Radnut Admin Park City Ski Patrol: Latest Updates and Insights
When we last reported on the Park City Professional Ski Patrol Association (PCPSPA), tensions were high, but the slopes remained open under the watchful eyes of the patrollers. Now, nearly 200 of these essential workers have traded their skis for picket signs, initiating a strike that has significantly impacted operations at Park City Mountain.
The Crux of the Matter
As it’s been reported, the union is seeking modest but vital adjustments to compensation: a starting wage increase from $21 to $23 per hour, better pay scales for seasoned patrollers, and enhanced benefits. In a resort town where the cost of living has skyrocketed, they argue these demands are as fundamental as communication radios.
Vail Resorts counters that it has raised wages by 50% over the past four seasons, with the average hourly rate now at $25, and is offering a further 4% increase and a $1,600 equipment stipend. For them, the strike is unwarranted, especially during the crucial holiday season.
What’s clear is that this isn’t just about numbers. It’s about respect, sustainability, and the enduring tension between labor and profit.
Operational Impact at Park City Mountain
The strike’s effects are evident on the mountain. As of December 28, 2024, Park City Mountain is operating at approximately 17% capacity, with only 60 out of 350 trails and 25 out of 41 lifts open to guests. In contrast, neighboring Deer Valley Resort has 50% of its terrain open. This reduction in available terrain at Park City highlights the challenges the resort faces in maintaining operations without its full contingent of ski patrollers.
Enter the Patrol Support Team
To keep the resort operational, Vail Resorts has deployed its “Patrol Support Team.” Comprised of experienced patrollers from Park City and other Vail-owned properties, this group includes management-level personnel like Vail Mountain’s ski patrol director and senior safety managers. These aren’t green recruits; Vail emphasizes their extensive training and certifications.
Yet, for many, this response raises red flags. The union and its supporters criticize these replacements—some of whom have been labeled “scabs”—for their lack of deep familiarity with Park City’s terrain and the specific challenges of the region. The slopes here aren’t generic, and neither are the safety protocols. A patroller’s local knowledge, honed over years of intimate interaction with the mountain, is irreplaceable.
The tension is palpable: the resort insists guest safety is uncompromised, while the striking patrollers warn that cutting corners in the name of continuity could lead to avoidable risks.
A Movement Gaining Momentum
The unrest in Park City isn’t an isolated event. Across the ski industry, patrollers are organizing, unionizing, and standing up for better conditions. In Colorado, ski patrollers have taken their grievances directly to Vail Resorts’ doorstep, picketing outside the company’s headquarters in Broomfield. These demonstrations aim to shed light on the broader issues of fair wages and working conditions that extend beyond a single resort, emphasizing the need for industry-wide reforms.
This burgeoning movement signals a shift in how ski patrollers, and perhaps the public, view their role. They’re not just employees—they’re the backbone of a multibillion-dollar industry that relies on their expertise to keep guests alive and the slopes safe.
Safety and Value on the Slopes
This strike is more than a labor dispute. It’s a question that echoes across the entire ski industry: What is the value of safety? And who ensures it?
For the patrollers, the answer is clear. Their work is indispensable, their demands reasonable. They’re not asking for luxury—just the ability to live near the mountains they serve, to do the work they love without financial despair, and to see their expertise valued appropriately.
As for the resorts, the costs of a prolonged strike, both financial and reputational, could run as steep and dangerous as Jupiter Peak on an icy day.
The Bottom Line
A strike was the line in the snow that no one wanted to cross, but here we are. The broader ripple effects are spreading through an industry increasingly aware that its patrollers are the difference between a safe day on the mountain and a tragic headline.
This follow-up isn’t just about recounting the strike’s developments; it’s a reminder that this is an evolving story. The outcome here could set a precedent for how ski resorts value their most essential employees.
Stay tuned. This story isn’t finished.
