Glide Into Great Deals at Canada’s Ski-In Hostels

A network of seven independent backpacker ski hostels in western Canada, some on the slopes, is offering economical rates for accommodations and lift tickets this winter.

Most of the hostels, operated by SameSun Hostel Network or Global Village Backpackers, have free breakfasts, kitchens, hot tubs, Internet access and storage lockers. Some also offer discounts on lift tickets.

SameSun also offers multiday ski packages. For information on the hostels, which are in the interior of British Columbia and Alberta, visit the Web site www.canadianskihostels.com. To make reservations, call (877) 562-2783.

In central British Columbia, a four-hour drive from Vancouver, is the new 140-bed Silver Star backpackers hostel, next to one of Silver Star’s ski runs. A bed costs $13 per night in the dormitory rooms, which contain six to eight beds. The hostel operates a free shuttle service from Kelowna, Canada. Private rooms are $31 single, $37 double.

Silver Star ski resort has 107 runs, with the longest at five miles, and more than 45 miles of groomed cross-country trails.

Another ski-in, ski-out hostel is at Big White ski resort. Like Silver Star, this 90-bed facility has hot tubs and free pancake breakfasts. This hostel has discounted lift tickets. Dormitory accommodations begin at $13 (dorms have 12 beds) and include breakfast and use of a kitchen.

At Big White the average snowpack is 24 feet, and there are 102 ski trails and three snowboard parks.

The new Banff Global Village Backpackers, a two-minute walk from downtown Banff, is in a former motel. Daily shuttles take skiers to the area’s three ski resorts: Sunshine Village, Lake Louise and Mt. Norquay. The hostel has a self-service kitchen and a hot tub and sauna. In winter, dormitory beds are $16, taxes included, and a semiprivate double room is $35. Students and youth cardholders can get discounts.

A new 180-bed ski hostel is operating in the East Kootenays, in Fernie, B.C., an area known for some of the best snowboarding in North America. Also in a converted motel, the hostel is close to the Greyhound Bus station and the Fernie Alpine ski resort. The hostel operates a daily shuttle service to the ski hill. Rates are $13 for a dorm room, $31 for a private room.

Also in the East Kootenays is a 60-bed ski hostel in the center of Kimberley, a former mining town that now resembles an alpine village. The hostel serves a free pancake breakfast and has a self-serve kitchen and Internet access. A free shuttle service takes hostel guests to Kimberley Alpine Resort slopes, five minutes away. Dormitory rooms contain 10 beds and cost $13 per person per night.

Another new budget ski facility is the Flying Squirrel International Hostel, 198 Baker St. in Nelson, B.C., (866) 755-RIDE (755-7433), www.flyingsquirrelhostel.com.

Nelson is 376 miles from Vancouver and 400 miles from Calgary. Lodging in a dorm room with six to eight beds is $11, and private rooms start at $25. Flying Squirrel offers a shuttle to Whitewater Ski Resort, about 20 minutes away.

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Lucy Izon is a Toronto-based freelance travel writer and author of “Izon’s Backpacker Journal.” Her Internet site is www.izon.com.