Industry News
Park City, Utah, is surrounded by world-class ski resorts that attract thousands of visitors each year who want to hit some of the best powder on Earth. The region is a skier’s paradise with resorts like Deer Valley, Alta, Snowbird, Palisades Tahoe, and more all within close proximity. Tourists flock to this area each season for the amazing powder, great terrain, world-class resorts, and amazing views.
When people go to destinations spots like this, they are looking to have some fun, enjoy the mountain, and relax. Most are not expecting to be harassed or verbally assaulted while trying to enjoy a day of skiing. This week a member of the Park City Council was found guilty of disorderly conduct for an altercation with a ski instructor and his class of cross-country skiers in December 2022.
The Park City Councilman, Jeremey Rubell, 43, was initially charged with a misdemeanor count of disorderly conduct for verbally abusing a ski instructor and a class of cross-country skiers but it was later amended to an infraction. The incident initially took place on December 29th when Rubell was blowing snow off the back deck of his home that borders the Park City Golf Course.
According to the court documents, the group of cross-country skiers and their instructor were on the cross-country ski track, which is operated by a private company. The route the class was following went by Rubell’s house and according to court records, Rubell flipped him off the instructor of the class. The ski instructor then flipped Rubell off as well and according to the instructor, Rubell “Immediately lost his cool and launched into a profanity-laden tirade.”
Rubell’s tirade consisted of cursing and yelling at the instructor which lasted about five minutes according to one of the students in the class. The tirade by Rubell was targeted at both cross-country skiers and golfers, but according to charging documents, it was not clear what Rubell was upset about.
The instructor apologized for the incident many times and decided to take the class to a different area to ski through. The case was not tried by a jury, but by a judge, and Rubell was ordered to pay a fine of $160. The maximum fine for this infraction is $750 according to Utah law.
