BRIAN HEAD - Colorful Georg Hartlmaier, whose creative nature and mechanical ability served as the foundation for the construction of Brian Head Ski Resort in 1964, will be remembered Sunday when his friends and family gather in the Navajo base lodge in Brian Head at 1 p.m.
Hartlmaier, 75, died July 6 following a long illness, but not before establishing himself as the father of Brian Head, a popular ski resort northeast of Cedar City.
Born May 24, 1932, in Haushman, Germany, Hartlmaier parlayed a meeting with Brian Head innovator Burt Nichols in Bavaria in 1964 into a fascinating move to Brian Head, where the adventuresome Hartlmaier moved his family and began designing and building one of America's most popular ski resorts.
"Dad was teaching skiing in Munich," explained Hartlmaier's oldest son, Georg, Jr., adding that his father and mother Stefanie had been married a short time when the move to Brian Head took place. "He met Burt, who convinced him to move to Brian Head to build a new ski resort. Burt had been looking for a German or Austrian skier to be the director of Brian Head."
At the time of the meeting with Nichols, the elder Hartlmaier spoke excellent English because he had served as a scuba diving instructor in Marin County near San Francisco.
"By trade, dad was a machinist," the younger Hartlmaier explained. "He knew how to weld, so his talent was invaluable to Brian Head considering that it was still in the planning stages. Dad accepted the offer from Burt to become both the ski instructor and the mountain manager at Brian Head and started building Chair One."
Moving the entire Hart-lmaier family was a challenge considering the distance and the fact that Brian Head was still only a dream. But with Germany's economy suffering and Hartlmaier eager to find a new opportunity, the family relocated to Southern Utah.
"My dad, my mom and I were the first people to live at Brian Head," recalled Georg, the family's oldest son, of his father, who was also an accomplished guitar player. "Mom said we were so lonely up there as kids that we used to wait for cars to pull up and we'd invite the people inside for coffee. America offered great opportunity for a better life."
The elder Hartlmaier fell in love with Brian Head, explained his son.
"Next to his family, my father loved the mountains more than anything in the world," he explained. "He gave so many hours and days to the creation of Brian Head. He was such a dedicated person and in fact, went to Mt. Everest and made it to 26,500 feet without oxygen in 1988 at the age of 56. If he would have made it to the top, he would have become the oldest man to reach the summit without oxygen in the history of Mt. Everest."
The energetic Hartlmaier was able to balance his time as a businessman with that of a father and husband, added his son.
"He was great dad," Georg recalled. "My brother Robby and I were ski racers, and he took us to race events all over the West. And when we weren't doing that, we were hiking. He gave up so many hours to keep us active.
"He loved Zion National Park, and was so dedicated to the outdoors."
Georg Hartlmaier, Jr. said the family business, Georg's Ski Shop and Bikes, will continue to operate in Brian Head.
The Hartlmaier family would like to thank all of the loving caregivers who helped make Georg's last year more comfortable. Funeral services are being handled by Swindlehurst Funeral Home while on-line condolences may be sent to www.swindlehurstfuneralhome.com.
Survivors include Hartlmaier's wife of 44 years, Stephanie; sons, Georg and Robby of Parowan; daughter Stefanie Whitelaw of Beryl; brother Werner Hartlmaier of Hausham, Germany; and his eight grandchildren, Aloyna, Brendon, Cody, Trace, Christina, Anna, Nicole and Georgie.
Preceding Georg in death were his parents, Georg and Maria Hartlmaier; and his loving sister, Lisle Gerold of Hausham.
Mike Henle is a Las Vegas-based
freelance writer and
author of the book “Through
the Darkness: One Man’s Fight
to Overcome Epilepsy.” He can
be contacted at mhenle@aol.com or through his Web site
www.mikehenle.com.
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