Today, Snow Trails is the only family-owned and operated ski resort remaining in Ohio. I thought it could be a success.' Ski businesses becomes his sole focusĬarto gave up his job at Ohio Brass and devoted all his energies to Snow Trails, which has become a go-to destination for skiers from Ohio and beyond.īy 1970 he had acquired sole ownership of Ohio Ski Slopes, Inc., and Snow Trails was his full-time career.

'I spent all my time running the company. 'By 19, I had decided to buy out all the stockholders,' he said. Carto bought additional stock to gain more control. Carto said the first year was 'pretty decent,' but the original founders still were not getting along. More: COVID-19: 25% of Richland County residents have received at least 1 dose of vaccine More: A day at the races: Snow Trails resort celebrates 60th annual Ski Carnival 'I was made president of the company before we even opened,' Carto said. He asked to be given some authority in the decision-making. 'The only problem was as we reached the completion date, there was a lot of disagreement about how the business would run,' he said.Ĭarto said he became a go-between for the warring factions.

He saw a story in the News Journal about some Columbus investors who wanted to start a ski resort in Mansfield.ĭuring a lunch meeting, Carto said he was interested in being involved. Newspaper story leads to birth of Snow TrailsĬarto's interest in skiing grew. 'If you helped pack the snow by going up the hill sideways, you were allowed to ski down it until the snow wore off,' Carto said earlier. He organized the Mansfield Ski Club, which made some trips to Gambier, where the Kenyon College swimming coach had set up a hill. 'I found a lot of kindred souls,' Carto said. He brought that affinity back to Richland County. He later helped found Snow Trails, one of the area's leading seasonal businesses, Carto told News Journal reporter Mark Caudill in 2015. While in those cold-weather climates, Carto developed an affinity for skiing. He was 90.Ĭarto was stationed in Minnesota and Wisconsin in the mid-1950s. He was surrounded by his family in his Mansfield home. Army led to an ultra-successful career for David Carto.Ĭarto, who owned and operated Snow Trails, died following an extended illness on Easter Sunday. MANSFIELD - A pastime he picked up in the U.S.

Dave carto obituary