Vail Resorts have said they are “willing to buy” the base buildings operated by Park City Mountain Resort (PCMR) in the centre of Park City itself in the latest stage of a dispute between two multi-resort owning corporations in the USA.
The dispute hinges over land owned by a company called Talisker which also owns the neighbouring resort of Canyons. The land lies beneath the slopes of PCMR, but does not include the land under the resort’s base buildings by the city of Park City itself. The alleged issue is that PCMR failed to properly renew the lease which it has held for some 50 years. Last year Vail Resorts, which is currently the largest ski area operator in North America operating 10 ski areas in California, Colorado and the US Midwest, took over Talisker’s case and brought its considerable corporate resources to bear in the ongoing resulting legal action, initially requesting the courts declare that PCMR should be evicted from its land, leaving it with base buildings but no ski slopes.
PCMR is part of the Powdr group of nine resorts, another of the large US ski resort owning groups.
“We have repeatedly made it clear to Vail that PCMR is interested in exploring all possible solutions that will preserve the independence of PCMR as the nation’s premier family ski resort. What we won’t agree to is a Vail takeover. Vail’s domination of the ski market in Summit County would be bad for our community, bad for our guests and bad for our employees,” said John Cumming, PCMR’s CEO, who had said Vail Resorts had made no suggestions to resolve the issue other than PCMR’s eviction prior to the new offer to buy the rest of PCMR’s assets.
PCMR has 3,300 acres of terrain and Canyons 4,000 acres so the two adjoining areas combined would have at least 7,300 acres, making it by far the largest ski area in the USA and only just over 800 acres smaller that North America’s largest, Whistler Blackcomb in BC, Canada.
This season Big Sky resort in Montana began claiming that it had “the biggest skiing in America” after its acquisition of a neighbouring ski area gave it 5,750 acres of skiable terrain, taking the title from long-term holder Vail in Colorado with just under 5,300 acres.
Plans of an intent to lift link seven Utah resorts including Canyons and PCMR have also been announced, separately, last week.
The next stages of the court battle between the two sides is due to be heard next week.
