Park City Reaches Agreement with Ski Patroller Union, Ending Strike at Utah Mountain — What to Know

During the strike, skiers were experiencing an increase in crowds and long lift lines.

By Alison Fox Alison Fox

Alison Fox is a Travel + Leisure contributor. She has also written for Parents.com, The Wall Street Journal, and amNewYork. When she’s not in New York City, she can be found at the beach or on the slopes. Travel + Leisure Editorial Guidelines Published on January 9, 2025

Close Skiers on the lifts in Park City, Utah. Photo:

Jason Finn/Getty Images

Park City Mountain reached an agreement with its ski patrollers this week, ending a strike that threw the popular Utah resort into chaos over one of the busiest times of the year.

The mountain and the Park City Professional Ski Patrol Association finalized its agreement late Wednesday evening, ending a nearly two week-long strike, Vail Resorts, which owns Park City, shared with Travel + Leisure. Following the agreement, ski patrollers are expected to come back to work in the coming days.

“Park City Mountain has reached an agreement with the Park City ski patrol union that is consistent with our company’s wage structure for all patrollers, non-unionized and unionized, while accounting for the unique terrain and avalanche complexity of Park City Mountain,” Bill Rock, the president of Vail Resorts’ mountain division, said in a statement shared with T+L. “We look forward to welcoming back the Park City Mountain patrollers in the coming days and moving forward together as one team. We apologize to our guests who were impacted by this strike and are incredibly grateful to our team who worked hard to keep the mountain open and operating safely over the past two weeks.”

For its part, the Park City Professional Ski Patrol Association said its members unanimously ratified the agreement.

“We feel strongly that we have secured a contract with a wage structure and benefits package that incentivizes retention and career growth on Patrol,” the union wrote in an Instagram post. “This is more than just a win for our unit, it is a great success for everyone in the ski and mountain industry. This is a clear example of what can be achieved when workers stand together and fight for what we deserve.”

The union first went on strike on Dec. 27, demanding higher wages and better benefits during the heart of the busy holiday week. Following that decision, heavy crowds, long lift lines, and limited openings plagued the popular ski resort.

Vail said it would now prioritize certain terrain at the mountain, including Tombstone, Dream Peak, and McConkey’s, and would continue snow making efforts, including on the Town runs. Currently, there are 111 runs open at Park City out of the resort’s total 350 trails, more than the 80 runs open at the mountain last week.

Ski patrollers are responsible for mountain safety, including monitoring slow zones and high traffic areas as well as leading avalanche mitigation, responding to medical and safety incidents, and monitoring conditions on the mountain, among other duties.