I should invest in, like ski racks or mats or other things that will make life easier when I go from sun to snow with my friends and their skis and boards? I hope this request doesn't duplicate information that is already on the board (I couldn't bring myself to go through all the posts!). Thanks, and I'll try to share my opinions about my car as I get more experience driving it....what a nice vehicle to drive!

 

[madtownrover]

I'd go with a set of Yakima racks, a small fairing (very effective at reducing wind noise) and a big Yakima luggage box. Keep the skis and boards out of the road sand/salt...and a great option for snowy boots, etc.

Definitely get a mat for the cargo area. i might invest in some seat covers, but that might be overkill.

 

[Freeflytim]

Id start by learning how the TRS works. And what settings do what. Understanding why its good to have the ABS OFF in snow and sand and mud, but ON while on dry or wet hard surface.

 

[sierragirl]

Thanks for the great ideas! I do want to get a roof rack, but I'm embarrassed about how I'm going to get my board and skis on and off the car. It's so high, I can't reach it (should have thought of that when I bought the car, eh?). Any suggestions on how someone 5'6" can take down her skis without falling? I've seen guys stand on the tailgate, but I really would hate to get snow and mud in the car!!! My sister, who's a gymnast, says I should balance on the seat and door handle. Easy for her to say. Anyone with better, safer ideas....please speak up.

About the TRS, I guess you mean the terrain response? I thought that the car had an automatic system that you could fine tune when you're in snow or mud. If it's more complicated than that, I think I'll need to go a Land Rover school for instruction. I'm not very confident I could figure it out alone in the snow.

I promised myself I'd read some web posts and learn as much as possible about my new car, because I'm tired of guys teasing me for buying an LR3. They think that either it's going to break down, or its only designed for trails...and they think I'm in over my head. Well I LOVE driving it (even if the other owners I see are mostly older guys with lots and lots of offroading experience--yes, they tell me about it in parking lots and gas stations!--plus a few moms with kids who don't seem to care about what their LR3s can do). If I can keep up with most guys on a mountain bike or a snowboard, I figure I can hold my own with a big 4x4. And if I break down, so be it. I'm not afraid to flag down another Land rover for help! At least we would have something in common...and who knows what that might lead to!! Anyway, thanks again for thouhgts and suggestions for this nobbie.

 

[Amir]

sierragirl, i am pretty close to buying an LR3 for myself...and i have been sort of in a similar situation where my friends are kinda giving me hard time by saying things like, you should spend your 50K+ on a sports car or a bmw or something, its an suv for married or older people, etc. and i am like, i dont care because i like this truck. anyway, point is, its good to hear that there are people who do not necessarily follow the norms and dont really care about what other people think....

 

[sierragirl]

Thanks Amir. I totally agree! I know gas is too expensive, I know the LR3 was more than I could afford, I know other SUV's are more like cars (and some are pretty cute too), I know a new Subie wagon would carry everything I need...but I don't care. This LR3, that I have to climb up into and cant reach the roof rack, makes me feel special and different. I'm not a soccer mom or a retired english lady (no offense anyone!). I just wanted something that was about me and could do it all and was maybe a little bold and iresponsible. Judging from all the guys in Volvos and minivans eyeing my car, I think they would do the same thing in a heartbeat. I don't have any family responsibilities yet, so why not?!
PS: I can't wait to toss my bike into the back this weekend and go for a long ride and know that I can keep my bike in the car for the rest of the winter if I want to!

 

[toddjb123]

Hey sgirl - glad you like the car. I hear you on the luggage rack question. I'll be in a similar boat but will probably just skip one all together. For me, its usually only myself and 1 or 2 other people going...although I could still bring a 4th, what I do is throw my board/skis in the back. With the fold down seating you can just drop one of the seats to allow room for the boards and still give space for another person.

I know, a lot of people like them out of the way on the roof. For me, don't have kids, so it was never an issue and has been easy to throw them in the back of SUVs. Don't have to deal with the noise/hassle of roof racks. Most have board bags these days as well which keeps the snow confined to the bag and protects the vehicle interior.

If you need the interior space, yeah, get a rack, but in the meantime this will get you by for those first couple trips. (and to get access to your rack, just stand on the rear tire)

Enjoy it!
-todd

 

[AZSTALZ]

Atlantic British has a cool step thingy that goes over the top of one of the tyres and lets you reach stuff on top easier. Rack solution: LR3 locking crossbars, Yakima Powderhound 6, Oval Mightymounts mount perfectly to locking crossbars. Just watch the glass roof and be sure not drop anything on it! --AZSTALZ

 

[hillie_o]

How to get to the top of your lr3

Hello Sierra Girl,

I put a 37-pound 10'6" Longboard on the roof every weekend.
The best way to get up there is to put on a set of running boards,
then step from the running boards to on top of the back tire.
That way I can reach to the center to grab the bungie cords I use
to keep my boards from flying off.

Cheers,

Oliver

ps. You can never use enough straps to keep stuff to stay on.

 

[Roverine]

I'd go with a set of Yakima racks, a small fairing (very effective at reducing wind noise) and a big Yakima luggage box. Keep the skis and boards out of the road sand/salt...and a great option for snowy boots, etc.

Definitely get a mat for the cargo area. i might invest in some seat covers, but that might be overkill.

Hey Madtown- do you have the Yakima with the fairing? How bad is the wind noise without it? I just installed a new Yakima system on my LR3 (I've been a Yakima fan for years) and the new (to me) "landing pad"/"control tower" set up is sweet since you can easily remove the crossbars when they are not needed. I wonder how the fairing would interfere with the 2nd row sunroof- appears to me it would significantly obstruct any view? I guess I'll have to check out the wind noise and see if it bothers me enough to attach a fairing.