Viral email claims Vail Resorts tried to recruit temporary patrollers to Park City for $600 a day plus travel fees

Vail Resorts allegedly was offering those interested $600 per day or $75 per hour for an eight-hour workday along with travel costs to come work at Park City Mountain. Photo: Patrick Murphy

PARK CITY, Utah — A viral email thread shared widely on social media on Friday allegedly shows Vail Resorts Patrol Manager Nathan Jones trying to recruit ski patrollers at Vail-owned Attitash Mountain Resort in New Hampshire to come work temporarily at Park City Mountain. Contract negotiations between PCMR and the Park City Professional Ski Patrol Association (PCPSPA), which represents roughly 180 patrollers at the resort, are ongoing. Jones allegedly was offering those interested $600 per day or $75 per hour for an eight-hour workday along with travel costs to come work at Park City Mountain.

TownLift spoke with Jones who confirmed he works for Vail. He declined to comment on the email and the context of the offer.

Vail Resorts however denies recruiting temporary patrollers to Park City. “This message is not accurate, was not authorized by Vail Resorts and suggests an active effort to recruit patrollers to Park City, which is not true,” Vail Resorts said in a statement. The company went on to say that they are “of course taking steps to prepare the resort for a possible work stoppage in the interest of our guests, employees and community.”

The Salt Lake Tribune was able to independently confirm that the email was sent by a Vail employee on Thursday night before it was quickly retracted.

The PCPSPA recently ended their 48th bargaining session with Vail Resorts without a contract agreement. Due to the lack of an active contract, rookie patrollers are starting at $13.25 per hour, despite the company-wide $15 per hour starting wage.

In an update on Friday, PCPSPA said “we have heard rumors of the company offering increased daily pay and travel expenses to other Vail resort patrollers to come work temporarily at Park City.”

“We hope any patroller who receives such a message understands the fight we are taking on for our co-workers, families, and patrollers everywhere. Please help us by continuing your strong work at your home resorts.”

As of Friday, PCPSPA has raised over $60,000 through its “solidarity fund” on GoFundMe.

PCPSPA has labeled the fund a “safety net in the event we are forced into more significant action, and we are not receiving paychecks,” and added, “it is only utilized to help patrollers pay for basic needs such as rent and food in our last/worst-case scenario.” As of Friday, the union has received over 1,100 individual donations.