'It's my life': Beaver Mountain staff anticipates ski season

LOGAN — Beaver Mountain is getting ready for another ski season, with preparations underway both at its Logan office and up the canyon at the resort.

The office opened Oct. 15 for the season, and customers were already stopping by to pick up their season passes. Deliveries were also arriving, including 25 packages in one day, some containing new snowboards.

"They just want to get their passes as soon as we open the office," said Marge Seeholzer, co-owner of Beaver Mountain.

Seeholzer has been part of the business for more than 60 years. She sometimes makes the trip up Logan Canyon to the mountain six days a week and said she has many emotions about the upcoming winter season.

"I'm always excited. I'm nervous. I'm excited. And after last year's bad snow conditions, I'm more nervous. But it's got to be a good one. We all need it," said Seeholzer. For Seeholzer, Beaver Mountain has been a lifelong commitment.

"It's my life. My husband and I did it right from the get-go. Right from when we were married. I jumped right into the business very early, and the two of us watched it grow. And now with my kids, we're continuing to watch it grow," she said.

The resort is co-owned by Seeholzer, her son Travis and her daughter-in-law Kristy. Its family atmosphere is something employees say sets Beaver Mountain apart.

"The No. 1 reason is the lady you just talked to, Marge Seeholzer. Her and her husband have created a culture and environment here at Beaver Mountain that is family-oriented. My last name is not Seeholzer, but I feel like family," said David Eames, the resort's ski shop manager, who has worked there for 33 years.

That sense of belonging extends to the mountain crew.

"Beaver Mountain? The people," said Keghan Connor, lift operations manager. "Oh, yeah. Definitely. I mean, I feel like I'm part of the family," Connor said.

Crews finish maintenance ahead of winter

The mountain crew has been wrapping up summer maintenance on the lifts and preparing equipment for winter.

"Buttoning up all of our summer maintenance on our lifts," Connor said. "We've done a new low voltage drive on the dream lift," he added.

That work also includes getting Sno-Cats ready. Even as the crew finishes preparations for the upcoming season, the next one is never far from mind.

"Pretty much, you know, the day we close, we're prepping for the next season," Connor said. "There's a magical something about Beaver Mountain, and it starts with the Seeholzer family."

Beaver Mountain expects to open in mid-December

Seeholzer said Beaver Mountain is, as far as she knows, the last remaining entirely family-owned ski resort in Utah. It is also among the few resorts that do not make their own snow.

The resort expects to open for the season sometime around mid-December, depending on conditions.

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