Taos Deploys North America’s First Fully Electric Snow Groomer

Taos Ski Valley, Inc has announced that it is the first ski resort in North America to deploy a fully-electric snow groomer. The resort placed an order for the fully electric Prinoth HUSKY eMOTION snow groomer immediately after the machine became available, and last week, the machine was delivered and began making its first grooming runs on January 26.

“Our goal is to reduce our carbon emissions to the greatest extent possible, which requires measurable, achievable investments and business changes – one of which is electrifying our fleet,” said Dawn Boulware, Taos Ski Valley’s Vice President of Social and Environmental Responsibility. “We continue to seek and introduce innovative technologies that may help us meet our aggressive environmental goals, which are ultimately aimed at protecting our incredible mountain environment for generations to come.”

Snow groomers, also known as snowcats, are used to groom trails for skiing and snowboarding, making terrain enjoyable for visitors. Taos Ski Valley’s fully electric snow groomer will join its expanding fleet of electric and hybrid vehicles, including a PistenBully 600 E+hybrid snowcat, nine Taiga electric snowmobiles, a Hisun electric UTV, and four Toro electric snowblowers.

Taos Ski Valley is the world’s first and only certified B Corporation® ski resort, and is a certified CarbonNeutral® company since 2021. Other sustainability initiatives thatcontribute to its overall environmental leadership include:

• Resort operations like chairlifts and snowmaking use 100 percent renewable daytime solar power through a partnership with the local utility, Kit Carson Electric Co-op. Taos has also invested in 207 high-efficiency HKD snow guns, which further reduce energy and water use.
• Many older buildings have been retrofitted to reduce their energy impact, while newer buildings have been built with clean energy as a priority. For instance, the Silver LEED-certified Blake Hotel uses ground source heat pumps to heat and cool the building.
• In 2023 Taos Ski Valley diverted over 40,000 pounds of food waste from the landfill with an on-site composter. This helps support natural eco-systems with rich, fresh compost, and reduces methane gas at the landfill.
• Taos Ski Valley is a charter signatory of The Nature Conservancy’s Rio Grande Water Fund whose collaborative goal is to restore 600,000 acres of critical forests and headwaters of the Rio Grande, helping improve eco-systems and sequestering carbon in forests, while also reducing wildfire risk and protecting water sources.
• EV chargers installed throughout the resort incentivize guests and staff to drive electric vehicles.
• A free employee shuttle provides reliable transportation to and from work and removes numerous cars and the associated emissions from the local roads.
• The resort conducts reviews of vendor and supplier relationships coupled with a preference for locally sourced products to reduce shipping, packaging, and transportation emissions throughout the resort’s supply chain.