Wealthy skiers furious as $20k vacations ruined by three-hour waits for lifts after strikes in ritzy Park City

Vacationers at the largest ski resort in the United States were outraged over the three hour long waits for lifts caused by a worker strike.

The week after Christmas is usually the busiest time of the year for skiing, and that is no exception for Utah's Park City Resort, the biggest ski area in the US by slope length.

On December 27 the Park City Professional Ski Patrol Association went on strike against Vail Resorts, the owner of Park City ski mountain, and demanded a living wage.

Despite a January 4 message from Vail claiming the mountain was 'open and operating safely despite the patrol union strike,' skiers have noticed huge delays in using the facilities.

Peter Nystrom of Minnesota visited Park City with his wife, four children and in-laws to go skiing and was hit with '2-3 hour lines for lifts.'

'Longest lines ever. No excuse. Operational and managerial fail during the busiest week of the year. $20,000 vacay with 2-3 hour lines for lifts. At least discount those who bought lift tickets while strike was occurring!' he wrote in a social media post on December 30.

In his post, he included a picture of the obscenely long line he had been stuck in for the chairlift. It costs $288 for a single-day lift ticket at Park City Resort, while for children aged 5 to 12, parents will need to fork over $187.

A video posted to a local news outlet's Instagram showed a line for a lift winding through a huge section of the resort. People carrying all their gear were seen waiting with no end in sight.

'You have less than 20 percent of the mountain available to ski, but they’re not limiting the amount of guests or consumers they’re allowing on the ski mountain, which made it very unsafe and very challenging for, I think, everyone,' Nystrom later told ABC4.com in an interview.

As of Monday morning, nearly 30 percent of the mountain's trails are open, while about 60 percent of the lifts are operational.

Nystrom said the guests at the mountain rely on the workers and hoped that Vail would soon come to an agreement to end the strike, which has so far lasted 11 days.

'I think the majority of guests are aligned with the workers and the employees in saying, "hey we need to work together to figure out how we can encourage Vail Resorts to come to the bargaining table,"' Nystrom said.

He added that because of his poor experience, he'll be 'looking elsewhere than a Vail-managed resort and mountain' for his next ski trip.

In a December 23 Instagram post the union for the ski patrollers explained the goals behind the strike.

The union wants fair compensation for 'the experienced and skilled senior patrollers' and better benefits, including a healthcare stipend, accrued paid time off, holiday pay and parental leave.

They also want the hourly base wage for a ski patroller to be raised from $21 to $23. As part of that they demanded an 'annual cost of living adjustment.'

Corlan Williamson, a ski patroller at the resort for four years, said the ski patrollers' last contract ended in April 2024. He said they had been working without a contract up until the strike.

'We hate to impact anybody’s vacation negatively, but we don’t feel that it’s us impacting their vacation, it’s Vail not agreeing to pay us a livable wage in doing this job that we think is very important and we love to do,' he told ABC4.com on Sunday.

Williamson said patrollers on other Utah mountains make more than his fellow employees do. 

According to Vail patrol wages have jumped to an average of $25 an hour over the past four seasons, with entry-level positions starting at $22.40 an hour.

'Our wages and benefits are strong, as demonstrated by the high return rate among patrol teams across our company and by the number of applicants we get for any patrol opening,' said Bill Rock, the president of Vail Resorts’ Mountain Division. 

'Still, we remain committed to reaching an agreement that demonstrates the great respect we have for our patrollers.'

Ski patrollers are a vital part of any ski mountain functioning properly. These workers are tasked with a long list of responsibilities that all involve keeping skiers and snowboarders safe.

They prevent avalanche conditions, groom trails, and render first aid in the event someone is injured on the mountain.   

Nik Smith, who has been a ski patroller for nine years, said he hopes the strike ends quickly because the job makes up the majority of his income.

'I hoped the company would come to the bargaining table and give us a fair proposal and we would be able to continue and work. I'd rather be up there on the hill,' Smith said from a picket line in town.

Vail said it plans to continue mediation with the strikers on Monday and Tuesday, after negotiations faltered on December 27.

DailyMail.com approached Vail for comment.