In Canada, Schuss Farther on Packages

You can hit the slopes at North America’s No. 1 ski destination this winter with a budget “ski and sleep” package from Hostelling International-Canada, or by hopping on a “Moose” bus.

British Columbia’s Whistler/ Blackcomb, recently named the top resort for “overall adventure” by editors of Ski Magazine, is one of four stops for the winter jump-on, jump-off tour service operated by Moose Run Adventure Tours. Every Monday through March 22, a Moose bus will head off on a circuit around British Columbia that visits Whistler, Sun Peaks (near Kamloops), Big White (near Kelowna) and Apex (Penticton).

It takes at least a week to complete the circuit, but you can hop off and arrange to pick up another bus a week later wherever you want. A bus-only pass for the complete circuit is about $217. With accommodation for six nights, the pass costs $285. With five lift passes (one for Whistler, two for Sun Peaks and two for Big White), it costs $422.

Passengers with reserved accommodations should expect beds in shared rooms. Private rooms may be available for an additional fee. At Whistler, the package includes accommodation at Hostelling International’s rustic lodge on Alta Lake; in Kamloops, passengers stay at the historic HI Courthouse Hostel. In Big White, the accommodation is at SameSun, which has three hot tubs and is a ski-in/ski-out hostel.

The Moose service is suitable for beginners or advanced skiers and can assist with some equipment rental discounts. For more details call Moose Run Adventure Tours toll-free at (888) 388-4881, Internet https://www.mooserun.com, e-mail [email protected].

Whistler/Blackcomb, home of the largest ski area in North America, is also included in Hostelling International-Canada’s do-it-yourself winter packages. HI is offering 18 economical “ski and sleep” packages in British Columbia, Alberta and Quebec.

Rates quoted are for HI members (you can purchase an annual adult membership for $25 or pay a small additional fee per night), for beds in shared rooms. Private rooms may also be available at a higher rate. Packages include lift tickets; some include breakfast. Most hostels have kitchen facilities where guests can prepare their own meals. Some also offer special deals on rental equipment.

A Whistler/Blackcomb package is $45 for one night’s lodging and one lift ticket. Accommodation is at the HI-Whistler, 5678 Alta Lake Road, P.O. Box 128, Whistler, BC V0N 1B0. To reserve, call (604) 932-5492, fax (604) 932-4687 or e-mail [email protected].

Other ski destinations in British Columbia where HI offers packages are Sun Peaks, Big White, Whitewater, Apex, Red Mountain, Fernie Alpine Resort, Powder Springs Resort and Grouse Mountain. Reservations for HI-British Columbia ski packages can be made at https://www.hihostels.bc.ca.

In Alberta, to ski at Lake Louise, you can base yourself at the Canadian Alpine Centre and International Hostel at Lake Louise, which HI rates No. 4 of its more than 5,000 hostels around the world. It offers everything from a cafe and lounge to a resource library and a sauna.

The three-day Lake Louise packages for one cost $105 to $135 and include three nights’ accommodation, three-day lift tickets, transportation to the mountains each day and a continental breakfast each morning. For reservations, call (403) 522-2200 or e-mail [email protected].

Other HI packages in Alberta include Banff/Lake Louise, Sunshine Village and Marmot Basin. Reserve on the Internet at https://www.hostellingintl.ca/ Alberta/Reservations.html.

In Quebec you can ski at the biggest ski resort in eastern North America, with accommodation at the Mont-Tremblant International Youth Hostel for two nights (lift tickets included), for $78 per person. The hostel is in the heart of Mont-Tremblant village. Mont-Tremblant, the highest peak in the Laurentian Mountains, has 77 runs, a snowboard park, a day lodge, shops and restaurants. For reservations contact the hostel at 2213 Chemin Principal, P.O. Box 1001, Mont-Tremblant Village, Quebec J0T 1Z0; telephone (819) 425-6008, fax (819) 425-3760.

For more information on HI-Canada, phone (800) 663-5777 or e-mail [email protected]. Information on HI-Canada ski packages is on the Internet at https:// www.hostellingintl.ca/skipackages.