Park City, Utah Powdr, the Utah-based ski resort operator, has prompted widespread criticism with the introduction of a system in which skiers can pay extra to jump lift queues. Announcing Fast Tracks, an “upgradeable express lift access experience to maximise guests’ time on-mountain”, the company said the ski industry had been slow to embrace the idea of providing paid-for “upgrades”. Tickets will go on sale from November 1 at four of Powdr’s 11 North American resorts: Mount Bachelor, Snowbird, Killington and Copper Mountain. Prices start at $49 ($69 at Snowbird) in addition to the cost of the lift pass, with the price rising further at peak times.
Skiers were quick to voice their disapproval. In Bend, Oregon, the closest town to Mount Bachelor, locals started a petition that called the move “sociopathic” and had, by Wednesday this week, attracted more than 12,000 signatures. Ron Wyden, US Senator for Oregon, then wrote to Powdr asking it to abandon the…