Telluride Ski Resort is scheduled to open this Saturday — a week later than originally planned — after winter storms dropped much-needed snow on the mountains in southwestern Colorado.
The resort announced Monday it would open one lift with access to limited terrain and continue snow making operations, as temperatures permit, “with the goal of opening additional terrain as quickly and safely as possible.”
The weather, however, wasn’t the only reason locals recently speculated that the ski season might further be delayed.
Since June, the resort’s ownership has been negotiating a new contract with its ski patrollers union, the Telluride Professional Ski Patrol Association. In recent weeks, those negotiations have turned contentious with the union voting to authorize a strike and subsequently staging a practice picket in downtown Telluride.
The main sticking point throughout bargaining has been compensation, union president Graham Hoffman told The Denver Post. Ski patrollers perform a variety of functions on the mountain, from assisting skiers who need medical help to avalanche mitigation and maintenance and more. So far this winter, they have been preparing the resort to host guests by assessing the safety of the conditions and packing snow across the mountain.
Given the technical skills required for the job, the union is seeking to secure at least $30 an hour base pay for its 70-plus members. Hoffman said there are currently ways for patrollers to do additional training and move up the pay scale to earn more per hour, but that most still don’t reach the union’s desired threshold.
“We’re trying to get everyone closer to $30 and over $30, and lay out a roadmap that will help with the retention of this patrol,” he said.
Telluride Ski Resort defended its current wage offer in a statement sent to The Denver Post and accused the patrollers’ union of bargaining in bad faith. Both parties have repeatedly cited what they believe is considered a living wage in their area – one of Colorado’s most expensive places to live – with a disparity of about $10 per hour.
Ski patrol unions garnered a lot of attention during the previous ski season when patrollers at Vail Resorts-owned Park City Mountain Resort in Utah held a 13-day strike before Vail agreed to a deal. Unions at resorts in Colorado, including Keystone, Breckenridge and Arapahoe Basin also made news.
While the Telluride union has not yet announced a strike, Hoffman said patrollers are in an “increasingly uncomfortable” position. Christmas and New Year’s Eve are the busiest times of the season at Telluride Ski Resort and it remains unclear exactly how operations would be impacted should the patrollers initiate a work stoppage.
Speaking on local radio last week, resort spokesperson Steve Swenson said that much of the mountain would likely have to remain closed in the event of a strike. As a “contingency,” the resort is currently hiring temporary ski patrollers.
“We don’t want to go down this road,” Hoffman said. ” We know what this is going to do to the community and we love this community, this is our community. And we love this mountain, we want to keep going to work.”
The resort and the union have two more bargaining sessions scheduled for this Friday and Saturday.