PARK CITY, Utah (ABC4) — Peter Nystrom recently traveled from Minnesota to Park City with his wife, their four children, and his in-laws, expecting to ski and snowboard in the greatest snow on earth — but the trip wasn’t quite what they were expecting.
The Park City Professional Ski Patrol Association has been on strike against Vail Resorts since Dec. 27, 2024, with Jan. 5 marking the tenth day of the strike. On Jan. 4, Vail Resorts released a statement, saying Park City Mountain was “open and operating safely despite the patrol union strike.”
Since the strike began, guests have reported experiencing hours-long wait times and partial mountain closures. Nystrom said he has “never in [his] life” seen something like this, and said his family’s experience was “highly disappointing.”
“You’d think, when something this big… at this scale, is happening, that Vail Resorts would have informed their guests prior to arrival,” Nystrom told ABC4.com.
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Two hundred Park City Mountain ski patrol employees went on strike Friday morning, Dec. 27. (Credit: Rebekah Adams/KTVX) -
Two hundred Park City Mountain ski patrol employees went on strike Friday morning, Dec. 27. (Credit: Rebekah Adams/KTVX)
Nystrom took to Twitter/X to air his frustrations, sharing photos and video of his family’s experience. According to his post — which has since been viewed more than 450,000 times — Nystrom’s family spent $20,000 on their trip to Utah.
“We were very excited to get out to Park City to do some skiing,” Nytstrom told ABC4.com. “When we arrived, we learned of a strike at Vail Resorts, which is very frustrating when you wake up to ski and look out and realize the lines to get up on the gondola are two to three-plus hours long.”
In addition to waiting several hours for the lift, Nystrom said his family had to wait for another hour or two once they got to the top of the mountain.
“It’s almost like a traffic jam on a mountain,” Nystrom said. “When you have less than 20% 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 said he has run businesses in the past, and said the strike affects not just the guests, but the employees who were working, the image of the resort, and the local community.
“If management isn’t taking care of the employees, then the employees won’t be able to take care of their guests and consumers — and if the guests and consumers stop coming back, then the organization really doesn’t have anything left, because they don’t have anyone to sell services or products to,” he said.
Nystrom and his family spoke to employees and other guests while in line — many of whom shared similar sentiments.
“Just a lot of ruined vacations, and a lot of frustration throughout the entire guest experience for all those who are in Park City to ski and snowboard,” he said.
Nystrom said he would like to come back and visit Utah, but he will be “looking elsewhere than a Vail-managed resort and mountain.” Nystrom said he sent his grievances to the CEO and COO of Vail Resorts, but has not yet heard back.
Background
The ski patrollers’ last contract ended in April 2024, according to Corlan Williamson, who is in his fourth season as a ski patroller. He said patrollers have been working without a contract during the latest season 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,” Williamson told ABC4.com on Jan. 5.
In a Dec. 23 Instagram post, the Park City Professional Ski Patrol Association explained the goals for the strike, saying, in part, “We want our members to make a livable wage so they can return to this job year after year.”
According to the post, one of the goals of the strike is to “fairly compensate the experienced and skilled senior patrollers,” as well as improve benefits to include holiday pay, parental leave, and a healthcare stipend.
The post also said ski patrollers are seeking an increase of the base wage from $21 to $23 an hour, in addition to including an “annual cost of living adjustment.” Williamson said patrollers at other Utah resorts make a higher wage.
According to the Jan. 4 statement from Vail Resorts, patrol wages have increased to an average of $25 an hour over the past four seasons, with entry-level positions starting at $22.40 an hour. Bill Rock, the president of Vail Resorts’ Mountain Division, said “significant investments” have been made into employees.
“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,” Rock said. “Still, we remain committed to reaching an agreement that demonstrates the great respect we have for our patrollers.”
Williamson said he doesn’t know how long the strike will continue, and that those on strike are “hoping it ends quickly.”
“While we had sincerely hoped the union would not take this drastic and unnecessary action during the holidays, we have plans in place to continue to safely operate Park City Mountain for our guests, employees, and the community,” Rock said.
Park City management and the ski patrollers are planning to continue mediation efforts on Jan. 6 and Jan. 7, according to Vail Resorts.
“I highly implore Vail Resorts to figure this out, and to think about the safety of their guests,” Nystrom said.
Connor Comeau and Jeff Hunter contributed to this report.
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