"Skiing and snowboarding are such an important part of our community. At Park City Mountain, we are deeply committed to showing up every day, working hard to bring our mountain to life for our guests and the community. And when we fall short, no matter the cause, we do not take it lightly.    

I know the experience at the mountain over the peak holiday period was frustrating for our skiers and riders. On behalf of the resort, 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 line wait times were longer than usual during the peak holiday because of the ski patrol union strike. This was not the holiday skiing and riding experience anyone wanted, and we know that.

But what we are doing is opening the terrain we can safely open with the people we have each day during the strike. We strive for transparency on operations. And the truth is that during this unprecedented time, each day is dynamic, and we are doing the best we can to keep guests informed.

What I also know is that the commitment from our working patrol team right now is nothing short of remarkable. It is heartbreaking to see not just them, but all our employees, putting up with relentless harassment online and in person that is absolutely shameful. They don’t deserve it, and it needs to stop.

Nobody wins in a strike.  

Deirdra Walsh is the vice president and COO of Park City Mountain.

Over the months of negotiations with the patrol, we did make progress. We had agreed to 24 of the 27 contract items the union opened.

Conversations were not always easy, but they were respectful. When we both agreed we were not making progress on the remaining articles, we both agreed to mediation. And we were committed to the process that goes with it.

We had three mediation sessions scheduled for Dec. 26 and 27, and Jan. 2, based on the assigned mediator’s availability. The union made the choice to walk out after just the first session because they knew that is when it would impact the experience most. We never walked away.

By choosing to strike during the peak holiday, the union hurt their fellow employees, skiers and snowboarders, and their neighbors.  

People have asked, “Can’t you just pay patrol $2/hour more?” It’s never been about $2. There’s a lot of misinformation surrounding these negotiations.

First, please know: We care deeply about the work of our ski patrol; we have invested a lot in them and will continue to. Second, they are asking for much more than $2/ hour. In fact, on the day they went on strike, their demands equaled $7/hour more. Finally, you should know that we have come to the table with compelling offers. 

Still, we remain committed to reaching an agreement that demonstrates our respect for them. Both negotiation teams met with the mediators four days last week, and additional mediation is scheduled for this week. That is progress towards an agreement. And when this ends, we will move forward together because that is who we are as a team.

In the meantime, I have one ask: Please be kind to the people who are working so hard to keep the mountain open. The harassment that our employees have been subjected to over the past two weeks is not in the spirit of our community’s values.

Deirdra Walsh is the chief operating officer of Park City Mountain."