The Park City Planning Commission voted Wednesday to let Park City Mountain move forward with upgrades to two chairlifts that provide crucial mountain connections.
Commissioners voted 5-0 to advance the plan — ending a yearslong tug-of-war. Adam Strachan, a former attorney for the resort who joined the board this year, recused himself from the vote.
The Silverlode Express will expand from a six-passenger detachable lift to an eight-passenger detachable lift. The 30-year-old Eagle and Eaglet chairlifts will be replaced with a six-passenger detachable chairlift and mid-mountain station.
Nearly 40 locals showed up to comment on the two proposals — all but one voicing total support.
Frode Jensen brought his carrying capacity and trail crowding concerns to the commission for a second time Wednesday. He supports improvements, but said capacity data is required for approval and offered the commission documents he believes prove it.
“This testimony establishes a consistent recurring pattern of severe trail overcrowding, high-speed merging bottlenecks and collisions on the exact runs served by the proposed lifts,” Jensen said.
Commissioner John Frontero voiced similar concerns and was hesitant to vote in favor.
Comfortable carrying capacity, or CCC, was at the heart of public concern when the same proposals were before the commission four years ago.
At the time, the upgrade application was submitted under an administrative process that required the information and gave the city’s planning director the final say. Those plans stalled in 2022 after four locals contested the approval in court.
After Utah’s Court of Appeals ruled in favor of locals in 2025, the resort brought the upgrades back to the planning commission under a different set of rules.
Frontero was persuaded to vote yes after City Attorney Mark Harrington said the current conditional use permit applications don’t require CCC data. Commissioners also considered feedback from locals. Resident Janine Troilo said she’s confident Park City Mountain can manage any increased traffic.
“I believe fully in PCMR’s ability to manage and operate the lifts and, you know, move the people around as needed with ski patrol, safety and lift operations,” Troilo said.
A handful of Olympians and ski industry professionals also voiced support, including two-time Olympic gold medalist Ted Ligety. Representatives from the National Ability Center, Park City Ski and Snowboard and Ski Utah also supported the proposals.
