Park City, Utah — There’s drama regarding a ski lift in Park City, which must mean that ski season is officially underway.
The Park Record reports that the landowners that Town Lift presides on are suing to void their lease with Vail Resorts, the operator of the chairlift. If their lawsuit succeeds, Vail Resorts would have to close the Town Lift or move it off their property.
Back in 1981, the Sweeney family, which owned the land at the base terminal, came to a lease agreement with the then-operator of Park City Mountain Resort (Craig & Nick Badami). The agreement allowed the ski resort to operate the Town Lift, along with adjacent bathrooms and a ticket office. The lease was a bargain for the ski resort: only $10 a year. Built in 1985, Town Lift is a slow fixed-grip triple chairlift connecting Park City’s main street to the ski resort. As ownership came and went, Vail Resorts eventually became the lessee.
On April 26th, 2024, Dina Miller filed a lawsuit against Vail Resorts and Brothers III, LLC. This suit was over a fall in the public bathrooms during the 2022-23 season that were operated by Vail Resorts but owned by the Sweeneys. The fall led to a leg fracture, sparking the lawsuit.
However, the terms of their 1981 agreement state that the Sweeneys can’t be held liable in situations like this. The Sweeney family (currently consisting of Ed, Pat, and Michael) wanted Vail Resorts to defend them in the lawsuit. Vail Resorts disagrees, claiming that their insurance policy complies with the agreement. After some legal jostling, the brothers filed a lawsuit against Vail Resorts last Friday over violating the lease. If they’re successful, the lift won’t be able to operate in its current location, likely meaning that it would close for good.
However, there’s been another twist in the messy entanglement. Parker Malatesta and Kristine Weller from KPCW report that the Sweeney family plans to put the land on the market. It’s likely to have a very large price tag, and whether they would be interested in selling the land to Vail is unclear. The Sweeney brothers remained concerned regarding their liability and will continue their lawsuit against Vail Resorts.
Pat Sweeney said the following to the Park Record about their intentions:
“We don’t want to shut down the lift. But we’re just done. We’re separating ourselves from Vail.”
Deirdra Walsh, who’s the VP vice president and chief operating officer of Park City Mountain, issued the following statement to the Park Record:
“Park City Mountain is proud to operate Town Lift, a one-of-a-kind portal from Main Street to America’s largest resort. Town Lift will continue to operate now and into the future through our longstanding and long-term rights in the property. We have valued our relationship with the Sweeney family and complied with and respected our agreements related to the Town Lift Plaza.”
This isn’t the only recent instance where Vail Resorts has faced a lawsuit regarding its lifts. In 2021, Vail Resorts announced a plan to add two more chairlifts. However, a group of locals was able to thwart Vail Resorts’ plan additions on the PC side of the mountain due to their proposal not following the agreed-upon 1998 Master Development Plan, among other reasons. In November 2023, a Utah judge denied Vail Resorts’ appeal. For now, those replacements remain in limbo, and the new lifts initially on-site at Park City waiting for construction have been installed at Whistler Blackcomb.
At Deer Valley (owned by Alterra), a lawsuit was filed regarding a planned lift as part of their Expanded Excellence expansion. However, that lawsuit was withdrawn, and Deer Valley plans to open the lift for the 2025-26 season.
The brothers aren’t trying to close this lift for this winter, so it will likely operate. However, its future following the 2024-25 season is uncertain. A settlement is in the realm of possibilities, but Vail is sticking to their guns so far. If the Sweeneys were to succeed, the question would be whether Vail Resorts would want to add a new lift (possibly a gondola) at some other point of Main Street that would connect to the mountain or if it is feasible to move the base terminal of their property and still operate Town Lift. The potential sale could also lead to a new lift or revised agreement, but only if the new owner wants to do business with Vail Resorts.
Image Credits: Jeffrey Eisen, Park City Mountain Resort
