Park City Mountain Resort Goes Epic!
You heard right. With the recent purchase of Park City Mountain Resort in Utah by Vail Resorts Inc., PCMR will not only be open for business this season, it also becomes part of the Epic Pass!
Vail’s recent acquisition of Park City Mountain Resort for more than $182M ends an extensive legal battle between Vail Resorts and Powdr Corporation, who were the former operators of PCMR. The three-year dispute over access to the top of the mountain ensued after Powdr’s lease expired in 2011. Vail Resorts leases the neighboring Canyons from Talisker Land Holdings, Inc. and assumed operations of the Canyons last year while Talisker retained the development rights to $4M or more of real estate.
Early September in Utah, Judge Ryan Harris ordered PCMR to post a $17.5M bond in order to continue to operate next season. He maintained that if the bond was not posted, Talisker Land Holdings, Inc. could evict PCMR from the coveted land. PCMR owned the acreage and facilities at the base area of the resort. Without that, the ski area was on the brink of closing for the first time since it opened a half century ago.
The most recent purchase of PCMR by Vail Resorts annihilated the battle. The acquisition includes chair lifts, real estate and parking in PCMR’s base area, and requires Vail Resorts to retain PCMR’s current employees.
Vail will include PCMR to its Epic Pass this winter and will connect Park City with the neighboring Canyons Resort by next season, according to Kirsten Lynch, Marketing Director of Vail Resorts. The integration of PCMR to Vail’s expanding portfolio of ski areas will increase the Epic Passholders’ access to 22 resorts spanning more than 32,000 acres, and now includes territory in Utah boasting the Greatest Snow on Earth.
Aside from the unrestricted and unlimited skiing and riding at 11 world-class resorts in the U.S., there are many benefits to the Epic Pass such as discounted Ski-With-a-Friend Tickets and deals on lodging, ski rentals, ski instruction, dining and events. Now pass holders can add Park City Mountain Resort in Utah to their list. The Epic Pass, the Epic 7-Day, Epic 4-Day and Epic Local Passes will automatically have access to Park City Mountain Resort with no additional costs.
Right now, Vail Resorts is offering the multiple options of the ski industry’s most popular season pass at the lowest prices of the season. If you plan on skiing at least five days, it’ll pay for itself in lift ticket costs and save you money on lodging and other parts of your trip. The lower price is only guaranteed until Oct. 12, 2014 so don’t hesitate to get yours while you can, it’s well worth the investment.