Park City Mountain Resort, UT, Lift Dispute Faces Another Round of Opposition

Nearly five years later, Park City Mountain Resort (PCMR) in Utah is still fighting to upgrade the Silverlode and Eagle lifts for locals and visitors. Park City local Alan Theis has submitted paperwork to Utah’s Third District Court seeking judicial review of the lift approvals. Theis was part of the most recent group to appeal the proposed upgrades to the two lifts, which have been the subject of controversy since 2021. This time, Theis filed the appeal on his own. He is asking the court to either reverse the lift approvals or send them back to the Park City Planning Commission for further review.

In a Park Record piece in June this year, Theis stated:

“We are skiers, and have watched our mountain change, mostly for the worse, under an owner that has proven a careless steward. We want investment in a better experience, but we won’t accept Vail buying that experience with our quality of life and handing us the bill.”

In another Park Record article, Theis discussed his involvement in a collision on the mountain that resulted in hospitalization and surgery. That information was also included in his court filing. The filing with Utah’s Third District Court comes after the Park City Planning Commission approved the lift project in June. An appeal filed shortly afterward was denied by a hearing officer, which caused Theis to take the matter to court. In his filing, Theis argues that the new lifts would put more people onto the same terrain, further crowding already busy trails across the mountain. He contends that addressing the issue would require additional infrastructure rather than just increasing lift capacity.

• Related: Park City Mountain Resort, UT, Lift Upgrade Approval Upheld Through Planning Commission

The PCMR proposal involves upgrading the Eagle lift to a high-speed six-pack and the Silverlode Express from a six-pack to an eight-pack. The appeal from the six-person group that included Theis stated that these upgrades would create overcrowding on the ski runs and would push PCMR beyond its Comfortable Carrying Capacity (CCC). Under the approval process Vail Resorts used to apply for the project, the company is not required to disclose PCMR’s CCC.

• Related: Park City Mountain Resort, UT, Gains Long-Awaited Approval for 2 Major Lift Upgrades
  

The upgrade of the Triple Eagle lift to a high-speed six-pack would increase uphill capacity from 1,800 to 2,800 guests per hour, which would be a notable 55% increase. It would also result in a 16% increase in uphill capacity out of the Mountain Village. The increased capacity is expected to ease morning congestion. In addition, PCMR is planning to remove the Eaglet lift, which hasn’t operated since 2021.

The proposed Eagle Express lift will stretch 5,796 feet and have a 1,600-foot vertical rise. Guests could expect an approximately six-minute ride time. The new lift would have a mid-station, allowing guests to offload for beginner and intermediate terrain, near the Three Kings uphill terminal. The summit station would be located near the top of King Con Express, creating direct access to Silverlode Express and the Quicksilver gondola, which connects the Mountain Village and Canyons sides of the resort.

The other lift improvement being challenged by Theis involves the proposed upgrade of the Silverlode Express from a six-pack into an eight-pack. This would increase uphill capacity from 3,000 to 3,600 guests per hour, representing a 20% increase. The new lift alignment would be unchanged from the outgoing one. Silverlode Express is a major chokepoint for the resort, as it is the only lift directly out of the Miner’s Camp area, which is where the Quicksilver Gondola dumps out from the Canyons side. From Miner’s Camp, guests must either take Silverlode Express uphill or ski down to King Con Express.

Unexpected support for Vail Resorts’ planned lift upgrades comes from local billionaire Matthew Prince. Prince, a long-standing Vail Resorts critic and self-proclaimed potential buyer of PCMR, did not miss a beat and responded to news of Theis’s court filing in a Twitter (X) post, saying: “As a community, do you think we could come up with a mechanism to vote Alan Theis out? Because I’d certainly be happy to contribute to his relocation fund.” Prince added that the Silverlode was overdue for replacement and believes the chair lift has outlived its “useful life.”

Prince, who calls Park City home and grew up skiing PCMR, is in favor of these upgrades happening. Prince has previously stated that he stopped skiing PCMR because he believes there are real safety issues related to its infrastructure. He has continually pressured Vail to sell him PCMR, and has publicly said he will invest $500 million into on-mountain upgrades and employee salaries.

• Related: The Battle Continues as Matthew Prince Slaps Back at Vail Resorts’ New Board Member

PCMR owner Vail Resorts has been trying to get these two lifts upgraded since 2021, but has repeatedly been stopped in their tracks. One major complaint from local groups is the lack of transparency surrounding the CCC data. The newest court filing may be just another bump in a long, convoluted legal battle over these upgrades. However, it may further prolong or potentially derail these infrastructure approvals. With the 2034 Winter Olympics coming to Utah, Park City Mountain would benefit immensely from modernizing these lifts. The question now is whether the resort will finally be able to move forward, or if the legal battle will continue to keep these projects on hold.