Look I get it, it's always terrible when your vacation gets ruined. But one skier is taking that disappointment to the extreme. He is suing a ski resort after long lines and disrupted operations made his vacation less than that of his dreams.
Christopher Bisaillon was one of many guests at Park City Mountain Resort in Utah. However, a ski patrol union strike ruined his trip. It caused operations to be disrupted at the resort. Now, the skier is filing a class action lawsuit against the resort's parent company, Vail Resorts, Inc.
It read via Outside Online, "Plaintiff spent in excess of $15,000 for his family of five to have Vail Resort's publicized 'ski experience of a lifetime' over the holidays. It turned out to be a colossal disaster with the family only being able to ski less than ten runs over the duration of their week-long, Christmas family vacation."
Skier Sues Ski Resort
The class action lawsuit is open for anyone who purchased tickets between December 27, 2024, and January 7, 2025. The suit is seeking more than $5 million in damages. According to the suit, the company didn't notify ski resort guests of the strike and its impact on operations at the resort. As a result, it impacted their vacation and its value. Lift tickets cost $289 for a single day. A week long vacation can cost a family up to $20,000.
According to the lawsuit, Bisallion faced hours-long lift lines due to the strike. It constricted the mountain to just 16 percent accessibility. Only 25 of the 41 lifts were operating on January 6 due to the strike. According to the skier, he had no idea of the impeding strike or its effect. Another skier Peter Nystrom told NBC, "You kind of had to laugh about it. Like, we're here in one of the best mountains in the country, waiting three hours in line."
On January 16, Vail Resorts announced it would be offering credit to those affected for the 2025/26 season.
"We deeply value the trust and loyalty of our guests, and while Park City Mountain was open during the patrol strike, it was not the experience we wanted to provide," Vail Resort's COO Dierdra Walsh wrote in a statement. "We are committed to rebuilding the trust and loyalty of our guests by delivering an exceptional experience at Park City Mountain this season and in the future."
