Lift, picket, and powder lines bring challenges to Park City Mountain

Six inches of snow in 24 hours brought crowds to Park City Mountain’s Canyons Village this morning. Delayed lift openings were announced by the resort due to avalanche mitigation efforts. Photo: courtesy

Instead of clocking in for work on a powder day, ski patrollers and mountain safety personnel gathered outside Park City Mountain's main entrances, forming a picket line and solidifying their strike.

PARK CITY, Utah — Six inches of snow in 24 hours drew crowds to Park City Mountain’s Canyons Village this morning. Skiers encountered both lift lines and a picket line as ski patrol & mountain safety workers officially went on strike. The resort announced delayed lift openings due to ongoing avalanche mitigation efforts.

The employees on strike are the nearly 200 members of the Park City Professional Ski Patrol Association (PCPSPA) citing bad-faith bargaining and violations of the National Labor Relations Act by Vail Resorts, the parent company of Park City Mountain.

 

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We are anticipating delays on lifts this morning to complete avalanche mitigation. Check the My Epic app for the most up to date information @PCski

— ParkCityMtnAlert (@PCMtnAlert) December 27, 2024

Delayed lift openings are common during storm cycles with increased avalanche danger. Park City Mountain could receive up to two more feet of snow by Monday as the storm continues. Today’s forecast calls for 8–14 inches, followed by 4–8 inches on Saturday and another 3–5 inches on Sunday. The Utah Avalanche Center has issued an Avalanche Watch through Monday, warning of HIGH avalanche danger today. Strong winds are expected to overload a weak snowpack on slopes facing northwest through east, with avalanches potentially breaking 2–4 feet deep and spanning over 100 feet wide. Both human-triggered and natural avalanches are likely.

Park City Mountain Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Deirdra Walsh shared in a statement to TownLift that “We want to reassure skiers and snowboarders, our employees, and this community that despite the union’s actions, Park City Mountain will remain open with safety as our top priority, and all planned terrain will be open,”  In light of the ongoing strike by the ski patrollers’ union, the resort plans to utilize its Patrol Support Team, which includes experienced patrollers from Park City Mountain and other Vail Resorts properties.

From the picket line, Quinn Graves, business manager for the Park City Professional Ski Patrol Association, stated, “Today, at 7:30 a.m., we walked out. The company has forced this strike by repeatedly bargaining in bad faith and violating the National Labor Relations Act.”

When asked about the impact on mountain operations, Graves said, “All we know is that the experienced patrollers who know this terrain are on the picket line right now. We hope that doesn’t impact guest safety, and we urge everyone on the mountain to stay safe.”

As the resort brings in backup ski patrol resources during the year’s biggest storm cycle, skier safety is top of mind for all.

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