Telluride Ski Resort plans Saturday closure amid ski patrol strike

People ski between the trees in the deep powder at Telluride Ski Resort, March 10, 2006. Photo: AP Photo/Nathan Bilow, File

Resort is offering refunds to all customer affected by the labor dispute

FORT COLLINS, Colo. — Telluride Ski Resort in southwestern Colorado plans to shut down operations Saturday as a labor dispute with its ski patrol union reaches an impasse, resort officials said.

Members of the Telluride Professional Ski Patrol Association voted this week to authorize a strike after months of negotiations over wages failed to produce an agreement. Contract talks began in June, and no additional bargaining sessions are scheduled before the weekend.

In response, resort management said it would not open Saturday December 27, citing concerns about operating without union patrollers. It was unclear how long the closure could last, though officials said they are developing contingency plans to resume operations even if the strike continues.

Telluride Ski Resort is independently owned but participates in Vail Resorts’ Epic Pass program as an Epic Partner, allowing Epic Pass holders limited access to the mountain.

Resort owner Chuck Horning criticized the union’s decision, saying a shutdown would have far-reaching consequences for the community.

“We are concerned that an action like this, especially by an organization dedicated to helping others, could have a severe impact on our town,” Horning said in a written statement.

The ski patrol union said responsibility for the closure rests with resort ownership. Andy Dennis, the patrol association’s interim safety director and spokesperson, told ABC the dispute could be resolved quickly if management agreed to fair compensation.

“All of this could end if ownership offered a contract that reflects the work we do,” Dennis said. “Instead, they’ve chosen confrontation.”

Patrollers are seeking wage increases they say would bring their pay closer to that of peers at comparable resorts. The union is calling for starting wages to increase from $21 to $28 an hour and for more experienced patrollers — some with decades on the job — to receive pay ranging from roughly $39 to $49 an hour, up from current rates topping out in the mid-$30s.

Ski patrollers often cite the high cost of living in resort communities and the safety-critical nature of their work when pushing for higher pay. Their responsibilities include responding to injuries, managing avalanche risk and conducting explosive mitigation work in steep terrain.

A notice on the Telluride website said guests affected by the planned ski patrol work stoppage and resulting closure will be eligible for refunds. According to an official notice, advance-purchase lift tickets and ski and snowboard school lessons will be refunded to the original form of payment, and unused days on multi-day lift tickets will also be reimbursed. Holders of winter passes can receive pro-rated refunds based on the number of days their pass is impacted by the closure. Ticket sales windows at the resort are closed to the public as of Saturday, but resort staff remain available by phone and email to assist with refund requests.

Telluride has already struggled to open terrain this season due to unusually warm early-winter conditions. As of this week, only 20 of the resort’s 149 trails were operating.

The dispute comes amid a broader wave of labor organizing among ski patrollers across the Rocky Mountain region. Last winter, a strike at Utah’s Park City Mountain Resort affected the ski area for nearly two weeks before Vail Resorts agreed to wage increases and other concessions.