Customers Demand Better Treatment of Workers as Ski Resort Blames Pandemic for Struggles

After a staffing shortage forced a Washington ski resort to open only about half of its terrain, customers are demanding better treatment for its workers while the company attributes the problem to the larger industry employee shortage and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Parking issues and long chairlift lines at the Stevens Pass ski resort east of Everett are among the issues that have been reported by customers, some of whom are now demanding partial refunds for their season passes.

In an online petition first reported by The Herald that has received more than 28,000 signatures, Jeremy Rubingh criticizes Vail Resorts, which purchased the Stevens Pass ski resort in 2018, for "the mismanagement of the ski area, the failure to treat employees well, or pay them a livable wage, and the failure to deliver the product we all paid for and bought with hard-earned money during a pandemic."

Rubingh wrote that customers wouldn't have bought their passes if they had known so much of the terrain would be closed for the season and accused Vail Resorts of misleading patrons about what their purchase would entail for profit. He also claims that the wages offered for key staff like ski patrollers, who need special avalanche and medical training, are sub-standard and "offensive."

"This is simply a matter of not hiring the appropriate staff to run a ski area, or pay a wage commensurate with experience and the job description," the petition said.

The state Attorney General's office has received consumer complaints about the resort from at least a dozen people. Meanwhile, the company has blamed industry worker shortages and the impacts of the pandemic on the service economy.

"Like others in the travel and leisure industry, Stevens Pass is contending with staffing shortages, creating challenges for certain departments," Vail Resorts spokesperson Sara Roston told the newspaper in an email. "Right now, we're focusing our staff where we can maximize our operations while keeping guest safety as our top priority, and we remain committed to providing the best possible experience."

Some season pass holders reject the company's argument that the problems are universal, citing other Washington state resorts—like Crystal Mountain and Mount Baker—that have more fully opened.

"We're wondering why Stevens Pass doesn't have the staff, but Baker does and Crystal does," said Lisa Niblett, who has skied at Stevens Pass with her husband for over two decades.

The ski area so far this season has had about five of 10 chairlifts running, with nothing open on the backside of the mountain, according to information on the Stevens Pass Facebook page.

"We just want our mountain back," Niblett said. And if they can't get their mountain back, Niblett added, they want their money back.

Last summer, Vail Resorts raised wages from $12.50 to a $15-an-hour minimum for full-time seasonal employees in several states including Washington, according to a news release.

Low-cost employee housing remains an issue. The company also has a few housing options but is "working to secure employee housing for Stevens Pass team members that is safe, comfortable, and secure" by leasing other properties, Roston said.

Stevens Pass General Manager Tom Pettigrew thanked guests in a Facebook post for their patience.

"It's important to recognize that many of you feel a sense of disappointment, and I want to assure you we are working hard to resolve these issues," his post said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.