Ski Resort’s 3 Rs: Reduce, Recycle, Renew
ECOVORE: http://www.theurbn.com/category/feature/ecovore-feature/
Eagle Valley Trail view of Beaver Creek Mountain. Photo by Robin Tierney.
How does a major ski resort make its operations more sustainable? Quite happily, it appears at the Westin Riverfront Resort & Spa at Beaver Creek Mountain in Colorado’s Vail Valley.
I visited Beaver Creek pre-ski season, when its golden aspens were ablaze with leaves preparing to fall. I hiked around the mountain a few hours after the first snowfall, which came early. Shivers were worth the chance to photograph the rare sight of fresh aspen leaves atop snow.
Golden Aspen leaves on early snowfall. Photo by Robin Tierney.
But enough of yellow on white; time to talk green.
Eagle River on a snowy sky morning. Photo by Robin Tierney.
Westin Riverfront by R.T.
Beaver Creek Mountain combines Alpine vibe with skiing, snowboarding, mountain biking, and hiking; it offers 4,040 feet of vertical and 146 trails. Indulgences include outdoor hot tubs and lap pool facing mountain peaks. The Westin Riverfront is steps away from the Eagle River and a scenic paved hiking trail that traverses miles of splendid views. And it’s an eco-friendly ride to the ski runs and other mountain attractions – including the Vilar Center for the Arts and a top-notch hiking center – by a new express gondola and shuttle buses. Affordable vans run between the resort and the local Eagle Airport or Denver about 90 minutes away – so no need to rent a car.
The Westin Riverfront has retained its sheen since opening in 2008, but changes have taken place in recent months. Chef Richard Sandoval brought his Latin-meets-farm-to-table cuisine to the resort’s restaurant, Cima. The newly expanded Athletic Club houses Vinyasa flow yoga and hardcore indoor cycling classes that draw loyal fans from the surrounding community. New offerings include Pilates with reformers (the authentic equipment) and nutrition workshops. Guides lead complimentary bike rides, walks and snowshoe outings.
Eagle Valley Trail. Photo by Robin Tierney.
As Colorado’s first hotel to earn Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification, the Four Diamond resort hasn’t rested on the laurels of its low-impact construction. Fritz Bratshie, environmental manager for Vail Resorts, described a variety of ongoing efforts. The resort company has donated a recreational buffer zone to the community for recreational use, shrunk energy use 10 percent, planted 1,700 lodgepole pine saplings in bark-beetle-ravaged areas and, come spring, will close off acreage to help migrating elk.
Other goals include halving paper usage (“more of a habit changing initiative,” explained Fritz), diverting 500 tons of waste from landfills through recycle/reuse and ramping up composting operations, an IdleWise program to cut company fuel use by not idling vehicles more than five minutes, and “Water on the Rocks,” said to be the first luxury hospitality program designed to eliminate nearly all plastic water bottles, replacing them with refilling stations. Fritz hopes the various efforts will “get us closer to a lofty future goal of being near-zero-waste.”
Alex Spaeth, an expert guide with Beaver Creek Hiking Center, pointed to some outdoor green ops: snow-making turbines, which save energy over traditional equipment. Although it should be said that Mother Nature snows best.
Ecovore eats
Cima: Westin Riverfront’s on-site restaurant offers a great value in Vail fine dining and a commitment to sustainable sourcing, an on-site garden, composting and recycling. Money saved by using quad-filtered water instead of bottled water is donated to charity. My request for a vegan dinner was answered with a superb salad, sweet potato crisps, pleated ribbons of local-grown black Tuscan kale and toasted quinoa sauteed with currants and pine nuts, roasted yellow and red beets, blanched-and-fried red brussels sprouts. For dessert, spoonfuls of compressed fruit sprinkled with black sea salt paired with dollops of housemade cherry, peach and apricot sorbet.
Tip: you don’t have to be vegan to request a vegan meal.
Cima quinoa, beet, Brussels sprouts, kale dish. Photo by Robin Tierney.
Cima crisped kale dish. Photo by Robin Tierney.
Avon Bakery and Deli: Tucked in a shopping plaza across from the Westin, this popular locals’ spot serves a savory veggie sandwich on fresh-baked bread and a filling mushroom barley soup.
Ecovore sleeps: The Westin Riverfront Resort & Spa at Beaver Creek Mountain.
Golden Aspens on Beaver Creek Mountain. By Robin Tierney.
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