Park City Mountain Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Deirdra Walsh told KPCW the resort is actively working to rebuild trust in the community following last season’s ski patrol strike.
“It was an incredibly hard start to the season — that’s probably itself an understatement,” Walsh said on KPCW’s “Local News Hour” Sept. 29. “It was intense. It was challenging. It was disruptive. And when I think about that, I know that that is true for everyone.”
The union representing over 200 patrollers and safety staff walked out on the job two days after Christmas, demanding better wages and benefits.
The strike coincided with peak holiday ski traffic and led to viral social media posts and national news stories highlighting long lines at Park City Mountain, which at times had less than 20% of terrain open.
The union and resort management reached an agreement Jan. 7, nearly two weeks after the strike began.
Walsh said they hope to turn the page by offering a guest experience that visitors can rely on and creating a fun and welcoming environment for employees.
“I also think it’s about demonstrating the way that we invest,” she said. “When pass holders and guests and community come to Park City [Mountain] this upcoming season, they’re going to see those investments.”
For the 2025-2026 season the resort will open a new 10-passenger gondola in Canyons Village that is replacing the Sunrise chairlift near the Pendry hotel. They also plan to upgrade the open-air Cabriolet into a 10-passenger gondola, with construction on that project scheduled for 2026.
Walsh said owner Vail Resorts has invested $144 million in Park City Mountain over the last 11 years.
Vail sought to upgrade both the Eagle and Silverlode chairlifts on the Mountain Village side of the resort in 2022, but four residents successfully appealed the resort’s permit, claiming the Park City planning director failed to follow the city’s development code.
Vail appealed the decision twice, but lost in court both times.
Since that permit was denied, investment has been concentrated on the Canyons side of the resort, where Summit County has jurisdiction.
In an interview with KPCW earlier this year, local billionaire Matthew Prince said he approached Vail Resorts about purchasing Park City Mountain and returning it to local ownership.
Walsh echoed statements made by Vail Resorts CEO Rob Katz during a June earnings call, in which the executive said Park City Mountain is not for sale.
“The investment for Park City, I think, continues to be a signal of how impact this resort is for our company,” she said. “When Rob made that commentary about Park City Mountain not being for sale, it’s because the company realizes and recognizes how important it is to everyone to come here and have a great experience. And I think we’ve demonstrated that in the way that we have invested and will continue to invest.”
Vail Resorts owns 42 mountains in North America, however, Park City Mountain is its only holding in Utah.
Park City Mountain is slated to open for the season Nov. 21, weather permitting.
