BEAVER CREEK, Colorado — Nate Goldberg is leading a double life. And he wouldn't want it any other way.

“I feel like I have the two best jobs anywhere in the world because I get to split my job between the two best seasons,” he said.

For the winter season, he works in the resort's Nordic Sports Center, which provides equipment and classes to people who want to snowshoe, skate ski, telemark or cross country ski. In the summer, he heads up the Beaver Creek Hiking Center, a department he started up from scratch 11 years ago.

“The resort did some research, and they found that about 60 percent of people put hiking as one of the top reasons to come to the resort in the summer,” Goldberg said.

The hiking center provides maps, equipment such as rain jackets, poles and boots, and answers questions for would-be hikers who stop in. The center also provides guided hikes, including some easier hikes as well as some three-plus hour treks and a weekly hike up one of Colorado's fourteeners.

The center has more than 12 guides on staff, but there are times when no one is available to lead a hike that Goldberg gets to step in. Only Goldberg and one other guide are qualified to lead hikes on fourteeners.

“I get the best of both worlds,” he said. “I get the challenges of management but I also get the pleasure of being out with the guests and sharing what I love about living in Colorado.”

Goldberg also gets opportunities to go out on the snow when he's working at the Nordic Sports Center.

‘We've done our job'

Staff members at the Hiking Center have all been hiking five or more years and are certified in first aid and CPR. They are also asked to have extensive knowledge of the area and to continue building on that knowledge in areas from birding to local history. Goldberg oversees a yearly training in the spring to refresh guides' knowledge on everything from lightning protocol to Colorado wildflowers.

Goldberg said the center promotes their guided hikes as “interpretative nature hikes” because the guides share that information with guests. They also incorporate hiking education, especially on the more advanced treks.

“If they learn from us and then they can go out on their own, then we've done our job,” Goldberg said.

Guests are given a gear list prior to the trip that includes mittens or gloves and a rainjacket. Goldberg said the weather can change, especially on a long hike, and he doesn't want guests' hikes to be ruined because they weren't prepared.

“I always tell people to ‘pack like pessimists, and hike like optimists,'” he said. “We really try to set people up for success.”

‘I never could have planned it'

Before developing the hiking center, Goldberg was leading hikes in Europe. He had moved out to the valley on a whim in 1990, and got a job with a catering company. He was assigned to cater a trip with a family and became very close to the couple. They asked him to go on more trips with them, and eventually the husband asked him if he would like to lead guided hikes in Europe.

“I never could have planned it,” he said. “You talk about how one contact can change your life.”

Goldberg led hikes for several years in Switzerland, Austria and France. He worked on developing new hikes for the program, like a circumnavigating trip up Mount Blanc.

“I'd pinch myself, and think, ‘I'm getting paid to hike in the Swiss Alps,'” he said.

Even though Goldberg is back home in the valley now, he has incorporated his love of travel into his work here. Every fall the hiking center offers an international trip, this year to Corsica, Italy. Other trips have included Lech, Austria; Chamonix, France, and Patagonia, Argentina.

Many people who have hiked with Goldberg for years go on these trips, and some have gone on four or five, “so it's a very unique, personalized trip,” he said. Many include members of the clubs within the resort.

Goldberg is now married and has two children, which he said makes traveling less of a draw. “Now I'm selective on the trips I do because I miss my family,” he said.

Goldberg said he still believes that people can have different responsibilities and still chase their dreams. He had an opportunity to go up Mt. Kilimanjaro this year, but he wants to hold off till his oldest son can go with him. His son already has hiking poles.

Goldberg said if he ever stops enjoying what he does, it might be time for a career change. But after 11 years in the hiking center, 20 with the resort, that hasn't happened yet.

“Right now I still wake up every morning and I'm excited to go to work,” he said.

Jill Beathard is an intern at the Vail Daily. Email comments about this story to jbeathard@vaildaily.com.

Beaver Creek hikes Spruce Saddle Loop: 11 a.m.-12 p.m. daily. Family Fun Hike: two and a half hours; private only. Nordic/ Fitness Walking: 9-10:30 a.m. daily. Beaver Creek Mountain Hike: 9 a.m.-12 p.m. and 1-4 p.m. daily. Guided Mountain Bike Tours: half day or full day; private only. Lift & Lunch Hike: 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays. Historic Excursions: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Colorado Adventure Hike: 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. Mini Colorado Adventure Hike: three to four hours; private only. Colorado 13er/14er: Departs 5 a.m. Wednesdays. Monday Mixer Hike: 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Mondays. All scheduled hikes except Spruce Saddle and Monday Mixer can also be private hikes. A two-adult minimum and 24-hour advance booking is required for all hikes; three-person minimum for the Monday Mixer and 14er hikes. For more information, visit beavercreek.com.