Martina Blaas, the PRINOTH "Snow Princess"

Grooming slopes is still largely a man's job: The ability to handle heavy-duty equipment, steep slopes, and night shifts are perhaps not every woman's idea of the perfect job. But there's one woman who is intrigued by the challenge: Martina Blaas is Italy's only female slope grooming vehicle driver! With her PRINOTH HUSKY, she prepares the slopes and courses of the Carezza ski area.

It was a couple of years ago that a friend of hers introduced her to this area of activity – a man who was himself a snowcat driver. He sometimes took Martina along for the ride – sometimes even letting her take the wheel for a while. In any event, Martina "caught the bug" and is now a real fan! She's now been working at Carezza Ski for two years. Shortly after she joined the team, her coworkers personalized her PRINOTH vehicle: The HUSKY now boasts pink rearview mirrors – a reference of the pink fingernail polish Martina was wearing on her first day on the job at Carezza Ski.

Martina's colleagues in Carezza are a close-knit team and help each other out whenever they can. The PRINOTH vehicles are Martina's first choice: She can comfortably operate the blade and tiller, handle the driver's wheel, keep an eye on all of the indicators, and simultaneously decide how much snow per minute she wants to scoop in. In a PRINOTH vehicle, just a short instruction session was all she needed to master the controls. And at the 2017 PRINOTH Cup in Ratschings/Racines, Martina was able to demonstrate her prowess in competition with others.

Of course, there are a lot of secret tips and tricks with which one can better handle the snowcat. To share his insider knowledge, PRINOTH driving instructor Andreas Silbernagl took Martina out onto the slopes and explained to her some of the finer points of operating a snowcat. She was especially impressed by the PRINOTH LEITWOLF. Andreas gave consideration to Martina's specific questions, prior level of experience, and the particular requirements of her daily work. Martina's employer, the Carezza ski area, places special importance upon sustainability and safety so that guests can enjoy a carefree skiing experience on perfectly-groomed slopes. A snow-grooming vehicle driver with the right know-how can do much to contribute to that enjoyment. Andreas explained to Martina the "ins and outs" of her vehicle, its special features, and unique capabilities. He showed her how the vehicle can be optimally employed on the slopes. Martina Blaas – fondly known as our "Snow Princess" – is now fully prepared to get the job done this next ski season in King Laurin's realm!