Electric Groomer Keeps the Trails in Shape at a Local X-C Ski Center

Incorporating a 2015 Smart Fortwo electric vehicle in the design, this all-electric groomer gets 10-15km of grooming range pulling a six-foot wide drag at Sleepy Hollow Ski Center. Image courtesy of Eli Enman.

N.R. Mallery

“We have completed our electric groomer!” Eli Enman, the general manager at Sleepy Hollow Ski and Bike Center in Huntington, Vermont, excitedly announced. He hoped to have it done last winter but, sadly, told me it was not ready then. But now it is, and he continued, “It gets 10 to 15km of grooming range pulling our six-foot wide drag. Its base car is a 2015 Smart Fortwo electric vehicle. We put Mattracks on the back and Snocobra skis on the front. It’s nice to groom trails with a radio and heat. Pretty cool!“ A big congratulations from Green Energy Times.

This adds to the ever-growing sustainability at Sleepy Hollow Inn. We have published numerous articles in Green Energy Times because of their amazing achievements that make them one of the greenest cross-country ski centers in the state.

As more and more people like the Enmans realize, , we must all continue to do even more to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and get our CO2 levels down. Sleepy Hollow Ski and Bike Center continues to take this task to heart.

Path to SustainabilityInterestingly, it seems that their used (recycled) bookstore might have been the beginning of the Enman family’s evolving path towards sustainability.

• Their first taste of solar began in 2009 with an 8kW system from AllEarth Renewables’ AllSun Trackers. An installation in 2012 of four Stiebel Eltron solar hot water panels produces 50% of their hot water needs.
• A grid-tied 23.7kW fixed panel solar array went online December 20, 2012. The 99 – 240W PV panels were installed by David and Eli Enman, with oversight by Peter Cassels-Brown of Green Mountain Renewables. They now proudly boast an installed photovoltaic total of 32kW of clean, renewable energy from the sun! Designed to produce 100% of their electric needs at the inn, it should also be providing enough electricity to power the family’s three houses on the property and even produce enough energy to power their snowmaking system.
• The snowmaking system was originally designed to cover 700 meters of trails with plans to increase the trail system for up to 1.5 km. Snowmaking is being done with an all-electric design for the air compressors and water pumps that will run one SV10 HKD snowgun.

Other sustainable practices at Sleepy Hollow Ski and Bike Center are:

• Ten loads of laundry per week are dried on wooden racks in the furnace room.
• Composting and recycling.
• Local foods for the Inn are purchased, organic when possible, and include local eggs. Maple syrup is produced on site.
• Last, but not least, the whole family drives hybrids with four Priuses adorned with studded snow tires to help negotiate the challenging half-mile driveway.

In 2013, Eli said that the Enman family’s goal is to be 100% solar powered. They certainly have achieved lowering their carbon footprint. Watch their progress at www.skisleepyhollow.com. Better yet, get out and enjoy their trails and help to support their awesome efforts. We can all learn from their example. Call (802) 434-2283 to ask about COVID-safe requirements.