Swiss company powderproject.ch and Italian manufacturer Xelom join forces in the Lesser Caucasus to promote sustainable winter sports and eco-conscious freeriding. To mark its 10th anniversary, Georgian catskiing pioneer Ingo Schlutius and his company powderproject.ch are taking a bold step toward innovation and sustainability.
Beginning this season, two fully electric snowcats built by the Bolzano-based Xelom will transport international freeriders and powder enthusiasts into the snow-covered slopes of the Lesser Caucasus mountains.
Schlutius invested approximately €1 million (approximately $1.1 million) in two electrically powered snowcats from Xelom. With this investment, powderproject.ch becomes the first company worldwide to use electric snowcats for deep-snow catskiing.
The goal is to prove that these fully electric, nearly 700-horsepower machines, can handle the harsh winter conditions of Georgia’s mountain terrain. Until now, catskiing operations around the world – in Canada, the U.S. and Georgia alike – have relied exclusively on diesel-powered vehicles. In mid-November, the two electric snowcats embarked on a 3,200-kilometer journey by truck from Bolzano, Italy, to Bakhmaro, Georgia. They are being delivered with specially designed passenger cabins that can carry up to twelve freeriders comfortably, quietly and without emissions into the backcountry.
The Xelom e-cats deliver a peak torque of 27,600 newton-meters, providing full power instantly and at any speed. The expected operational range for passenger transport is around seven hours per charge. At the powderproject.ch hotel, The PIONEERS, a 300-kilowatts charging station has been installed, enabling the massive batteries to reach 80% capacity in just 50 minutes. To complete the sustainability cycle, all electricity supplied in Bakhmaro is generated almost exclusively from hydropower.
“This is a milestone for us,” said Schlutius. “We want to take responsibility and show that sustainable winter sports are possible even in high-alpine and remote terrain – without sacrificing the unique adventure that makes catskiing so special. Of course, the electric drive will be a completely new technical experience for us, but we gladly embrace the challenge because I’m convinced that the future of catskiing is electric.”
Erich Gummerer, founder of Xelom, is equally proud of the partnership and the upcoming deployment of his snowcats in Georgia. “Making catskiing emission-free and nearly silent for the first time is a groundbreaking step into the future. Ten years after [Schlutius] brought the first cat skiers to Bakhmaro, he is now bringing the first fully electric snowcats to Georgia – an impressive testament to his visionary character.”
