Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
- Ski patrol strike at Park City Mountain caused delays and overcrowding during the holidays.
- Safety concerns and guest dissatisfaction rose, with no refunds offered by Vail Resorts.
- Union and Vail Resorts blame each other; negotiations continue with a federal mediator.
PARK CITY — The recent ski patrol strike at Park City Mountain has left the resort scrambling to open lifts and keep guest experiences positive during the holiday, despite earlier promises to the contrary.
"I want to acknowledge the reality of the guest experience at Park City Mountain over the past couple of days," said Deirdra Walsh, chief operating officer of the resort, in a social media post.
"We have not been able to open as much terrain as we would like to — and I know that resulted in delays in operations and longer-than-usual lift lines," Walsh said. "The holidays are such an important part of the ski season, and my team works so hard to deliver you a great experience, that when we fall short — we take it seriously."
Tuesday, lift availability on the Canyons Village side of the resort was "limited," Walsh said, blaming a combination of lower-than-average snowpack and the lack of seasoned patrollers due to the strike. Operators added 252 acres of open terrain, bringing resort totals to 1,784 acres, according to Walsh.
The Park City Professional Ski Patrol Union claims a significant number of the lifts its patrollers were scheduled to work before the strike remain closed because of staffing issues. The daily workforce of over 100 ski patrollers has been replaced by between 30 and 35 nonunion daily patrollers from other resorts who have been flown into town and workers from Park City, representatives say.
Local ski patrol managers and supervisors aren't part of the union, according to representatives, and "still have to work or risk losing their jobs," a social media post said.
Vail Resorts declined to comment on staffing numbers.
Concerns for the safety of guests on the overcrowded runs were voiced by skiers and the union. Kat McDavitt, a former ski instructor who traveled to Park City with her children, told KSL.com, "We spent more than a little bit to be here," and added she felt "it was so unsafe I will not take them back to (Park City Mountain Resort) for the remainder of our time here."
"Despite very unsafe conditions and serious crowding today, Vail will not offer any refunds or transfers," McDavitt said. "Awful."
Seth Schwartz, a pass holder and part-time resident of Park City, told KSL-TV, "My experience out on the mountain wasn't nearly as good as it should've been." Lifts were overcrowded, Schwartz said, and "you have unhappy guests. You have a lot of unhappy people paying a lot of money in order to come here, and those people aren't getting the experience they're paying for because it's not properly staffed."
Walsh said in a statement, "First and foremost, our focus each and every day is to open safely. We are assessing terrain every day." The resort has decided to "prioritize opening our most popular intermediate and beginner terrain first and delay the opening of expert terrain," she said, to optimize the experience of the majority of skiers and snowboarders.
The union began a strike alleging unfair labor practices against Vail Resorts on Dec. 27 after lodging complaints with the National Relations Board earlier in December. Those accusations include two instances of bad-faith bargaining, refusal to furnish information, and two instances of violating contract change guidelines.
The details of those complaints have not been made public, but a union press release issued Saturday claims Vail Resorts "has threatened retaliatory measures against striking employees, including deactivating season passes, threatening eviction, ending dependent employee programs, cutting health benefits, denying locker room access, and terminating day care services."
Vail Resorts representatives and the union have both worked to shift the blame for unpleasant guest experiences onto the other party. Walsh has called the union's decision to strike "very disappointing" and said "there have been operational impacts from the union's action."
Seventeen-year ski patroller and lead negotiator Seth Dromgoole issued a statement, saying: "Vail is the one ruining your vacations. Vail is the party with the power to solve this immediately, and we are ready to meet with them any time."
Both groups met Monday afternoon and again on Tuesday with a federal negotiator; they have plans to continue discussions on Thursday, after the holiday.
A "strike fund" set up by the union to offset wage losses has raised over $140,000, and demonstrators report local businesses and residents dropping off hot drinks and food. But reports of harassment from guests, directed at Park City workers, have also been made. The union asked the public Tuesday to "show kindness" on the mountain while negotiations continue.
