You could say Joel Bryan, 43, is a member of the royal family of winter sports in Iowa.

His grandparents, Edwin and Kay, opened Fun Valley in Montezuma in 1970, and his parents, Rick and Connie, took over in 1992. His siblings were born and raised in the industry, so Joel Bryan started skiing at age 2. In 1997, Rick and Connie bought Seven Oaks Re­­crea­tion, located on 150 acres west of Boone, where today Joel Bryan is the general man­­ager and co-owner with Rick and Connie.

Bryan continues to make the family-owned business friendly to Iowa families. “We do keep the families in mind, both in pricing and atmosphere,” he said.

Seven Oaks offers specials on lift tickets for...