Six Park City-area residents are appealing the replacements for the three chairlifts. They claim the upgrades will add to overcrowding and dangerous conditions at Park City Mountain.
The Park City Planning Commission approved the upgrades May 27; the residents filed their appeal with Park City Municipal June 8.
The appellants say commissioners ignored testimony about potential safety hazards. A city hearing officer will decide whether to reverse the lift approvals.
Park City Mountain Vice President and COO Deirdra Walsh said in a June 9 statement the process has been “rigorous and transparent.”
The appellants include Frode Jensen, Catherine Jensen and Alan Theis of Park City. Marvin Kabatznick, Andrea Griffis and Allan Inglis live in the Snyderville Basin.
Frode Jensen, Kabatznick, Griffis and Inglis all submitted sworn statements to the planning commission attesting to unsafe and overcrowded conditions on terrain served by Silverlode or Eagle.
Their appeal says the planning commission unlawfully ignored that evidence. For Jensen, what goes up must come down.
“We think that increased lift capacity inevitably leads to increased downhill crowding, and we think that's a detrimental impact that it has ramifications for safety and for customer enjoyment and a good experience,” he told KPCW. “We think under the code the planning commission should have looked at those impacts.”
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.
Jensen added that all the appellants are in favor of the new lifts. They’re asking the hearing officer to send the issue back to the planning commission for a more thorough review.
The appeal says the commissioners didn’t factor in Park City Mountain’s internal calculations regarding how many skiers and riders the mountain can manage.
That’s called the resort’s comfortable carrying capacity, and Park City Mountain has never made it public, arguing it’s proprietary.
CCC figured prominently in Park City Mountain’s first attempt to upgrade Silverlode, Eagle and Eaglet in 2022. Four residents eventually overturned the planning department’s initial approval of those upgrades.
This time around, the resort didn’t provide the planning commission with information about its comfortable carrying capacity. Park City Mountain went through a different planning process this year than it did four years ago.
The residents who appealed June 8 believe the resort still should have submitted its CCC calculations despite city attorney Mark Harrington saying it didn’t need to.
Walsh added that the Silverlode and Eagle upgrades have complied with all the city's requirements.
“More than 80 community members — including Olympic athletes and industry leaders — spoke or submitted comments in support, underscoring the broad recognition that these projects will meaningfully improve the experience for skiers and riders, residents, and guests,” she said.
The previous appeal kickstarted three years of litigation.
Park City Municipal and Vail Resorts’ EpicPromise foundation are financial supporters of KPCW.
