Archives West Finding Aid

Dr. Alvin Fred Cobabe was born on November 7, 1917 to Frederick James and Hazel Hudman Cobabe in Slaterville, Utah. He grew up in a small farming and ranching community west of Ogden, Utah, working on his family’s sheep and cattle ranch. After graduating high school, he studied radio engineering in Kansas City, Missouri, and worked for Ogden’s KLO radio station from 1937 to 1938.

In 1937, Alvin decided to go into the family business and purchased land for sheep grazing that adjoined his father’s property. While building a reservoir on the property, he purchased heavy earth moving equipment, which he used as a side business of heavy earth construction. The same year, 1937, he married June Heslop (1917-2011); together, the couple had four daughters. In 1948, Alvin bought out his father’s land and livestock company, which ran livestock in four states.

In 1956, at the age of 38, Alvin decided to pursue a dream of becoming a doctor, enrolling in pre-medicine classes at Weber State. He then attended the University of Utah, graduating in 1963; at the time, the 43-year-old Alvin was the oldest student to earn a M.D. from the University’s medical school. After interning at Dee Memorial Hospital, Alvin went into general practice. Always interested in new challenges, he pursued postgraduate education in clinical hypnosis in the 1970s. He practiced as a doctor in Weber County until 1988.

Though he had been an avid skier as a youth, a serious leg fracture kept him from the slopes until he relearned to ski in 1963. Around this time, friends suggested to him that the land that had been used for grazing livestock in Wolf Creek Canyon might be appealing for a ski resort. Throughout the 1960s, as he pursued his career as a doctor, Alvin worked to acquire adjoining properties to his family’s land while researching the ski industry. In 1966, he joined the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) and the Intermountain Ski Areas Association (ISAA) and quickly took on leadership roles in the ISAA.

Alvin’s eclectic background in electrical engineering, heavy equipment operation, and construction prepared him to take a hands-on role in the construction of his ski resort. Powder Mountain ski resort opened on February 19, 1972, with one lift, Sundown lift. June Heslop Cobabe was co-owner of the resort and took an active role in the day-to-day operations, particularly hospitality. Together, the Cobabes grew Powder Mountain resort quickly, adding a Main Lodge, Sundown Lodge, and Timberline lift to the operations for the 1972-1973 season. By the twenty-first century, Powder Mountain was the largest ski area in the United States. In 2006, Alvin and June sold Powder Mountain. June passed away in 2011 and Alvin died in 2017.