Ski patrol strike at largest resort in US leads to long lines, closed trails (updated)

Vail Resorts

01/01/2025 01:55

(Adds Vail Resorts comment in paragraph 4 on common for some
trails and lifts to be closed)
       Dec 31 (Reuters) - Holiday skiers at Utah's Park City,
the biggest U.S. ski resort, reported on social media that they
were encountering long lift lines and some closed trails on
Tuesday as a strike by ski patrol workers entered its fifth day.
    Nearly 200 ski patrol and safety workers are on strike over
demands for higher pay at Park City Mountain Resort, which is
owned by Vail Resorts Inc  MTN.N , demanding an entry-level base
wage of $23 an hour, up from the current $21, according to an
emailed statement from the ski patrol union.
    This week is the busiest ski week of the year.
    Park City remained open on Tuesday, and many of the ski
patrol were still working, Vail Resorts said in an emailed
statement. The company said it does not disclose staffing
figures. Vail Resorts said it's common for some trails and lifts
to be closed at this time of year. That's especially true this
year, given the resort has received less snow than in the recent
past.
    The union, the Park City Professional Ski Patrol, said in
its email that there are typically 120 people on patrol, but
that on Tuesday there were between 30 and 35.
    The union, in a post on social media, said Vail Resorts had
"flown in scabs" from other resorts to work at Park City.
    Sara Huey, a spokesperson for Vail Resorts, said in an email
that the company had met 24 of the union's 27 demands since the
ski patrol's contract expired in April. She provided no
specifics on the demands the company had not met. 
    Huey said Vail had increased ski patrol wages by more than
50% during the past four ski seasons, pushing the average hourly
wage to over $25.
    The 7,300-acre ski resort did not sell same-day lift tickets
on Monday, but resumed the same-day tickets on Tuesday, Huey
said.
    Vail Resorts operates more than three dozen ski resorts,
including Vail and Breckenridge in Colorado, Whistler Blackcomb
in British Columbia, Canada, and Stowe in Vermont.     

 (Reporting by David Gaffen in New York, Heather Timmons in
Washington and Brad Brooks in Colorado; Editing by Leslie Adler)
 ((Brad.Brooks@tr.com; +1-512-516-5615; Twitter @bradleybrooks;
Reuters Messaging: brad.brooks.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))