Jan 10, 2025
Park City leaders on Thursday evening addressed the recent ski patroller strike at Park City Mountain, but it was a Parkite who delivered some of the most spirited comments at the Marsac Building in the hours after the patrollers ended the picketing.Old Town resident Michael Kaplan, a retired professor who taught ski resort management at the collegiate level, spoke to Mayor Nann Worel and the Park City Council about the labor action. He invoked Vail Resorts, the Colorado-based owner of Park City Mountain, in his testimony.“This last couple weeks has been a mega-Vail fail,” Kaplan told the elected officials.He said there has been a series of issues with Vail Resorts since the firm’s entry into the Park City market more than a decade ago, citing a polarizing bid to secure a trademark for the name “Park City” as it applies to a mountain resort.“They haven’t been a good neighbor. We haven’t held their feet to the fire. Maybe it’s time to start playing a little bit tougher with them, because they haven’t played well with us,” Kaplan said.He also suggested “we start talking about what a Vail-less town looks like, the pros and cons of having a corporation here, the impact to our local businesses.” He did not provide details about the suggestion.Kaplan has expressed criticism of Vail Resorts before, and his appearance on Thursday followed nearly three years after he approached the elected officials with concerns about the operations at Park City Mountain. His comments in the winter of 2022 received publicity after he produced a photograph of a hot dog he said cost $9 at an on-mountain restaurant. The story of the hot dog became emblematic of the widespread discontent with the way Park City Mountain was managed during the 2021-22 ski season.The elected officials did not respond to Kaplan’s comments on Thursday, but they separately spoke about the impact of the strike. The mayor and City Council were not scheduled to formally address the situation, but it seemed likely as the meeting approached they would offer at least limited commentary with the repercussions of the walkout on the Park City tourism industry.City Councilor Ed Parigian said he joined the striking ski patrollers last weekend. Many drivers honked horns in support and Parkites brought cookies, energy drinks, burritos, hot chocolate and gift cards to the picketers, he said.“I felt like I had to do something so I made a sign and I went and stood on the picket line for most of Sunday afternoon … three hours or so. But it gave me a chance to support them, show my support and know that I was with them,” Parigian said.He said the scene “made me proud” and reinforced his love of the community.Another member of the City Council, Bill Ciraco, visited the picket line as well. He said it was a heartwarming experience.“The patrollers union, the resort have reached an agreement. And (what I’ve) asked the people here in Park City is, like, let’s look towards resetting the narrative and starting fresh,” Ciraco said. “And trying to work with both of those partners, both our workforce and the resorts, to see if we can, you know, we can turn things around and bring Park City back to where it should be and have it known for what it should be known and not for labor actions and strikes and poor corporate behavior, whether that is the case or not.”The Park City Professional Ski Patrol Association returned to the slopes on Thursday with a contract that ends in April 2027.The post Park City Mountain strike labeled ‘a mega-Vail fail’ appeared first on Park Record.
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