No end in sight as rare patroller strike in Park City fouls operations at the biggest US ski resort
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Ski patrollers miffed by wages they say are too low for high living costs have put a wrench in operations at the biggest U.S. ski resort with a rare strike that began over the busy holidays and carried on into the new year's fresh powder. The resulting thin staffing at Utah's Park City Mountain Resort, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) east of Salt Lake City in the Wasatch Range, has left many runs closed and caused long lines for ski lifts.
Yet some skiers who paid good money for passes are sympathetic. “Pay your employees!” they chant from lift lines in videos posted on social media. Unionization is rare but increasing at U.S. ski resorts, including the one in Park City that is owned by Vail Resorts, which with 42 properties on three continents calls itself the world’s largest mountain resort operator.
As talks stalled, 200 patrollers went on strike on Dec. 27, alleging unfair bargaining by the company. Here's the latest on the strike:. What are ski patrollers?. They maintain safety at ski resorts by monitoring terrain, responding to accidents, hauling hurt skiers downhill and reducing avalanche risk, sometimes by releasing avalanches with explosives when nobody's in range.
It's a seasonal job. After the snow melts away, so do they. Many in the Rocky Mountain region work as fly-fishing, mountain biking and whitewater rafting guides in the warmer months. Often they're young people starting in the workforce. Others spend decades honing skills in a physically demanding job.
