Calgary athlete who lives in her van shivers through cold snap: ‘This is the worst!’

This week’s brutal cold weather has been a challenge for everyone in Calgary, but for one city dweller weathering it while living in a van, it’s a different kind of challenge.

Rebecca Hughes and her five-month-old puppy Ruby have been toughing out the cold snap in the van she customized herself.

Hughes is an athlete, representing Canada in international Brazilian jiu-jitsu competitions, and making a van her home is something she chose to cut costs and make it easier to travel for training and competitions.

Hughes has enjoyed living in her van for the past year-and-a-half, but she’s never had to deal with winter weather like Calgary’s experienced over the past few days.

1:50 Batteries, beer and car wash bays: failure to function in extreme cold

So, what gets her through those frigid nights in her van?

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“I guess knowing that I’ll be in California in two months to compete at the Pan-American championship,” Hughes said. “I’ll be down in San Diego for three weeks and then I’ll come back and maybe you guys will be over this. Hopefully!”