Park City Mountain Resort Files Lawuit Againt Talisker

[Parvo]

Park City Mountain Resort Files Lawsuit To Protect Resort

Suit Against Canadian-Based Real Estate Developer Seeks to Preserve Jobs and Avert the Closure of the Resort
Park City, Utah (March 9, 2012) – Park City Mountain Resort today filed a lawsuit against Talisker Land Holdings, LLC. The suit seeks to resolve a dispute that threatens the future of one of the top resorts in North America and a major economic engine in Utah.

“After extensive and, sadly, unsuccessful negotiations, we reluctantly took the initiative to file this lawsuit,” said Jenni Smith, president and general manager of Park City Mountain Resort. “We need to protect the future of the company and our more than 1,200 employees, who bear a tremendous burden of uncertainty in this matter, and the many local businesses and homeowners in the Greater Park City area. We are seeking relief through the court, the only option left at our disposal.”

At issue is the continuing right to use land occupied by some of Park City Mountain Resort’s chairlifts and runs. On December 27, 2011 Talisker Land Holdings, LLC advised Park City Mountain Resort that it deemed that the Resort’s right to use the land expired, and that Park City Mountain Resort would need to vacate the premises unless the Resort entered in to a new agreement for the use of the land.

Principals of Park City Mountain Resort and Talisker met repeatedly in 2009, 2010 and 2011 to discuss multiple property transactions, business opportunities and infrastructure investments, including the future lift conncection between Park City Mountain Resort and Canyons Resort, a Talisker property. In the Summer of 2011, Park City Mountain Resort paid its annual fee for the use of the land, which was accepted by Talisker, and invested $7 million in infrastructure upgrades throughout the Resort.

“The growth and success of Park City Mountain Resort is 100 percent attributable to the investment, the hard work and dedication of our management and entire staff of 1,200 employees and more than 400 volunteers,” continued Smith. “We’re going to fight as long as it takes to keep Park City Mountain Resort locally owned and locally operated.”
According to a complaint filed in the Third Judicial District Court (Summit County), “plaintiffs sue the defendants to prevent them from interfering with the continued operation of the Resort and from attempting to shut the Resort down.”

For more information, including the complete complaint, FAQs, and other materials, please visit www.SupportPCMR.com.

About Park City Mountain Resort
Park City Mountain Resort, named the “#1 Family Vacation” by the editors of SKI Magazine, is located in the heart of Park City, Utah. The resort employs more than 1,200 staff and more than 400 volunteers.

FOLLOW www.SupportPCMR.com
Facebook: http://facebook.com/parkcitymountainresort
Twitter: http://twitter.com/pcski

[strawjack]

funny that they call it locally owned. ya, they have a mansion in PC, but are they really local? for that matter, who is local in PC!

[Canada1]

How can I live here and not know this is going on. Talisker sure is a cool company. Please avoid all business associated with the canyons until this is resolved. Go get them Mrs. Smith!

[Ice_Coaster]

Saw this earlier. Talisker is just making friends left and right these days...

[skiski]

funny that they call it locally owned. ya, they have a mansion in PC, but are they really local? for that matter, who is local in PC!

They actually are owned by one or two Utah families.

[My Pet Powder Goat]

so, what exactly does this all mean?

Talisker bought out the PC mines land rights, and have been trying to agree on a lease?

Now they want to evict PCMR from it's land?


What's Taliskers endgame? other than the obvious; total world domination.

Worth noting: Talisker is autocratically run by one Man, and it is reported he is a bit of an eccentric asshole. (maggot lawyers: is that slander? should I edit that?...really dont want his lawyer knocking on my door)

It's too bad because they have been doing many things right 'on-mountian'

[robgoose]

talisker's end game is clear -- connect the canyons to both pcmr and big cottonwood (with a park city/can/soli lift ticket) and suddenly the Canyons becomes a viable and desirable place to stay. it's all about leverage

[Canada1]

This would allow them lift access and control of everything from Deer Valley to solitude.

[skiminnesota]

Locally owned? I thought PCMR was owned by a big conglomerate?

[The Gnarwhale]

Alternatively, PCMR seeks damages for Talisker’s delay in disclosing its intent to terminate the parties’ agreements. With knowledge that it intended to evict PCMR, Talisker continued to collect rental fees, allowed PCMR to invest over $7,000,000 in infrastructure improvements, and participated in discussions regarding a possible interconnect between the two resorts. PCMR seeks compensatory damages in the amount of $7,000,000 plus interest as well as punitive damages.

http://www.supportpcmr.com/the-lawsuit/

I'm not surprised, but I cant recall any other "official" acknowledgement that PCMR and the Can are connecting.

[itsnowjoke]

talisker's end game is clear -- connect the canyons to both pcmr and big cottonwood (with a park city/can/soli lift ticket) and suddenly the Canyons becomes a viable and desirable place to stay. it's all about leverage

Very interesting. I think you're right. If it's the case however, I'm surprised that Talisker didn't file the lawsuit first. The way they are handling this in a very public manner is bizarre as well. They shotgunned an email to every major resort announcing their suit.

Also interesting is the fact that the parent corporation of Park City Mountain Resort went on a land grab themselves, buying Mount Bachelor, Boreal, Copper and Killington instead of purchasing the land under their own feet when it was for sale. Oops. I guess there's no monopoly on corporate greed.

Itsnowjoke

[robgoose]

PCMR filed suit after Talisker told them that their right to use the land had expired. There's any number of reasons why PCMR might have been counseled to file first, but thats less interesting to me than the underlying dispute.

[Hey Diddle Diddle]

Surprise. While you weren't looking Talisker bought Park City. Hopefully they have overreached but I have a bad feeling about this. My guess is they have PCMR over a barrel and public outrage is the best card PCMR has to play. Anyone who is a Canyons regular or an employee has seen the starts at the top dysfunctionality of this company. You do not want to live in a Talisker company town.

[Jared4567]

"The growth and success of Park City Mountain Resort is 100 percent attributable to the investment, the hard work and dedication of our management and entire staff of 1,200 employees and more than 400 volunteers,”"

I for one only ski because of the investment and because of the inspiring example set by PCMR's hard working management (and staff) but especially because of the investment.... and the management. ONE HUNDRED PERCENT. Without the investment, and the management, probably no one would be skiing on the land occupied by PCMR.

[9922]

so, are we saying that Talisker has the ability to pull PCMR's plug, and use it as 'Canyons+'?, sans parking lots, and water rights? I hope that doesn't happen, because all three PC resorts has their own personalities. Not saying which is better or worse.

[skifishbum]

so, what exactly does this all mean?

The giant douche is trying to eat the turd sandwich???

[Parvo]

From PCMR...

Frequently Asked Questions


What happened?
After numerous attempts to reach an agreement, Park City Mountain Resort is reluctantly filing a lawsuit against a privately held Canadian-based real estate development conglomerate, in order to quickly and fairly resolve a dispute that threatens the future of the Resort. This dispute emerged despite the fact that, in April 2011, Park City Mountain Resort confirmed its extension of its right to use the lands, and paid its rent as it had every year. PCMR was notified by the developer on December 27, 2011, nine months after it confirmed its extension and paid rent, that its right to use the land had expired and that new terms would be required.


Will the resort remain open for the current season?
Yes. When it became clear that an agreement was not possible, we found it necessary to file a suit so that we could protect what we’ve built over the last 50 years. Our desire is that the dispute will be resolved quickly for the benefit of our employees and our community, who bear the brunt of uncertainty.


Why don’t you just settle this case? What settlement proposals have you made?
Our proposals must remain confidential. We can say that our offers have been more than fair.


What does the Canadian real estate developer want?
We do not know. We have tried to negotiate new terms for our right to use the land. We don’t know what the developer has to gain by forcing this stalemate. We will continue to own and control all the base facilities, parking lots, lifts and water rights for the resort. Our desire is that the dispute will be resolved quickly for the benefit of our employees who bear the brunt of uncertainty and for the benefit of the community as well.


Does this mean employees will lose their jobs?
If we lose this suit, or an agreement isn’t reached, Park City Mountain Resort will be forced to close, which is why we are doing everything necessary to make our case in court and why we took the initiative to file this suit.


What plans does the Canadian real estate developer have for the property?
We do not know. Park City Mountain Resort will continue to own and control all of the base facilities, parking lots, lifts and water rights for the resort. We don’t know what the real estate developer has to gain by forcing this stalemate. Our desire is that the dispute will be resolved quickly for the benefit of our employees who bear the brunt of uncertainty and the community.


Will the resort open for the 2012-2013 season?
We can’t say for certain. Our desire is that the dispute will be resolved quickly. We are moving ahead with business as usual, planning for another great winter season and taking reservations for next season.


Does Park City Mountain Resort own the water rights, etc., for perpetuity?
Yes. Park City Mountain Resort will continue to own and control all of the base facilities, parking lots, lifts and water rights for the resort. We don’t know what the real estate developer has to gain by forcing this stalemate. Our desire is that the dispute will be resolved quickly for the benefit of our employees who bear the brunt of uncertainty for the benefit of this community as well.
For any question not answered by the above
If you have any additional questions, please email info@supportpcmr.com or visit www.supportpcmr.com, and we’ll do our best to assist you.

[krick]

Worth noting: Talisker is autocratically run by one Man, and it is reported he is a bit of an eccentric asshole. (maggot lawyers: is that slander? should I edit that?...really dont want his lawyer knocking on my door)

Short answer no - not slander or libel. But, sadly, whether or not a claim is valid or has any legal merit rarely stops companies from sending threatening letters when trying to protect their interests. Most recipients of cease and desist letters just comply whether or not they've done anything wrong and companies know this.

[Hey Diddle Diddle]

so, what exactly does this all mean?

Talisker bought out the PC mines land rights, and have been trying to agree on a lease?

Now they want to evict PCMR from it's land?


What's Taliskers endgame? other than the obvious; total world domination.

Worth noting: Talisker is autocratically run by one Man, and it is reported he is a bit of an eccentric asshole. (maggot lawyers: is that slander? should I edit that?...really dont want his lawyer knocking on my door)

It's too bad because they have been doing many things right 'on-mountian'

Autocratic eccentric asshole devoid of common sense.

[Garbanzo]

What does the Canadian real estate developer want?
We do not know. We have tried to negotiate new terms for our right to use the land. We don’t know what the developer has to gain by forcing this stalemate. We will continue to own and control all the base facilities, parking lots, lifts and water rights for the resort. Our desire is that the dispute will be resolved quickly for the benefit of our employees who bear the brunt of uncertainty and for the benefit of the community as well.

...

What plans does the Canadian real estate developer have for the property?
We do not know. Park City Mountain Resort will continue to own and control all of the base facilities, parking lots, lifts and water rights for the resort. We don’t know what the real estate developer has to gain by forcing this stalemate. Our desire is that the dispute will be resolved quickly for the benefit of our employees who bear the brunt of uncertainty and the community.

Is this Park City's having a hate-on for Canadian companies. Looks like it, cause why else would one company refer to a defendant by nationality rather than by company name (Taliskier)? Nice try to make things political.

FUCK YOU Park City.

[smuggs]

why would anyone be against park city? aren't we all against the canyons / taliskier ?

[hutash]

What does the Canadian real estate developer want?
We do not know.

Maybe he wants to spend a little time on the 3rd floor?

[powski3]

Talisker sucks, but after seeing what Powdr Corp. did to Mt. Bachelor I don't have much sympathy for them either.

[itsnowjoke]

Without knowing the specifics of the lawsuit, I am loath to thump my chest and support Talisker, as I have done more or less regarding the Skilink.

However, it strikes me as bizarre that PCMR would send out such a mushy letter, dissing Canada, and saying that the lifts will close down and the town will lose 1200 jobs if they don't get their way. Don't be mistaken; the lifts will still turn next year, and the employees will still be needed to man all positions, no matter who prevails in the suit.

The down-homey nature of the PCMR letter is is strange, because it appears that Powdr corporation in it's maniacal effort to grow exponentially, forgot to mind the home shop. Powdr owns 5 major ski areas. Talisker 1. Powdr filed suit, Talisker says they were trying to work things out. Despite all appearances, it feels like Powdr is the mega-shithead corporate aggressor. Complete with lawsuit, pre-packaged sympathy PR campaign, etc. Not picking sides yet, because I don't know enough. Just sayin'.

The problem with picking a "favorite" corporation is that they always let you down. So just don't do it!

Cheers,

Itsnowjoke

[userA]

when the lifts stop spinning the place will be a private touring mecca.