Park City, Utah — Jack Thomas was mayor of Park City during an interesting time. With his tenure lasting from early 2014 until 2018, he witnessed the beginning of the Vail Resorts era, where they owned both Park City Mountain and the Canyons (for context, Vail bought The Canyons in 2013 and Park City Mountain Resort in 2014 following the failure by POWDR to renew its lease). The two mountains would, in 2015, consolidate to become solely Park City Mountain Resort. He also witnessed a period where Vail Resorts unsuccessfully attempted to trademark the phrase “Park City.” So, after all the drama that unfolded recently, what does he think now of Vail Resorts?
The Park Record spoke with Jack Thomas, the former mayor of Park City, Utah. In the interview, he described his relationship with Vail Resorts, as the two were partners on a variety of projects. Jack now lives in Bentonville, Arkansas, which is Walmart’s home base.
In the interview, he was critical of Vail Resorts, saying that they weren’t a great partner, He mentioned the town government being caught by surprise when Vail Resorts attempted to trademark the name Park City in 2016. After pushback from the local community, Vail Resorts decided to withdraw its attempt to trademark PC.
Thomas described the relationship between the town and Vail Resorts to the Park Record:
“It was always a surprise. It wasn’t a working relationship...They operate like a large machine without any regard to the … personalities or the people of the community.”
However, he praised their work through the EpicPromise. EpicPromise has donated to a variety of non-profits around Park City since joining the community. Notably, Sarah Ervin from KPCW reported that Vail Resorts donated $5.75 million in grants to various organizations across Park City in 2023 and early 2024.
Image Credits: Ryan Birk, Vail Resorts
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