S2:Ep10 - The Seeholzers: Family Story of Beaver Mountain

Last Chair: The Ski Utah Podcast

Mountain manager Travis Seeholzer and I slid off the Harry's Dream Lift at Beaver Mountain, looking out on the vast expanse of state and national forest between Logan and Bear Lake Convention and Visitors Bureau. It's a magical view, with hoar frost on the trees and three to four inches of fluffy powder blanketing the mountainside.

You instantly know you're at a unique place when random skiing guests come up to say hi to the resort owner by name. It's a midweek morning and we have, essentially, a small private ski area with friends today.

It's a story that began in 1918 when Harold Seeholzer got his first pair of skis. In 1937, he and the Mt. Logan Ski Club started pushing their way up the canyon. Together with his wife Luella, Harold pioneered Beaver Mountain, which is still today a part of the Seeholzer family.

Skiing with Travis is a real treat - a nice pace as we arced turns on the groomers and dipped into the powder fluff on the edges. We skied two hours and did five runs. Mostly we talked, standing on ridgelines, stopping alongside groves of aspen and chatting with other skiers.

Beaver Mountain may have only 1,100 acres, but it skis big. A single lift ride gives you 1,700 feet of vertical with terrain that cascades over pitches and rolls down the mountainside.

Most of all, though, you feel like part of the family when you're skiing the Beav!

This episode of Last Chair: The Ski Utah Podcast is unique in its exploration of a family ski area that provides the same spirit and joy today that is at the root of what we all enjoy as skiers and snowboarders.

the real appreciation and the joy is letting someone enjoy your mountain and hopefully appreciate all the work that you put into it." Travis Seeholzer

What's the character of Beaver Mountain as a local ski area?
I think we're pretty well loved in the community. People enjoy Beaver Mountain and feel some ownership in it - not necessarily because it's family run, but it is the local ski hill. Because it is a local family, they tend to feel more comfortable in claiming ownership.

Tell us about Harold Seeholzer, and the early days of Beaver Mountain? He was very quiet and soft spoken. He loved hunting and fishing and the winter and the snow. And I think his passion was instilling in his kids something quality that they could do to pass those years so that they didn't get in trouble. He said that more than once, something that was constructive and that they enjoyed and that they could enjoy as a family. Harold was a trapper and he knew Logan Canyon like the back of his hand. And then they kind of picked the spot. And I swear to this day, he was inspired.

Marge, what motivated your husband Ted to take the torch from his father Harold?
He loved the pride of what his parents had started. And to continue it on, I think he loved that. He was very proud of what his parents had started for us.

How would you characterize the family aspect of Beaver Mountain?
We're a pretty small community up here. And that's what I tell our employees every year. That's what makes it a really enjoyable job, as you do get to know the guests very well, because you see the same people every week. And for me, it's been year after year and, you know, a lot of history and second and third generation families that ski at Beaver.

There's plenty more in this episode of Last Chair: The Ski Utah Podcast.

How did early skiers navigate Logan Canyon?
Beaver Creek vs. Beaver Mountain (this is a great story)
How long has Marge been selling lift tickets?
What's Travis' favorite run at Beaver Mountain?

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BEAVER MOUNTAIN HISTORY

Beaver Mountain is truly a family affair! It's the longest continuously-run, family-owned mountain ski area in America, dating back to 1937 - all in the Seeholzer family. Present matriarch Marge, a second-generation in the Seeholzer ski area family, still runs the ticket office and always has a welcoming smile for guests who have been returning for decades. Marge and Ted's sons, Travis and Jeff, manage the resort with their families.

• 1918 - Founder Harold Seeholzer buys his first pair of skis
• 1937 - Harold and the Mt. Logan Ski Club open the road up to the nearby Utah State Forestry Training School
• 1945 - Harold Seeholzer takes over management of the club's operation at Beaver Mountain.
• 1949-50 - Rope tow and T-bars installed.
• 1961 - Beaver Face chairlift installed.
• 1968 - Founder Harold Seeholzer passes.
• 1970 - Harold's dream of a chairlift to the top of the mountain is fulfilled with opening of Harry's Dream. His son Ted takes over and his wife Marge begins her long tenure in ticket office.
• 2003 - Marge's Triple installed.
• 2013 - Ted Seeholzer passes.
• Today - The Seeholzer family welcomes guests just as it has for over 80 years.

Checkout the complete history of Beaver Mountain at skithebeav.com.

A great video capture Ted Seeholzer before he passed telling the story of Beaver Mountain. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-STFo66jdE