My mission at the 3,000-acre Snowbasin Ski Resort seemed daunting -- find Harold Ray.
His friends and colleagues described the ski-resort veteran as an enthusiastic man with a warm and engaging personality.
And so it ended up being an easy task. He was easily spotted, welcoming several skiers off the shuttle with that infectious zeal for which he is known.
For 58 years, Ray has been one of the first impressions for visitors at Snowbasin. Initially, it just was a part-time job -- one that he started to enjoy.
"The mountain has character that you can't believe," said Harold Ray, 77, of South Weber.
He didn't come to the resort with the goal of being a part of guest services.
"When I started here in '52, my intention was to come up and get on the ski patrol," Ray said.
He met with Sam Huntington, who ran Snowbasin at the time, with the prospect of joining the patrol. But Huntington had a more pressing issue on that day.
"He said, 'I'll tell you what, the ski patrol helps with parking a few rows of cars. You won't have many coming in, but there will be a few. Put them in rows, keep them nice,'ââââ" Ray said.
"I shouldn't have done such a good job. Because I got parking (detail) for 40-something years."
Ray was moved to guest services in 2001, where he welcomed the guests, provided tours and put his wealth of information about the area to good use.
Without a moment's hesitation, he can tell about the chandeliers in the Elk's Lodge, the origin of every ski run, and the maintenance schedule of the tram cars.
He's essentially a tireless promoter of the ski resort.
Jodi Holmgren, Snowbasin's public relations director at the resort, said she regularly gets e-mails from visitors after they get home and reflect on their trips.
"Very, very often it starts out with: Our experience was terrific, starting with meeting Harold at the plaza. He makes people feel welcome," Holmgren said.
"I have skied here since I was a little girl and Harold is just an icon," added Holmgren. "He's just one of those things where he's a part of the resort. He kind of sets the tone for the day."
Ski bus
Ray's introduction to skiing was a bit unusual.
When he was a youngster, his dad worked as a bus driver and occasionally worked nights. When his dad would leave the house, Ray would grab a rope and skis, hook the rope around the bus bumper, and get towed on a joy ride down South Weber Drive.
"And then when we got to the highway, I'd let go of the rope, roll it up and walk home," Ray said.
His equipment was subpar: ankle boots that were hard to keep on, skis that lacked edges and were hard to get out of. Still, he knew he belonged on the slopes and joined the high school ski club so he could visit the various resorts. That club led to Snowbasin in 1951, and he joined the resort after high school.
"I came up here and said, 'Hmm, this is a good place to ski.' Actually in the northern part (of Utah) -- this was it," Ray said.
And Ray wanted to ensure everyone had the opportunity to ski, especially children. Even if that meant busing them up himself in his '52 Ford truck.
"I would give anybody rides," Ray said.
At Huntington's request, Ray would recruit the kids to volunteer parking cars with him. They would receive a half-day ski pass as payment.
"If you weren't going skiing, then you were parking cars for him," said Keith Kap, of South Weber. "Harold is that kind of guy that will always help someone out."
Kap would meet Ray at 7:30 a.m. every Saturday. It was a routine for most of the area kids. One morning, Ray said, he walked out to see 13 kids piled in his truck -- four up front, nine in the back shell.
The terrain was difficult, since there wasn't a highway to Snowbasin then, which led to some adventurous road trips.
"One morning there had been a little (snow) slide and I hollered 'hang on,' " Ray laughed. "I knew I couldn't back out of there."
The icon
An interesting sidenote: Though Ray spent much of his time at Snowbasin, resort work wasn't his day job. He made his living at Hill Air Force Base as a toolmaker. The weekends belonged to Snowbasin.
"I worked all the weekends here, all my holidays, all my leave. I just about lost my missus," Ray laughed. "She said, 'It's about time you stayed home.' "
His wife said that he has considered staying home in the past few years but always talks himself out of it.
"He just doesn't seem to be able to quit," said LouAnn Ray, Harold Ray's wife.
He retired from Hill Air Force Base in 1989, but still spends at least four days a week at the resort.
It's hard to stay away. "I enjoy people," Ray said. "This is a good place for families to come. It's a good family sport."
Doug Ray, Harold's son, said continuing that relationship with Snowbasin has been good for his dad after retirement. "I think he thought that if he sat down, well, he'd probably be gone by now," said Doug Ray.
The elder Ray also witnessed Snowbasin's rise to prominence, becoming a Winter Olympics site in 2002.
He appreciates that people along the way remember him after their trip is over.
"That's great," Ray said. "That's probably one of the highlights of my life -- being here and seeing the way Snowbasin came from a little single-rope tow/wood-chair lift to what it has become now."
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