More than two feet of fresh snow fell in Park City, Utah, last week, perfect timing for the hordes of holiday skiers flocking to Park City Mountain, the largest ski resort in the United States. But instead of experiencing powder highs, skiers and snowboarders faced long lift lines, limited terrain, and widespread frustration brought on by ski patrol strikes.
“Five minutes of waiting in line for 50 minutes is pure bliss,” one Park City skier said on Instagram.
On December 27, the Park City Professional Ski Patrollers Association, which represents 204 ski patrollers and mountain safety personnel, went on strike against Vail Resorts, which owns Park City Mountain. Ski patrollers are demanding a $2 increase in their base hourly wage, from $21 to $23. The union submitted a proposal in September with the goal of reaching an agreement before ski season, but Vail did not agree and the patrol team went on strike during the busy holiday season.
Vail Resorts announced it has increased pay for patrol officers by more than 50% over the past four seasons.
“We're proud that the significant investments we've made in all of our employees, including our patrols, far outpaced inflation,” Vail Resorts Mountain Division President Bill Locke said in a statement Friday.
About a quarter of Park City's trails are currently open because there aren't enough patrolmen to open trails, respond to accidents and mitigate avalanches. More than 100 patrollers typically cover Park City's 7,300 acres of ski area, but the union says there are only 30 to 35 patrollers on the mountain, many of whom are lifeguards or other bails. He is said to be a patrolman brought in from the ski resort.
“We deeply regret that this has had any impact on our guests' experience. The thousands of people who work hard every day to make the Park City Mountain experience possible and to open the terrain safely. “I would like to thank our employees.'' Rock said in a statement.
Vail Resorts and the Park City Patrol union are negotiating with federal arbitrators almost daily. Both sides have hinted that they are making progress, but the union said Mr Bale “has yet to address the majority of our members' concerns”.
Vail Resorts acquired Park City in 2014 and merged it with the adjacent Canyons ski resort the following year. The Canyons ski patrol unionized in 2001, and when the two ski patrols merged, the Park City patrol voted to join the union. The union is now part of the Communications Workers of America.
Vail Resorts is valued at nearly $10 billion and owns and operates 42 ski areas in North America, Australia and Europe. Vail sold 2.4 million multi-mountain Epic passes last year, which revolutionized the ski industry when introduced in 2008 by lowering prices and expanding access for skiers. However, the resulting congestion led to customer complaints at some resorts and overwhelmed some rural areas. dependent on the ski industry.
Ski patrollers say they are encouraged by the outpouring of support online and in person. The GoFundMe account currently has more than $200,000 in donations.
“We have community members who stop by our picket lines every day to let us know they support us, drop off food, and donate to our strike fund.” said Margaux Klingensmith, who has been a Park City patrol officer for six years. He also serves as the union's business manager.
But this is cold consolation for frustrated skiers who can't get their hands on the goods. Instead of posting videos of flying snowflakes and big jumps on social media, they're sharing scenes of endless lift lines.
“The amount of money we spent not skiing is terrible,” one tourist was quoted as saying by local news outlet Townlift.
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