Holiday Valley Ski

Snowies hamlet is flushed with success

The steaming alpine water is guaranteed to thaw the most frigid of bones, but those holiday ablutions draw on the precious resources of Thredbo River, which meanders through this valley-cupped skiing hamlet.

And with all the energy required to heat the icy effluent, it won't be long before the carbon footprint of skiers rivals that of the abominable snowman. But Thredbo management has seized on novel ways - turning used cooking oil into animal feed and bio-diesel, supplying smokers with portable ashtrays - of transforming the ski resort into a green destination.

A defining feature of its environmental management plan is the WaterWise program, run in collaboration with the National Parks and Wildlife Service.

"Water conservation stickers on the backs of toilet doors are just a reminder that even though you're on holiday and in a resort that appears to have a lot of water, you still need to conserve it," says Euan Diver, environmental services manager at Kosciuszko Thredbo, the firm that leases the village of Thredbo from NPWS.

"We're at the top of the catchment, so apart from a few wombats upstream, we're the first users of the water. The less water we use, the more there is for the downstream user."

Coupled with practical measures such as recycling and the installation of water meters, waterless urinals, efficient washing machines and the like, these subtle reminders have helped minimise consumption.

"Water flows have never exceeded 1992 levels, even though we've got another 1000 heads [a week] in the resort," Diver says.

Thredbo uses the Sustainability Advantage Program run by the NSW Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water to help replicate this success across the business, and was recently awarded bronze partner status, the only resort in NSW to be recognised in this way.

"[The program] helps us identify and implement projects in practical areas - resort efficiency, staff engagement, stakeholder engagement and the key one, carbon management," Diver says.

"If you can't measure carbon, you can't do anything about it. We measure things really well in ski resorts, especially electricity, because we use a fair bit.

"It allows us to work on initiatives that help us manage or even reduce our electricity use."

So while snow will be manufactured as usual on the slopes of Thredbo this winter, emissions will be kept in check.

Aerial Adventure Park at Holiday Valley Ski Resort in ...

Heating things up in Ellicottville this summer is the brand new Sky High Aerial Adventure Park at Holiday Valley Ski Resort, featuring an Aerial Park and Mountain Coaster. Stretched across a four-acre section of woods, the Aerial Park has eight separate courses of varying degrees of difficulty, each one consisting of a series of platforms and bridges connected between trees and presenting the challenge of how to get from one to the next. The Mountain Coaster is a 284-foot high roller coaster built into the side of a mountain.  Riders are in cars on rails, using brakes to control their speed as they zigzag nearly 2,000 feet downhill.

“Families will love these two new attractions, but we’re also seeing interest from businesses that see the aerial course as a great opportunity for corporate team-building,” notes Brian McFadden, Executive Director at the Ellicottville Chamber of Commerce..

Adding to Ellicottville’s appeal as a great summer destination is the newly redesigned Double Black Diamond 18-hole golf course at Holiday Valley, as well as some of the best mountain bike trails in the U.S. recognized by National Geographic and designated an “epic ride” by the International Mountain Bicycling Association.

Additional summer events planned by the Ellicottville Chamber include the Summer Music Festival, July 1-3.Ellicottville Jazz Weekend, July 29-31; Taste of Ellicottville, August 6-7; and the IBO World Bowhunting Championships, August 10-13.

For additional details about Ellicottville’s exciting summer event line-up, and to purchase advance tickets for most events, visit www.ellicottvilleny.com and click on Events, or contact the Ellicottville Chamber of Commerce at 1-800-349-9099 or info@ellicottvilleny.com. ‘Fans’ are also welcome at www.facebook.com\Ellicottville .

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