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- An Illinois man filed a class action lawsuit against Vail Resorts over Park City Mountain's strike-related disruptions.
- The lawsuit claims families, who faced long lift waits, were not informed of the strike's impact.
- Park City Mountain officials declined to comment on the lawsuit.
PARK CITY — The Park City Mountain ski patrol strike might be over, but at least one visitor is still fuming over his resort experience while patrollers were out.
Vail Resorts, the primary owner of the Park City ski resort, was named in a class action lawsuit filed by an Illinois man on behalf of potentially thousands of skiers in the U.S. District Court of Utah on Thursday.
Christopher Bisaillon, of Wheaton, Illinois, alleges that families who had "saved up all year long in order to spend the holiday break on a family ski trip" came to the resort only to find waiting times of up to three hours at ski lifts because less than one-fifth of the resort was open during the strike.
The strike began on Dec. 27 as almost 200 ski patrollers and mountain safety workers walked off the job after failed negotiations over a new contract stretched on for months.
Bisaillon said many resort visitors paid $189 to $288 per person per day for lift tickets. Calling the experience a "colossal nightmare," he said many skiers — especially those from out of town — were not informed of the strike or its impacts, which he says ruined "what was expected to be a dream vacation for thousands of families at the expense of tens of thousands of dollars per family."
He isn't alone in the sentiment. CNBC financial pundit Jim Lebenthal aired his grievances during a segment about travel trade trends in 2025 for the show "Halftime Report" last week.
Lebenthal said he was also in Park City for the holidays, eager to hit the slopes as fresh powder fell in the region. While he was aware of the weather, he said he was not informed about the strike.
"That meant I got a great time looking at the snow from the ski lines, which stretched on for an hour," he said. "Here's my point: I'm a little angry at (Vail Resorts) all right. ... If you want to run a travel and a leisure company, you darn well better give the experience that you're advertising."
Mike Evans, who was visiting from New York, told KSL-TV earlier this week he had no idea there was even a strike until his family saw the picketers when they pulled into the resort. He said he paid $1,000 for lift tickets, only to wait 90 minutes in line for a five-minute ride down a packed slope.
"You would think that with the type of business that they're running and the people that are coming in, you'd want to figure out a way to get this taken care of," he said.
Bisaillon references both the KSL article and the CNBC clip in the lawsuit, as well as coverage from other news outlets after all the delays.
He argues Vail Resorts "knew or reasonably should have known" by Dec. 16 that a strike could happen during the Christmas and New Year's holiday ski season but "did nothing to alert the public, specifically the tens of thousands of people and families coming to spend the holiday season skiing at Park City Mountain Resort."
Even after the strike began, after Christmas, Vail Resorts "still did nothing to warn consumers" as they purchased lift tickets "under the auspices that nothing was wrong."
The lawsuit seeks to recover financial damages, but it estimates "thousands" of skiers may have been impacted with an "aggregate amount" of damages that may exceed $5 million.
A spokesperson for Vail Resorts declined to comment on the lawsuit, telling KSL the company will not comment on pending litigation.
Park City Mountain said delays were possible in a Dec. 30 social media post. The post featured a video from Deirdra Walsh, chief operating officer at the resort, describing the experiences skiers could face when arriving.
"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," she 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."
The strike ended on Wednesday with patrollers returning to the slopes as early as Thursday. The deal included wage increases and better benefits, according to the Park City Professional Ski Patrol Association.
Vail Resorts' Bill Rock, president of the mountain division, said he was ready for the resort to start "moving forward together as one team" after the deal was reached. The company said Wednesday it is working to prioritize the opening of the Tombstone, Dream Peak and McConkey's lifts.
While the strike disrupted visitation during the Christmas and New Year's holidays, Park City leaders said they're happy the strike ended before other holidays and upcoming events like the Sundance Film Festival and FIS World Cup.
"We recognize and appreciate the hard work of everyone involved, especially the local resort leadership team, in bringing this to a successful conclusion," Park City Mayor Nann Worel and members of the Park City Council said in a statement.
