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Record editorial: After Sundance and World Champs, Parkites owe workers a debt of gratitude


Exhale, Parkites.

The credits have rolled on the Sundance Film Festival and the final gold medal of the FIS World Championships has been handed out. Hosting consecutive events of that scale proved taxing for everybody who lives and works in Park City, and there were certainly bumps along the way. But both events lived up to their billings and Parkites made it out intact on the other side.

Now that the pandemonium is in our rear-view mirror, it’s time to acknowledge the many folks who made sure Park City was up to the task. Everyone who took in a film screening or caught the action on the slopes — or benefits from the economic stimulus Sundance and the World Champs generated — owes them a debt of gratitude.



Perhaps most obvious to anyone who drove during last week’s massive snowstorm was the role snow plow drivers played in the successful event operations. They worked tirelessly to clear the way for locals and visitors to navigate town. Also visible were the hundreds of purple-clad Sundance volunteers who manned bus stations, ushered festival-goers into screenings and kept the mayhem to a relative minimum.

Less conspicuous were folks like hospitality workers, whose hustle ensured film fans and winter sports enthusiasts left raving about their time in Park City. Others playing critical parts behind the scenes included the on-mountain crews at Deer Valley Resort and Park City Mountain Resort who doubtlessly pulled overtime to prep their courses for World Champs competitions in the face of blizzard-like conditions. And the events wouldn’t have gotten off the ground without the careful collaboration of planning and transit officials in Park City and Summit County. There was plenty of chaos over the last three weeks, but it was largely controlled thanks to their efforts.



Unfortunately, there will be little rest for the weary. Major storms are on the horizon, both in a literal and metaphorical sense, as weather forecasters predict heavy snowfall through the rest of the week and as eager President’s Day crowds will flock to Park City this weekend. Many of the people vital to putting on Sundance and the World Championships will be right back at it, working hard while the rest of us recuperate from the last three weeks.

As a community, we are grateful for their efforts. We’re on the other side of a hectic 18 days, but we could have never done it without them.


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