By Kelly Cannon | [email protected]

Cottonwood heights - After over 40 years, Lift House owner Dave Larsen is retiring and handing the reins over to his sons Luke and Zac. Dave Larsen purchased the Lift House, which has been around since 1972, in 1978. 

“He grew up in Sugar House and became a ski instructor at Brighton out of high school and in college,” Zac Larsen said of his father. “After he got married, he bought his first ski shop.”

Shortly after the purchase, Dave Larsen consolidated the shops he owned into the Lift House. Now 75 years old, Dave Larsen lives in St. George year-round with his wife. His sons threw him a retirement party at the beginning of April.

“We were kind of scared at first because it was a surprise party for him,” Zac Larsen said. “There were a lot of old employees and old friends there. He was really excited and got kind of emotional.” 

Zac Larsen and his brother, Luke Larsen, who are now the co-owners, have been skiing for as long as they can remember. 

“We grew up in the mouth of the canyon around King’s cove,” Zac Larsen said. “We were always skiing at Brighton. We’d ski on the weekends while dad was running the shop.”

When Zac Larsen was 16 years old, he started working in the shop in the rental area. Over the years, he worked his way up through the ranks of the shop. 

“I worked all through high school and on and off in college,” he said. “When I was 24 years old, I decided this is what I wanted to do.” 

Zac Larsen said he loves working in the shop because he’s passionate about skiing and loves that he gets to talk about it. 

“People come from all over the world to ski here,” he said. “I get to meet and talk to really interesting people.” 

The Lift House is both a retail and rental ski and snowboard shop. The shop is most known for its custom boot fittings and discounts on lift tickets. This includes tickets for Alta, Brighton, Snowbasin, Snowbird and Solitude.

Now that the two brothers are co-owners of the Lift House, a few changes are in the works. The biggest one is the shop is shifting to being open year-round. Before, the shop would close during the summer months. Now, the shop will remain open and begin to sell items for trail running and trail hiking.

The other big change is the shop will be moving to the old Canyon Inn. The Larsens purchased the building this last winter, and they have been in the process of remodeling and renovating it. Zac Larsen said it’s a bigger building and they will own rather than lease it.

Zac Larsen said even with the changes, he and his brother hope to honor their father with the business. 

“He’s run a successful business for over 40 years,” Zac Larsen said. “My brother and I are going to keep it going strong.”

For more information about the Lift House, visit www.thelifthouse.com or call 801-943-1104.