Park City, Utah — After years of squabbling between the world’s largest ski resort conglomerate and local residents, Park City Mountain Resort may finally be able to start work on two new lifts.
This week, a municipal hearing officer ruled in favor of Park City Mountain Resort regarding its planned lifts, dealing a blow to the appellants. In his sixteen-page ruling, the officer sided with the ski resort and argued that these replacements would increase skier safety and not make the mountain more dangerous, as the appellants argued. However, the local appellants now have the chance to appeal to Utah’s Third District Court. It’s unclear whether they intend to go that route.
“I want to thank our volunteer planning commissioners and recognize the diligent work of our Planning Department staff for the professionalism, expertise, and the many hours they dedicated to reviewing this application through a thorough public process,” said Park City Mayor Ryan Dickey. “As we look to the future, investments like these are essential to delivering a world-class recreation experience in Park City for locals and visitors alike. We look forward to continuing to work cooperatively with Park City Mountain and other partners as we move Park City forward together.”
In late May, the Park City Planning Commission unanimously approved a plan to replace three lifts at Park City Mountain Resort with two new ones. As with the last approval, it faced an appeal. An appeal was filed against the Park City Planning Commission’s approval of the lift projects in June.
According to the Park Record, the six appellants are Frode Jensen, Catherine Jensen, Alan Theis, Marvin Kabatznick, Andrea Griffis and Allan Inglis. These individuals are not outsiders, as they are based in Park City or Snyderville Basin. These are different people than those who filed an appeal last time. The residents have experienced crowded conditions on the trails around these lifts. These individuals worry about what impact the replacements would have. They argue that the process didn’t thoroughly analyze potential safety hazards and that Comfortable Carrying Capacity (CCC) metrics should have been provided. The appellants claim they aren’t opposed to the replacements; they just want a more thorough review.
“We think that increased lift capacity inevitably leads to increased downhill crowding, and we think that’s a detrimental impact that it has ramifications for safety and for customer enjoyment and a good experience,” said Frode Jensen to KPCW. “We think under the code the planning commission should have looked at those impacts.”
About The New Lifts
Eagle is currently a fixed-grip triple chairlift, while Eaglet is a standing but non-operating chairlift that served a terrain park.
These would be replaced by a high-speed six-pack chairlift. The new chairlift would feature a mid-station near the top of the Three Kings park for unloading the park rats. The new Eagle would have a total length of 5,796 feet, a vertical rise of 1,600 feet, and a ride time of nearly 6 minutes.
It could likely become a key lift for ski racers and terrain park riders. The mid-station will also be used by beginner and intermediate skiers seeking mellow terrain. The top terminal will be situated near the top of the King Con Express chairlift, providing easier access to that carving-filled terrain pod. Considering the current Eagle and Eaglet chairlifts, this would increase uphill capacity from 1,800 to 2,800 people per hour, an increase of 55%. As part of the plan, Three Kings would likely see a reduction in its operational schedule due to its proximity to the new Eagle mid-station.
Silverlode Express is currently a detachable high-speed six-pack chairlift. The proposal has that lift being replaced by a detachable high-speed eight-pack chairlift that will follow a practically identical alignment. That lift is situated at a crunch point at PC, with the other adjacent lift being the Quicksilver Express gondola. It would increase uphill capacity from 3,000 to 3,600, a 20% increase.
These projects were originally announced back in 2021. Park City’s Planning Commission initially received approvals for these lifts in 2022. However, locals successfully appealed the decision due to concerns about the ski resort not enforcing its comfortable carrying capacity. That led to a years-long battle over the ski resort’s recent crowding issues. These issues include long (dare I say epic) lift lines and packed parking. Due to the delays, Vail Resorts ended up sending the lifts to Whistler Blackcomb. As a result, these additions would be a new batch of lifts. The goal is to have them ready for the 2027-28 season.
Personal Thoughts
I hope this settles it, but I do feel like we’ll see another appeal here to the Third District Court. Park City is a wealthy place that loves to drag itself through legal drama, so it’s fair to connect the dots here.
I do feel like the time is right for these replacements to occur. The prior 2022 had merit because at the time, Park City Mountain Resort was too crowded, and their new parking mitigation plan to handle it was unproven. That park planning has been proven by the past few years, in which Vail Resorts is now seeing diminishing returns, and the resort has proven that their plan has reduced congestion on the roads.
For the first time, next season will see both of its major parking lots require reservations. Add in Deer Valley’s new base area located further off, and it means traffic on SR 224 is going to be a lot less during peak periods.
What also must be factored in is the likely decline in ski visitation at the resort due to the Sundance Film Festival moving to Boulder, Colorado. Advanced lodging demand is expected to drop around 40%. Also, I feel like higher-end accommodations will have a harder time finding guests with movie stars and directors being elsewhere. Factoring in that traffic congestion was another issue during that time, and that’s another good sign for skiers and riders.
All these factors to me mean that Park City Mountain Resort should be allowed to install these lifts. If not, it’s another delay for a ski resort that will host Olympic competitions in around eight years.
Image/Video Credits: Beyond the Lodge, Park City Mountain Resort
