I read the latest update to the ongoing controversy regarding Park City’s desire to upgrade their lifts and how this issue is now before a Utah Court of Appeals. Let’s hope common sense prevails.
Park City has wanted to update the Silverlode and Eagle lifts for some time and attempted to do so in 2022. Ultimately, this request was rejected due to an archaic, bureaucratic formula called the “comfortable carrying capacity.”
I’ve skied for more than 50 years and visited numerous resorts in the United States and Canada. Not once has a thought ever crossed my mind that I need to thoroughly study a resort’s lift capacity to determine if I want to visit there.
No one makes a ski resort destination decision based on whether a mid-mountain lift like Silverlode can carry six passengers or eight. The thought that these lift upgrades would increase the number of skiers visiting Park City is a false narrative.
The whole point of the lift upgrade at Silverlode is to substantially decrease the congestion and wait time at that lift. I can’t imagine that Park City thought they would substantially increase the number of skiers and their revenue based on these upgrades.
The point was to improve the skier experience for the current number of skiers visiting the resort, not for a false group of skiers that would allegedly and suddenly swarm the area.
On the other hand, there are many ski resort choices. If a skier has a bad experience like long waits at ski lifts, that skier will probably make a decision to try something else. That decision then impacts the numbers of shoppers and diners along Main Street and other venues in the Park City area. That’s bad for business and ultimately bad for Park City.
This issue is now in the hands of the court. Hopefully, there’s direction or a decision that will ultimately let Park City Mountain make an improvement that benefits all skiers and the resulting shop owners and restaurants.
John St. Clair
Pleasant Grove