It was 9 o’clock sharp as I slid onto the heated seat of the Keetley Express six-pack, having a bubble all to myself. The skies were gray with a hint of blue every once in a while. I slid down to Sultan, ultimately making my way to Silver Lake Lodge.My morning at Deer Valley was all about chairlif t chats, recording promos for my Ski Utah “Last Chair” podcast with fellow blogger Caitlin. Riding up Silver Strike, Caitlin quizzed me on my favorite run, most unusual podcast, and other fun stuff — much like I do on my own podcast.And we ripped some nice runs together, somehow amassing 7,500 feet of vertical in an hour and a half.This was one of those days I’m known for — packing a lot of adventure into a limited number of hours. It would end eight hours later with a sunset drive around Bear Lake. Yes, Bear Lake.Caitlin and I bid adieu at Silver Lake Lodge, and I scooted down McHenry to the car. The run was quiet, so I could arc these nice high-speed turns all the way down. As I climbed back on the shuttle, I welcomed fellow columnist Tom Clyde, who was just starting his DV ski day.Then it was off on the two-and-a-half hour drive to Beaver Mountain via the Evanston McDonald’s and the winding run up through Wyoming and Utah to Garden City.Beaver Mountain lies in the high reaches of Logan Canyon in the Bear River Range, less than a mile from the Idaho border. Standing on its ridgeline atop the Harry’s Dream chairlift, you have an unobstructed view of nothing but wilderness. To the east, Bridger and Swan Peaks form a divide high above the glistening aqua waters of Bear Lake.There are no heated six-pack chairlifts at Beaver Mountain. No network of two-dozen lifts with mountaintop restaurants. No RFID lift ticket in your pocket. You even have to relearn how to attach a sticky ticket to a metal wicket. From the days of the Mt. Logan Ski Club in 1937 to the first tow in 1939, Beaver Mountain has a long history with the Seeholzer family — this year celebrating its 85th season!Four years ago, I interviewed mountain manager Travis Seeholzer. We skied for two-and-a-half hours and made just four runs. The rest of the time, we chatted with fellow skiers (Travis knew them all by name), and we stood on remote mountain trails, where he told me the names of every peak in the viewshed. It was one of my most enjoyable ski days ever.Today, my mission was a “Last Chair” podcast interview with Marge, the 82-year-old second-generation matriarch of the Seeholzer family who still spends six days a week in her ticket window. “I don’t know what else I would do,” she said with a laugh. She knows most skiers by name!Marge makes no bones about it — she’s not keen on interviews. But she loves to talk, especially the story of the place she’s called home for over 60 years. Each day, she drives an hour to Beaver Mountain. “I just love Logan Canyon,” she said. She told the story of her late husband Ted’s father, Harry, who was among the early pioneers of the mountain.“He was inspired because many times we can get right to the turn-off, driving all the way up the canyon in the rain, and it will change to snow when you turn off to Beaver Mountain,” she said. “He picked the right place!”Marge didn’t grow up in a skiing family. When she met future husband Ted at Thiokol, she quickly grew accustomed to the passion in the Seeholzer family for skiing. On their 1964 honeymoon to Las Vegas, Ted heard about a big November storm that was hitting northern Utah. They cut it short to get back up and open the ski area.Your cultural experience starts inside the small ticket building. Marge or Tammy will sell you a $70 day ticket. For lunch, you can walk next door to the lodge to get a huge burger and fries for around $14 — upgrade to the double bypass burger for a few bucks more.On the mountain, the Harry’s Dream triple will get you 1,600 feet to the top in about 10 minutes. Marge’s Triple serves some lesser-explored terrain. And then there’s the 1960-vintage double on Beaver’s Face.After chatting with Marge, I walked three minutes to my car to boot up. Sliding up to Harry’s Dream, I showed my daily ticket with the secret word STAR (for the Star Valley Wyoming schools there that day) and was whisked to the top.I figured I had time for one run. I made three, slinking past the ticket checker as she took down the corral at 4 p.m.She gave me a quick wink, and I headed up for one more.The post Ridgelines: A day of contrasts appeared first on Park Record. ...read more read less