Eden, Utah — This season, Powder Mountain will join the growing number of Utah ski resorts that have paid parking.
During weekends and holiday periods, those who bring under three people in their cars will have to pay for parking. The $12 cost per vehicle will add another expense to what is already a pricey sport. So how will this process work?
Powder Mountain provided more details on its new paid parking program last week. When you arrive at one of the lot, an attendant will greet you. If you have three or more people in your car, the license plate is scanned by an employee, and you won’t need to pay. Those with two or fewer passengers will have to scan the Park Mobile QR code to pay. You’ll need your license plate number and credit card info to sign in. If people plan to visit PowMow and haven’t downloaded ParkMobile yet, I suggest doing so now.
On the bright side, PowMow revealed in a later post that it has added 150 parking spots next to the Hidden Lake lodge.
However, not every period will require paid parking. Weekdays remain free to park, as do evenings. On those peak days that require payment, it doesn’t cost anything to park after 1 p.m. Parking will also remain free for those who qualify under the ADA (The Americans With Disabilities Act).
Season passholders are annoyed, and rightfully so. Imagine being a longtime season passholder at Powder Mountain. The first tough pill to swallow is the price increase for a season pass. For early bird pricing, it went from $1,259 last winter to an early bird price of $1,399 before the end of February, which continued to increase over time. Currently, the season pass is priced at $1649. However, there are benefits to this, like the new lifts and return of parks, and you decide to pay the bill.
Then there’s paying for parking, with the details officially just being revealed this fall. $12 to pay for parking each weekend day adds up, especially if you’re a weekend warrior. Going ten days during the weekend this winter means you’ll be paying an additional $120 during the ski season. This frustration was shown by over 200 comments on Powder Mountain’s Instagram post regarding the decision. It’s not the most egregious amount of money for paid parking in North America’s ski industry, but it’s clearly a controversial decision among longtime guests.
Image Credits: Powder Mountain
