The skiers and snowboarders who will head to Park City Mountain starting later in November likely understand the parking situation on the Park City side of the resort needed to change.
It had, over the years, become a challenge for everyone. Those headed to the slopes filled the lots on the busiest days, meaning the late arrivals needed to find somewhere else to park. Perhaps they chose neighborhood streets close to the resort, the Park City Library lot or the large lots along Park Avenue that are supposed to be designated for customers of those businesses.
It was untenable, and Park City Mountain responded with a drastic solution. The introduction of the paid parking and reservation systems for the upcoming ski season was an extraordinary move by the resort. Park City Mountain and the skiers and snowboarders realize the alteration to the parking operations is a fundamental change to the resort experience and an added cost to a recreational activity that is already expensive.
It is now time for those who ski and snowboard there to accept the decision by Park City Mountain. Paying to park, carpooling to the resort to share the cost of parking or taking a bus at no cost will be some of the options once the paid parking starts. We hope the new parking system will not lead people to select another option: abandoning a resort that has proven itself to be a name brand in North American skiing and one that retains that status even after the troubles of the 2021-2022 winter.
The paid parking and reservations Park City Mountain will introduce will not change the vast terrain of the resort. Powder days in the bowls will still be a superb skiing and snowboarding experience regardless of any new parking program. And the base areas or Main Street beckon at the end of the day.
The crowds over the decades have always seemed to find their way to Park City Mountain. They became more difficult to manage as the tourism industry in the community, not just at Park City Mountain, grew larger.
As the ski season arrives, there must be an understanding that a change was necessary in the operations at the resort base. The paid parking and reservations, in a way, drive that home.