Skiing and snowboarding will become more affordable this winter in western Canada with the addition of several new backpacker hostels - some right on the slopes.
Banff, the gateway to the Rockies, has a new backpackers' hostel which was formerly a four-star motel, and there will be daily shuttles to the area's three ski resorts. Canadianskihostels.com is the world's largest ski hostel network and the site offers online bookings, with dorm beds going for around C$20 (about HK$100) a night.
Meanwhile, tourists who want a luxury winter wonderland experience through British Columbia and Alberta, and have money to spare, can take special trips on the famous Rocky Mountaineer railway over the Christmas holidays.
The train will course through snow-filled valleys and between glacier-capped mountains from Vancouver to Banff. This is one of the world's most spectacular train journeys. Departure dates for the two-day rail trip are December 20 and 27 eastbound from Vancouver to Banff, and December 22 and 29 westbound from Banff to Vancouver.
Century Travel is offering return tickets to Australia with Qantas for only $4,820, plus tax. The destinations are Adelaide, Brisbane, Cairns, Melbourne, Sydney and Perth and are open jaw (that is, it is possible to fly into one Australian destination and return to Hong Kong from another).