In a remote mountain environment only the best coating protection will do. When designers chose the coating protection for the Colony Hilltrac they needed a system that would offer unparalleled performance against harsh winter snow and ice. Hot-dip galvanizing was the key element in the duplex system that would provide such protection. The Colony Hilltrac acts as a transport for skiers or mountain bikers to the trail system 800 feet from nearby resident home sites. It operates on a cycloidal rack drive system, accommodates up to eight passengers at a time, and runs at a speed of 400 feet per minute.

The cabin is green powered with a similar design as found in an electric automobile and is equipped with a 96 V lithium ion battery with regenerative braking. The cabin can automatically level itself as it crosses undulating terrain. Winding its way through the conifer and aspen trees, the track of the Colony rail system is situated with views to behold that one would only come to expect in a pristine mountain setting. Unsightly corrosion and bleeding rust from a state-of-the art steel structure such as this would be out of place around such breathtaking natural beauty. To aid in the superior rust inhibiting properties of hot dip galvanizing, a matte brown alkyd enamel finish was added to track sections and columns to give the structure an earth tone to harmonize with the surrounding mountain landscape.

The teeth of the rack benefit greatly from the superior abrasion resistance properties of the hot-dip galvanized coating as the motorized gear contacts the rack teeth along the track. Paint alone could not hold up to such abrasion. When the track was constructed, large sections of 30 to 50 foot lengths needed to be flown in by helicopter due to the remote location of the project and the restriction of large truck traffic on the nearby small mountain roads. Furthermore, given the location, maintenance on the structure would prove to be difficult. Designers were adamant that an environmentally friendly system incorporating hot dip galvanizing was chosen to allow for worry free performance for years to come.