PrintA HISTORY OF INNOVATIONS AND IMPROVEMENTS.
Park City Mountain Resort has a long history of innovations in the ski resort industry and continues to set the standard by which other companies are judged. The Resort has become a world-class resort because of our commitment to our customers and employees.
For the past eighteen years, Park City Mountain Resort has been consistently ranked in the top ten by Ski magazine. We are currently ranked #5, and also hold the coveted number one terrain park rating by Transworld Snowboarding magazine.
Here is a short company history compiled from the beginning of the resort.
| Year | Description |
|---|---|
| 1963-1964 | Opening Day: December 21, 1963. Gondola, Prospector Double Chair, two J-bar tows serving 18 miles of skiable terrain. Owned and operated by United Park City Mines. John M. Wallace, President. Name: Treasure Mountain |
| 1964-65 | Thaynes Canyon lift installed. Phil Jones (a once President / Area Manager for Park City Mountain Resort) is hired as a ski school instructor. |
| 1965-66 | Resort Capacity: 3,000 skiers per hour |
| 1966-67 | Resort changes name to: Park City Resort. Installation of ski patrol telephone system. Park City local, Blanche Fletcher, is used in advertising campaign. |
| 1967-68 | First year resort doesn't open for Thanksgiving. Night skiing on Pay Day run opens. Skiing brings $4 million to Utah economy. |
| 1968-69 | Pay Day run named as top 10 in country by Sports Illustrated |
| 1969-70 | Resort opens November 22nd. First Time lift installed. Roundtrip airfare from San Francisco: $84.00 |
| 1970-71 | Edgar Stern (current owner of Deer Valley Resort) purchases the Park City Resort from United Park City Mines. Three Kings chair opens along with seven new runs. Randy Montgomery named Public Information Director. Resort's skier capacity: 3,400 per hour. |
| 1971-72 | Resort undergoes $7 million in improvements. Three new chairs are installed: Lost Prospector, Pay Day, Crescent. Nine new runs cut. 98 new condominiums constructed. |
| 1972-73 | Resort opens November 18th. Resort capacity: 8,750 skiers per hour. |
| 1973-74 | Best Thanksgiving ever. Sales up 40%. 4,500 skiers. Resort increases terrain by 25%. Four U.S. Ski Team training runs are cut. First triple chair installed: King Con. Nine new runs added. Resort capacity: 10,240 skiers per hour. |
| 1974-75 | Resort doesn't open until December 9th. Prospector lift replaced with a triple. Two runs cut: Combustion, NASTAR. Total snowfall: 267 inches. |
| 1975-76 | Alpine Meadows of Tahoe purchases Park City Resort. Thaynes chair replaced. Town lift design discussed with the Park City Planning Commission. |
| 1976-77 | Driest year ever recorded in the west. Temporary snowmaking installed on Pay Day. Jupiter and Ski Team chairs installed. Opens 640 new acres. Resort's vertical rise increases from 2,400 to 3,000 feet. Resort parking lot paved. Resort capacity: 12,700 skiers per hour |
| 1977-78 | Resort not open for Thanksgiving. 69 inch base for Christmas. Record breaking day, December 27th. 8,308 skiers, up 31% over record 75-76 year. County ordinance passed making it unlawful to ski closed areas. Resort buys $32,000 in snowmaking machines for Pay Day and First Time. |
| 1978-79 | Resort opens November 14th. Record breaking Christmas. Ski Team and Crescent chairs renamed from Victoria Station and Track I in a fundraising effort for the U.S. Ski Team. |
| 1979-80 | Resort open for Thanksgiving 24 inch base at Christmas, resulting in 70% ticket revenue loss. 18,000 feet of snowmaking pipe laid and 2 new machines added. |
| 1980-81 | Resort opens Nov. 21 due to snowmaking. Cross-country skiers allowed on mountain. Motherlode triple chair opens. Resort capacity: 14,500 skiers per hour. |
| 1981-82 | Resort opens November 29th. Pay Day upgraded from a double to a triple. Resort capacity increases to 15,000 per hour. Silver King run cut. |
| 1982-83 | September storm dumps 15 inches. Resort opens November 15th. Gondola cars replaced. |
| 1983-84 | Resort doubles snowmaking capabilities. Courchevel run cut off King Con lift, named after sister city. |
| 1984-85 | Resort opens November 11th, earliest ever. Pioneer chair installed. Nine new runs cut. Resort hosts first World Cup men's and women's slalom. |
| 1985-86 | Resort opens November 15th. Town lift opens. Resort hosts women's World Cup slalom, International Special Winter Olympic Games, and Black Summit, the largest ski convention. |
| 1986-87 | Women's World Cup opens in Park City. First ever for USA. Resort capacity: 18,700 skiers per hour. |
| 1987-88 | Mid-Mountain Lodge is moved along with a $1 million renovation. Resort opens November 28th. Men's and Women's Pro Circuit opens in Park City. |
| 1988-89 | America's Opening Pro Cup kicks off the season. Resort invests $1.5 million in snowmaking. |
| 1989-90 | Resort hosts the opening World Cup races for both men's and women's circuit, an American first. Prospector High Speed Quad and Crescent Quad added. $2.5 million in mountain improvements. |
| 1990-91 | Resort opens November 11th and breaks record for skier days. Park City ranks #2 ski area in North America, "Snow Country Magazine". 60 miles of snowmaking and cooling tanks increases efficiency. |
| 1991-92 | Season opens November 2nd. The Men's World Cup season opens at the Park City Ski Area. Hosts the U.S. National Telemark Championships. |
| 1992-93 | $2.5 million in mountain improvements. Snowmaking added to Prospector Quad area. 512 inches of snowfall. |
| 1993-94 | Men's World Cup racing returns to Park City. Eagle lift installed. Snowmaking added to King Con area. $4 million in improvements including Eagle Race Arena. Alpine Meadows of Tahoe is purchased by Powdr Corp. |
| 1994-95 | Women's World Cup opens in Park City. $2.3 million invested in mountain improvements. C.B.'s run, the 2002 Winter Olympic Games Giant Slalom, opens. |
| 1995-96 | 2.5 million in Mountain improvements. Eaglet chair installed. Men's World Cup racers return to Park City to try the new Olympic Giant Slalom run. Salt Lake named to host 2002 Winter Olympic Games. |
| 1996-97 | Snowboarders allowed on the Mountain. The Resort changes name to Park City Mountain Resort to promote year-round activities. |
| 1997-98 | Gondola replaced by two high-speed six-pack chairs installed to the Summit. $7 million in Mountain improvements. New Terrain Park and Halfpipe added to the Resort. Increased snowmaking capabilities to 12 new groomers. Park City Mountain Resort named to host the men's and women's Giant Alpine Slalom and all Snowboard events. |
| 1998-99 | 35th Anniversary rededication. Mountain terrain expanded, Pinecone Ridge, Homelite and McConkey's bowl open. $35 million used for five-year capital improvement plan. Construction begins on the Mountain Side Marriott. |
| 1999-00 | Grand opening of the new Legacy Lodge. Summit Smoke House Grill remodeled. Opening of new Gorgoza Tubing Park. First Snowboard World Cup at Park City Mountain Resort, featuring slalom, halfpipe and boardercross. |
| 2000-01 | Eagle Race Arena completed, with a new SuperPipe. Mountainside Marriott opens next to the Legacy Lodge. |
| 2001-02 | Grand opening of the Town Bridge. Resort expands wintertime activities. Implementation on new Mountain Direct Card. New SuperPipe on PayDay and Terrain Park on Heckler. Gorgoza adds lift-served Terrain Park. The Resort host all snowboard events and the men's and women's Giant Alpine Slalom events in the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. |
| 2002-03 | $1 Million committed to Free Ride Initiative including additional snowmaking, new terrain parks and purchasing the Pipe Dragon used to build the Olympic Superpipe. Introduces Fast Tracks, an innovative pass which allows access to express lanes at the busiest lifts. First ever World Superpipe Championships held in the Eagle Superpipe, site of the 2002 Olympic Halfpipe events. |
| 2003-04 | 40th Anniversary is celebrated throughout the season. Summit House is remodeled and a heated, glass sheltered patio is installed. The Resort hosts its first annual "Benefit Day" which raised over $64,000 for the Park City Education Foundation. For summer 2004, the Resort doubles the number of Alpine Slide Tracks and Ziprider cables |
| 2004-05 | First Time Lift is upgraded from a fixed grip triple to a high-speed quad. The Resort introduces its "Signature Runs" as an integral part of it's ongoing commitment to grooming. Transworld Snowboarding magazine named Park City Mountain Resort "Terrain Park of the Year" in North America. |
| 2005-06 | Legends Bar & Grill is moved from the top level to ground level in Legacy Lodge which provides a greatly improved apres ski ambience. Park City Mountain Resort moves into the top five in Ski magazine's annual reader's poll for the first time and Transworld Snowboarding magazine names Park City Mountain Resort "Terrain Park of the Year" in North America for the 2nd season in a row. |
| 2006-07 | The newly added Silver Star Triple Chair provides another access to the upper mountain, the unique, online Personal Mountain Planner, creates a tailor-made layout of the mountain, the Kids Signature Programs are introduced with guaranteed small class sizes and choice of lunch, as well as the signing of an exclusive 5-year contract with Shaun White. |
