Since the beginning, Beaver has always been about family. A fur trapper and local ski enthusiast, Harold Seeholzer of the Mt. Logan Ski Club, helped to install a municipal ski tow for the residents of Cache Valley to enjoy winter recreation. An old DeSoto car motor with a thick steel cable powered the tow and each morning a strong skier had to hike to the top of the tow to fire it up. Even tougher, there was no road access to the tow, so everyone had to walk about a mile in snow from the highway to the tow. These physical challenges made skiing a difficult prospect so in 1945 Harold and his wife Luella placed an application for ownership and operation of the municipal hill to better support and serve the local ski community.
Harold and Luella were able to secure funding from the Cache County Commission to construct a road and parking lot to the current base area of Beaver Mountain. Everyone in the family held second jobs since the resort didn't bring in much money and a great deal of infrastructure still remained to be built. They installed a 1,000-foot rope tow in 1949 and planned for a 2,700-foot long T-bar the following season. The family often side-slipped or bootpacked each ski run to make it suitable for guests. They built and maintained all the structures, lifts and surface tows. It was backbreaking work but Beaver Mountain was easier to reach and enjoy on skis by 1950.
In the '60s, Harold and Luella added sons Loyal and Ted and daughters Nancy and Dixie to the affair and created an official corporation to conduct business. The entire family worked over the summer to install the Beaver Face chairlift in 1961 and the Little Beaver double chair in 1963. It's quite an experience to visit the mountain and realize it exists thanks to the Seeholzers' determination and grit; it's a special sensation you won't find at many resorts in North America. The Seeholzers continued to toil, building the quaint A-frame lodge for guests at the base area and a new Poma lift in 1967.
Harold tragically lost a battle with cancer in 1968 and the family worked hard to execute the construction of the "Harry's Dream" double chairlift in 1970 which whisked skiers up a span of 4,600 feet up the mountain. Luella continued to manage the mountain with the help of her son Ted and his wife Marge. Ted's siblings continued to help run the ski shop, manage bookkeeping, sell tickets and maintain the resort through the 70s and 80s, bringing electricity to the resort in 1986. Ted and Marge purchased their sibling's portion of Beaver Mountain in 1997 and the two became the sole owners of the beloved family legacy. Today, their children Annette and Travis help to run the resort alongside their spouses.
After 81 years of life at Beaver Mountain, Ted Seeholzer passed away in 2013 having left a legacy of resort improvements and guest experience enhancements to the mountain he loved. His wife Marge, at 80 years of age, can still be found smiling and selling tickets in the Beaver Mountain ticket office, a small cabin with a rugged and charming exterior that originally served as a warming hut.
When you visit Beaver, see if you can spy a Seeholzer, it's almost guaranteed! Travis, Marge's son, runs mountain operations and his wife Kristy works in the Logan office or the mountain ticket office alongside Marge. Marge's daughter Annette works weekends and her husband Jeff is the Mountain Manager. This is a family that lives, breathes and toils for skiers and snowboarders. Their love of sharing Beaver Mountain is palpable the moment you arrive at the base of the ski runs.
You won't find a decadent spa or endless rows of condos at Beaver Mountain but you will find the essence of skiing thriving among the smiles of the people that call this place home. Change doesn't often come to Beaver Mountain and the ski area continues to harbor what it is about skiing that causes us to spend our money and time to travel and slide down frozen water on wooden sticks. Time elapses slower up here. Take a load off, leave it all behind and revel in the legacy of the Seeholzer's love of sharing Beaver Mountain.
THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT BEAVER MOUNTAIN
- For a great spot to stay overnight, consider the new Water's Edge Resort at Bear Lake. These luxe and comfortable lodgings can be found on the shore of Bear Lake, just up over the pass from Beaver Mountain; a short 20 minute drive. This lodging option is far easier than navigating back and forth through Logan Canyon during an extended stay, especially if it's snowing!
- The grill at Beaver Mountain offers reasonably priced food and friendly service. The lodge also permits brown bags for folks who want to bring their own food.
- The ski area offers fun and inexpensive night skiing along the two magic carpets and the Little Beaver Lift.
- Because it is intimate and easy to navigate, Beaver is simply fantastic for families or those with beginners and young children. Don't miss our Beaver Mountain Family Guide.
