Schuss! The Secret Is Out on Good Ski Deals

Young travelers can ski without busting their budget (or their parents’ budget) at many top North American resorts this winter.

More than 40 Hostelling International facilities will be open near major ski resorts, many offering special packages. In Canada, where there’s a very favorable exchange rate, a backpacker bus service has started a ski/snowboard tour of winter resorts in British Columbia; ski/snowboard packages are available at hostels in Alberta and British Columbia; and a new hostel is open at Quebec’s popular Mont Tremblant.

Ski-area hostel accommodations will cost $7 to $25 per night this winter. Expect dormitory-style lodgings, self-service kitchens and, in some cases, fireplaces and hot tubs. Many hostels also have a few private and family rooms.

Colorado, for example, will have six Hostelling International facilities open near the hills, including:

The Fireside Inn at 114 N. French St. in Breckenridge, telephone (970) 453-6456 (https://www .firesideinn.com), is within walking distance of 60 restaurants, ski shops and bars. The hostel, with rooms for $19 to $27 per night, is located near Keystone and Copper Mountain ski resorts. There is free bus service to four ski areas, and guest discounts are available on ski lifts and equipment rentals.

Crested Butte International Hostel, at 615 Teocalli Ave., tel. (970) 349-0588 (https://gunnison.com), has beds for $14 to $21 per night. It’s a short walk from downtown, 150 feet from the free ski shuttle. Lift packages are available.

Glenwood Springs Hostel, at 1021 Grand Ave., Glenwood Springs, tel. (970) 945-8545, charges $12 per night or $39 for four nights. It’s near Ski Sunlight (with snowboarding) and offers discounts for Aspen or Vail.

For a complete list of HI hostels in ski areas, contact HI-Ski Hostels, 733 15th St. NW, Suite 840, Washington, DC 20005; tel. (202) 783-6161, fax (202) 783-6171, Internet https://www.hiayh.org.

There also are independent hostels in many ski resort areas. Some are listed by location on the https:// www.hostels.com Internet site. For independent hostels in Canada visit https://www.backpackers.ca.

For British Columbia-bound travelers, a Canadian backpacker bus service, Moose Run Adventure Tours, is introducing one-week ski and snowboard adventures that visit major resorts in the province. Departing from Vancouver on Mondays, the Moose Run service takes travelers to Whistler and then on to Sun Peaks (Kamloops), Big White (Kelowna) and Apex (Penticton) before returning to Vancouver. The $360 fare covers transportation, hostel accommodation and lift passes. Contact Moose Run Adventure Tours, 1653 Coquitlam Ave., Port Coquitlam, BC V3B 1H8; tel. (888) 388-4881, fax (604) 944-3091, Internet https: //www.mooserun.com.

Hostelling International facilities in British Columbia and Alberta are offering independent travelers packages that combine hostel accommodations and lift tickets. Prices start at $24 per night.

Each HI-British Columbia ski package includes one night’s accommodation and one ski lift ticket. You could ski at your choice of Whistler or Blackcomb (or both) and stay at the local HI hostel for as little as $45 per day. The hostel is a rustic lodge with a wood-burning stove and sauna on the shore of Alta Lake, a 10-minute drive from Whistler Village. For more details, tel. (604) 932-5492.

Similar accommodations and lift ticket packages are available in British Columbia for Whitewater (Kootenay Country), Sun Peaks, Big White (Kelowna), Fernie, Red Mountain and Grouse Mountain. For details, contact HI-British Columbia at tel. (604) 684-7101.

HI-Alberta has arranged packages for Banff, Lake Louise and Sunshine Village. You can ski all three areas using a tri-area ski package that includes accommodations at the expanded HI-Banff Hostel, which has a licensed cafe, fully equipped kitchens, fireside lounges and shared and private bedrooms. One- or two-day ski packages cost from $40 per day without local transportation, or from $45 with transportation. Three-day packages start at $116 per person, and five-day packages at $195 per person. For more details, tel. (403) 762-4122.

For more information on other Alberta packages, contact HI-Southern Alberta, tel. (403) 283- 5551, Internet https://www.hostel lingintl.ca/alberta.

A new Mont Tremblant youth hostel opened in the popular Quebec ski resort last winter. It has 80 beds, and guests receive discounts on lift tickets. Dormitory beds are $10 per night, $11.50 for nonmembers of Hostelling International. Rooms are shared by four to 10 skiers. Some private rooms also are available. For more information contact HI-Mont-Tremblant, 2213 Chemin Principal, P.O. 1001, Village Mont Tremblant, Quebec J0T 1Z0; tel. (819) 425-6008.

Izon is a Toronto-based freelance writer. She can be reached at https://www.izon.com.