Mountain biking, youth summer camps, special events and programs for all ages keep Woodward Park City buzzing through the summer months. According to general manager Gar Trayner, they're a critical piece of operations overall.
“Summer is really important. The most important thing, in my mind, about the season, similar to other resorts that put on summer operations, is to maintain a strong staffing year round,” Trayner said on KPCW’s “Local News Hour” April 23.
Keeping staff on board ensures resort operations are continuous year-to-year, he said. Youth summer camps, which run for 10 weeks starting in mid-June, are the core of Woodward’s summer offerings.
The summer season has a new importance after Utah saw record warmth and paltry snowfall this winter. Trayner says the weather changed visitor behaviors.
“In my analysis, we're seeing that the skiers and riders were skiing in more consolidated windows, two- and three-hour sessions versus day-long commitments,” he said. “That was the biggest thing that we saw. There was a lot of turnover in our parking lot, people coming and going throughout the day, people riding after work and not taking those days off work that they would normally do.”
Trayner said the resort’s visitation was down overall, but “our locals really stepped up,” he said.
Woodward depends on local traffic. Trayner estimates three-quarters of its visitors live in the Park City or Salt Lake areas.
With summer and winter offerings, he says the industry will continue to adapt.
“Like all the resorts around here, [our strategy is] to provide the best possible experience and add auxiliary experiences around the core outdoor activities of skiing and snowboarding,” Trayner said. “Then certainly in the short-term, we can continue to be a leader in tourism and continue to provide an incredible product and opportunity for locals as well.”
Part of Woodward’s local outreach includes partnerships with the Youth Sports Alliance, Wasatch Adaptive, the Salt Lake School District and the Live Like Sam foundation.
Woodward Park City is a financial supporter of KPCW.