Park City, Utah — The never-ending saga continues regarding Park City Mountain Resort’s plan to install two new chairlifts.
Connor Thomas from KPCW reports that a Summit County resident has submitted a petition to block the approval by the Park City Planning Commission of two chairlifts for the country’s largest ski resort. The petition was submitted to the 3rd District Court of Summit County, Utah. The result would either be formal approval or a remand to the Park City Planning Commission.
The petitioner, Alan Theis, is a local resident. As he referenced in the court petition, he was hospitalized following a collision with another skier. This made him fear that the new chairlifts would lead to more crowding and, in turn, more collisions. His appeal follows a municipal hearing officer ruling in favor of the ski resort following a local appeal of the lift approvals.
About The New Lifts
Park City wants to replace three old lifts with two detachable high-speed chairlifts.
Eagle is currently a fixed-grip triple chairlift, while Eaglet is a standing but non-operating chairlift that served a terrain park.
A high-speed six-pack chairlift would replace these old pieces of machinery. The new chairlift would include a mid-station near the top of the Three Kings park to unload the park rats. The new Eagle would be 5,796 feet long, rise 1,600 feet, and take nearly 6 minutes to ride.
It could likely become a key lift for ski racers and terrain park riders. Beginner and intermediate skiers will also use the mid-station for 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 reduced operating schedule due to its proximity to the new Eagle mid-station.
Silverlode Express is currently a detachable high-speed six-pack chairlift. The plan is to replace that lift with a detachable high-speed eight-pack chairlift that follows a nearly identical alignment. That lift sits at a crunch point at PC, with the adjacent lift being the Quicksilver Express gondola. It would increase uphill capacity from 3,000 to 3,600 people per hour, 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 (separate from this current group) successfully appealed the decision because they were concerned the resort wasn’t enforcing its comfortable carrying capacity (CCC). 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.
Why Are We Still Doing This?
I do sympathize with the individual who had the collision happen to him. However, the Park City landscape is much different now than it was back in 2022.
The situation isn’t a good look for Park City (the ski town), which is supposed to be a leader in the U.S. ski industry. It signals that improving the mountain will be fought tooth and nail, which isn’t good given how many lifts are due for replacement. Do you think Alterra or Vail takes this situation as an incentive to keep putting new lifts at their mountains? I’d say not.
To repeat what I said last time I wrote about this: I feel the time is right for these replacements. The prior 2022 appeal 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 parking mitigation plan has been proven over the past few years, and Vail Resorts is now seeing less skier traffic nationally.
For the first time, next season will require reservations for both of its major parking lots. Add in Deer Valley’s new base area, located just off the highway, and traffic on SR 224 will be much lower during peak periods.
Also worth noting is the likely decline in ski visitation because the Sundance Film Festival is moving to Boulder, Colorado. Advanced lodging demand is expected to drop by around 40%. I also think 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 PC skiers and riders.
Who will come out on top? We may find out on the next episode of the Park City lift replacement saga.
Image/Video Credits: Ian Wood, Beyond the Lodge, Park City Mountain Resort
