Long Lines, Crowds, and Delays — What Happened at Park City Mountain Ski Resort?

A number of TikToks are going viral, featuring one of America's most coveted ski resorts, Park City Mountain in Utah — but not for its gorgeous views and killer slopes. Instead, these videos highlight something a bit less flattering.

In early January 2025, visitors took to TikTok to share footage of large crowds standing in the snow with skis in hand, while others filmed people hiking up the mountain, frustrated by long lift lines. The wait was too much, so they opted to climb the mountain themselves. Many of the viral videos are tagged with #strike, leaving viewers wondering what exactly happened there. Here’s the rundown.

Park City Mountain, the biggest resort in the U.S. owned by Vail Resorts, according to the company's website, is facing significant backlash from guests due to long lines, closures, and other delays that have interfered with their trips.

And given the hefty price tag of visiting the resort, these interruptions have led frustrated vacationers to take to social media to vent.

The root of the issue seems to be the strike by the Park City Professional Ski Patrol Association, a union representing patrollers at the resort. The strike began at the end of December 2024 and, as of 2025, is still ongoing. Here's why ski patrollers are on strike and the outcome they are hoping for.

Caroline Gleich, a ski mountaineer who is standing in solidarity with the striking ski patrollers, took to Instagram on Jan. 5, 2025, to shed light on the demands the union is fighting for from Vail Resorts. Caroline explained that the Park City Professional Ski Patrol Association is advocating for a wage increase from $21 per hour to $23 per hour.

She described this as a "wage structure that properly rewards skilled and experienced patrollers and addresses wage compression," in addition to "enhanced benefits and educational opportunities for all members."

Furthermore, Caroline pointed out that as of December 2024, the median home price in Park City was over $2.7 million, highlighting the high cost of living compared to the relatively low pay these patrollers are earning for their dangerous and skilled work.

While Caroline says she "feels for our visitors and local skiers who have been affected by this strike," the simple solution would be to reward ski patrollers with higher pay.

During the time Park City patrollers are on strike, they aren't earning any income. And since they are striking for higher wages, it’s clear that even what they were earning wasn’t enough. To bridge the gap in pay while these hard-working individuals fight for fair wages, the union set up a GoFundMe with a goal of $400,000. As of Jan. 6, 2025, they had raised over $270,000 toward it, with two donors contributing $5,000 each!

According to the GoFundMe description, the union has been in negotiations with Vail Resorts since April 2024. Since no changes were made, they were forced to take action and stand up for what they believe they deserve.