Vail Resorts targets 2027-28 for long-contested Park City Mountain lift upgrades

Silverlode would become Vail Resorts’ first eight-passenger chairlift in the U.S., while Eagle and Eaglet would be replaced by a new six-passenger lift. A separate court challenge to the city’s approval remains pending.

PARK CITY, Utah — Vail Resorts announced Monday that it plans to move forward with two long-contested chairlift replacements at Park City Mountain for the 2027-28 ski season, part of a broader round of investments at the resort.

The company plans to replace Silverlode Express with an eight-passenger detachable chairlift, its first eight-person lift in the United States and replace the Eagle and Eaglet fixed-grip lifts with a single six-passenger detachable chairlift. Crescent will also undergo a full retrofit intended to improve reliability.

The Eagle replacement will include a revised alignment and mid-station unload. Vail Resorts said the projects are intended to improve circulation out of Mountain Village and across key on-mountain connection points.

Recent and planned Park City Mountain investments include:

• Silverlode Express: Replacement with an eight-passenger detachable chairlift targeted for the 2027-28 season.
• Eagle and Eaglet: Replacement with one six-passenger detachable chairlift with a mid-station, targeted for 2027-28.
• Crescent: Full lift retrofit intended to improve reliability.
• Canyons Village Skyway Gondola: New 10-passenger gondola scheduled for the 2026-27 season, alongside a new Canyons Village parking garage.
• Sunrise Gondola: Opened for the 2025-26 season, increasing uphill capacity from that location.
• Red Pine Gondola: Replacement gondola cabins aimed at improving reliability.
• Snowmaking: Expanded snowmaking infrastructure in Canyons Village.
• Beginner terrain and ski school: New beginner zones and connected ski and ride school programming at both base areas.
• Terrain parks: Improvements including the return of a 22-foot halfpipe.
• Other projects: Investments in restaurants, skier services and employee housing.

Vail Resorts said it will have invested more than $200 million at Park City Mountain from its 2014 acquisition through the end of 2026.

Read the full Vail Resorts announcement.

A yearslong fight over Eagle and Silverlode

The announcement marks another chapter in a permitting battle over Eagle and Silverlode that dates back to 2022.

Park City Mountain’s initial approvals were overturned by the Park City Planning Commission following an appeal from residents who raised concerns about parking, congestion and the resort’s comfortable carrying capacity. Vail Resorts challenged that decision in court but was unsuccessful, and the lift equipment originally intended for Park City was eventually installed at Whistler Blackcomb.

Vail Resorts revived the Eagle and Silverlode proposals in 2025 and submitted new applications through the city’s conditional-use permit process.

The Park City Planning Commission approved the projects in May 2026. Residents appealed the approvals, but a city hearing officer rejected that challenge in July, finding that the Planning Commission correctly applied the city’s land management code and that its decision was supported by substantial evidence.

The dispute has not completely ended. The Park Record reported Aug. 31 that a Park City resident filed a petition in Third District Court seeking judicial review of the approvals. That court challenge remains pending.

Announcement comes amid pressure on Vail Resorts

The investment announcement also comes as Vail Resorts faces increased pressure from shareholders.

Activist investor Oasis Management disclosed a 6.2% stake in Vail Resorts in September and nominated four candidates to the company’s board, including Park City resident and Olympic champion Picabo Street. Oasis has said it believes Vail Resorts’ portfolio is undervalued and has raised the possibility of strategic changes involving the company or individual resorts.

The campaign comes as Cloudflare co-founder and Park City resident Matthew Prince has separately expressed interest in buying Park City Mountain. Vail Resorts CEO Rob Katz has said the company has no plans to sell the resort.

Read TownLift’s coverage of the Oasis proxy fight and interest in Park City Mountain.

Vail Resorts said additional construction timelines and opening details for the Silverlode, Eagle and Crescent projects will be announced in the coming months.