Prince announced May 16 he purchased the property at the base of Park City Mountain’s Town Lift for an undisclosed sum from the Sweeney family, which has owned the plaza for decades.
The Cloudflare CEO told KPCW he’d like to upgrade the lift to bring more business to Main Street and get skiers and riders up on the mountain faster.
“Let’s think big,” Prince said. “Why stop at Park City? You can, with a fairly clear right-of-way, go straight from Main Street Park City in the same length of time – 22 minutes – that it takes to ride the Town Lift today, all the way to Alta, with a stop at Solitude along the way. How amazing would that be? Could we make this like Europe?”
Once a ski instructor at Park City Mountain, Prince said he’s lost faith in its owner Vail Resorts.
“I see them as having largely given up on Park City and that’s really sad for a mountain that I care enormously about,” he said.
The billionaire told KPCW that he’s talked with Vail Resorts about buying the mountain, but the company wasn’t interested in a sale.
“I reached out and that offer still stands, and it would not be hard,” Prince said. “This feels like it is one of these things that has to be inevitable. So I think it’s very unlikely that I own Park City [Mountain] in the next five years, but the next 50? I think having local owners really matters.”
Prince, who has a net worth of about $5 billion according to Forbes, said his goal isn’t to make money.
“I just want to serve this community,” he said. “The most important thing that you could do for this community is get local owners… and then also get better food in town.”
Prince, who bought The Park Record in 2023, said he’s come to know the Sweeney family over the years.
“There’s no family in town that has done more for building and preserving Park City than the Sweeneys,” he said.
The Sweeneys listed the Town Lift Plaza for $27 million in November 2024 after suing Vail Resorts over a violation of their lease agreement.
Prince is also in court with Park City Municipal over his plans to build a new home on Treasure Hill overlooking Old Town. The Sweeneys were vocal supporters of Prince’s proposal during the planning approval process.
KPCW has reached out to Park City Mountain for comment.
Hear Prince’s full interview on KPCW’s "Mountain Money" at 9 a.m. MT Monday, May 19.
