'Down time' in Park City
Gap between ski season, summer is getting shorter
Trapped somewhere between the frenetic winter season and summer festivals, Park City in spring resembles more a ghost town than an international mountain resort.
"This is the time of year when the snow melts and the locals and the dog doo shows up," said Myles Rademan, spokesman for Park City. "You see people you haven't seen all winter who say, 'We're still here, it's still our town.' "
Pegged the "mud season" or the "shoulder season" by locals, the quiet months following the shutdown of the area's three ski resorts in early April are a welcome reprieve for many shop owners and residents.
The majority of restaurants along the city's historic Main Street close for part or all of the spring in-between season, Rademan said.
"This is one of our favorite times of year. It's like having a party at your house, and when the last guest leaves you can take your shoes off, sit back and enjoy it," he said.
But in a resort town that relies on tourism dollars, the down time doesn't last long. In fact, Rademan said, the city already is gearing up for summer events that aim to make Park City a year-round destination.
"When we first turned into a resort town, the fluctuation between winter and summer was huge," Bennett said. "Now, the summers are starting to fill in quite nicely."
Much of that heightened summer tourism, he said, stems from a concerted chamber effort to attract Wasatch Front residents to the mountains. Discounted hotel packages and weekend getaway attractions lure valley residents throughout the summer, he said.
Ideally, Rademan said the city hopes to be a viable resort attraction 10 months out of the year. He estimates the city currently only boasts a "vibrant economy" about eight months each year.
May is the low point for the city's tourism industry. Hotel occupancy dips and unem- ployment hits an annual high. But the drastic drop in tourists has moderated in recent years, Rademan said, with only a few lulling weeks.
"It used to be the off season much longer," he said. "A lot of businesses are trying to keep their people employed as many months as they can because finding new people and training them is very difficult."
The unemployment rate during the off season has dropped about 2 percent since 1990, when May's rate peaked at 11.6 percent unemployed.
But the challenges of the area's seasonal economy may never be completely erased, said Jim Robson, an economist for the Department of Workforce Services.
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