SAM Magazine—Huntington, Vt., March 7, 2024—Sleepy Hollow Inn, Ski, and Bike Center received delivery of a Prinoth Husky eMotion, becoming the first cross-country ski area in the U.S. to own the new-to-market electric grooming machine. Earlier this year, Taos Ski Valley, N.M., became the first alpine ski area in the U.S. to add an eMotion to its fleet. 

Sleepy Hollow replaced its diesel-powered groomer with the eMotion. The electric groomer is the latest phase in a decades-long campaign by this family-run business to make Sleepy Hollow carbon neutral. It also expects to reach 100 percent net metered solar electric within the year.

The machine has a run time of 2-3 hours—enough to groom most of Sleepy Hollow’s 32 km trail network in one charge. The eMotion will eliminate up to 700 gallons of diesel fuel use each winter and cut costs by some $2,000 a year, according to a press release.

“It is very powerful and very quiet. I’m really happy to be grooming with it and not spewing diesel fumes into the environment,” said co-owner and general manager Eli Enman, who got behind the sticks just hours after the snowcat arrived. “I think this machine will work well for us for many years and make a positive step in reducing our fossil fuel use.”

The arrival of electric grooming machines in North America has been years in the making. The eMotion has been in testing since 2020 before coming to marketing for winter 2023-24. According to the 2024 SAM Groomer Report (in the March 2024 issue of SAM magazine), PistenBully is currently testing the third generation of its all-electric 100 E and expects it to come to market soon.

• Previous
  Ikon Pass Increases Prices, Adds Benefits for 2024-25
• Next
  Safety Recalls Issued for Certain Polaris, Ski-Doo Snowmobiles