Skiers at Park City resort frustrated as ski patrol strike drags on

Minnesota resident Peter Nystrom saved for months to take his family on an unforgettable trip to the largest ski resort in America.

But when his family of eight arrived at Park City Mountain Resort in Utah recently, the getaway quickly soured because of a union strike that led to three-hour wait times for ski lifts and unsafe conditions.

“We thought it’d be a fun kind of Christmas gift, to go do this kind of once-in-a lifetime ski trip,” Nystrom told NBC News after spending more than $20,000 on airfare, food and lodging for his wife, four boys and in-laws.

Nystrom and hundreds of other winter guests have been stuck in the middle of a workers’ strike that began Dec. 27 by the Park City Professional Ski Patrol Association over pay and health benefits.

“The really frustrating part was just the lack of transparency,” Nystrom said, adding he didn't receive notice about the ongoing dispute before his trip. “We got to the resort, and that’s when we found out there’s a strike happening.”

Although skiing at Park City is expensive, “we wanted to experience some real mountains,” he said. A day pass at Park City during his trip cost $288.

Vail Resorts, which owns the Park City resort, and the union resumed mediation Tuesday as the ski area continued to operate at a limited capacity.

Union workers are asking for a wage increase to $23 an hour, from $21, and better health benefits, union board member Quinn Graves told NBC News.

Members of the ski patrol conduct mountain safety, such as avalanche mitigation, and respond to medical emergencies.

“We feel that’s very fair, to just ask for wages to keep in step with inflation,” Graves said. “The overarching goal is to secure a wage and benefit package that allows members, our unit members, to thrive.”

Negotiations began eight months ago, she said.

Vail Resorts said in a statement Tuesday that patrol wages have increased more than 50% over the past four seasons, "far outpacing inflation."

The resort disputes the amount the union is asking for, saying the ski patrol association wants $7 an hour more, not $2.

Chief Operating Officer Deirdra Walsh apologized in a statement Monday for Park City Mountain not being fully operational and said 51 additional trials have opened since the strike began.

It did not say how many were already open before the 51 were added, but the resort has a total of 350 trails.

“This was not the holiday skiing and riding experience anyone wanted, and we know that,” Walsh said in the statement. “I want to apologize to everyone that we haven’t been able to open the terrain we had hoped for by now, and that the long wait times were longer than usual during the peak holiday. Nobody wins in a strike.”

At Park City, that includes vacationers who are leaving the renowned resort frustrated and feeling like their money was wasted. 

“This is our first and probably only trip to Utah,” said Mike Evans, who lives in New York and planned his trip for months.

He spent thousands of dollars and he and his family traveled 12,000 miles so they could have a memorable ski trip, he told NBC News affiliate KSL-TV in Salt Lake City. 

Evans rode the lifts only four times because of the 90-minute waits and lines as long as 1,000 people.

“It definitely wasn’t worth it,” he said.  

Nystrom said he wants the strike over as soon as possible.

“I would highly implore the resorts to figure out a solution here to work with the union,” he said.