Cottonwood Heights » Luke Larsen wasn't even born in 1978 when his dad, Dave, bought The Lifthouse ski shop just below the mouth of Big Cottonwood Canyon.

But now the 28-year-old is helping to lead the family-owned retailer into the digital age with development of a Web site that will supplement the sales in its cozy quarters at 3678 E. Fort Union Blvd.

"It's a great location. We're the last shop before you hit any of the four resorts -- Brighton, Solitude, Snowbird or Alta," said Larsen, who manages the store while his older brother, Zak, focuses on hard goods such as boots and skis, and his sister, Mandy Heaps, oversees soft goods such as jackets and gloves.

Dave Larsen is semi-retired these days but still shows up on occasion, particularly since he has loyal customers from his 31 years at The Lifthouse and a few more years before that at a ski shop at Brighton Resort, where he also taught in the ski school.

"They only want to work with dad," Luke said.

Nestled into a tight little commercial strip below the Canyon, The Lifthouse is as big as it is ever going to get. So almost every available inch of the store is filled with goods. It's a crowded look that has come to define the store.

"Because of the [foot] traffic we have, it calls for a lot of product" to be on display, he said. "From a merchandising standpoint, it's a nightmare. [Marketing] people say don't do it. But it works for us."

It works because The Lifthouse has been able to tap into both the local and destination skier markets. The store draws well among the out-of-town crowd staying at south valley hotels as well as those driving by on their way to any of the Cottonwood Canyon resorts, Larsen said.

But being such skiing devotees, the Larsens have filled their store with higher-end gear that appeals to skilled local skiers. And their shop has seasoned hands who return year after year, earning the confidence of those knowledgeable skiers that tuneups will prepare their skis well for a season of making turns.

"We're definitely more of a core ski shop, specializing in skis and boot fittings," Larsen said. "But we're definitely not too proud to help anybody, even if they don't ski much."

The biggest item this year, he predicted, will be reverse camber skis that adapt well to the powder and "crud" skiing so plentiful in the Wasatch Mountains. "People want to see those and get their hands on them," Larsen said.

Without doubt, the recession is a cause for concern. But the Larsens' greater fear is a poor snow year, something Dave Larsen went through and survived in his first winter of owning The Lifthouse.

"This is definitely the time of year where we're watching the weather every night, waiting for that next storm to come in -- because that brings our business in," he said.

And that means jobs this winter for 25 to 30 people.

mikeg@sltrib.com