“My van has been retrofitted as an adventure-mobile that I’ve found perfectly-suited to the needs of outdoor adventure and life on the road.” Photo: Crossley
It isn’t often opportunities become available to rest your head where an Oscar-winning director did, hoping that their creativity passes onto you through osmosis. Much less for a measly $250 per night. But, for those traveling through Jackson, Wyoming this summer or superfans of the film Free Solo, you may want to listen up.
Beginning today, Jimmy Chin has listed his 2012 Chevrolet Express, the very same van he slept in while parked in Yosemite Valley documenting Alex Honnold’s historic free solo of El Capitan, on the car-sharing app Turo. According to Chin, he won’t be using his rig much this summer, so he teamed up with Turo to give app users the opportunity to use it as a home base to explore Jackson and the Tetons for a few hundred bucks a night.
Ain’t she pretty? Photo: Figenshau/Turo
“This Chevy Express is the same van I lived in while filming Free Solo, and it has taken me on climbing and skiing trips all around North America,” says Chin in the Turo listing. “I keep it in Jackson Hole, the place I consider home, and [it’s] like a little slice of heaven to me. There are a ton of different things to do there, no matter your sport. Or you can just come to find peace in the wide-open spaces of the Tetons — the mountain views are unreal.”
As far as the specs, Chin’s Chevy is anything but typical.
“My van has been retrofitted as an adventure-mobile that I’ve found perfectly-suited to the needs of outdoor adventure and life on the road. The pop-top camper houses a double bed, it has a propane stove for cooking, and there’s a second fold-down double bed. A solar power system uses roof-mounted panels to keep everything juiced up. With this system, it’s pretty easy to escape to remote areas and have everything you need for comfortable nights and downtime.”
Plus, it’s got four-wheel drive.
Turo user Paddy O.’s review sums up the appeal of reserving the Oscar-winning director’s van for your Jackson, Wyoming adventure.
“The van smells like Oscar-worthy creativity, which of course smells like fresh petunias,” he writes.
