“In the Hoffman household there are always ideas we can start working on.”-Connor Hoffman
The first electric snowmobile at Aspen Snowmass was created on the mountain. Freelance Writer Catherine Lutz covered the story of how the father-son duo of Greg and Connor Hoffman built the snowmobile.
The Hoffmans have a long history with the Aspen region. Greg Hoffman’s great-grandfather moved to the Roaring Fork Valley in the 1880s, as he laid a mining claim up Lincoln Peak. Greg has been the lift maintenance director of Aspen Snowmass for many years. Greg’s background inspired Connor, who is a high-schooler, to dive deep into repairing things like snowmobiles, chairlifts, cars, and Snowmass’s Alpine Coaster.
The biggest project they’ve done together was the building of Aspen Snowmass’s first electric snowmobile. Thanks to Greg’s work of testing Taiga Motors’ electric snowmobile prototypes at Aspen Snowmass. With that knowledge, Greg & Connor went to work, using recycled parts to convert a gas snowmobile into Aspen’s first e-sled. The electric snowmobile was first used during the 2021-22 season and has been a major success for Aspen Skico., who is dedicated to environmental sustainability.
In terms of Connor’s next projects, he plans to fix an electric lawnmower, build a wind turbine, and construct a power wall. While Connor hasn’t officially determined his career path yet, he will likely become an electrical engineer. According to the Aspen Daily News, he just graduated high school this spring. He’s already completed an associate’s degree in economics from Colorado Mountain College and will be studying at Stanford.
A video profile of The Hoffmans from Aspen Snowmass is below.
Image/Video Credits: Aspen Snowmass
