The ski patrollers at Telluride Ski Resort are planning to go on strike this weekend, following months of bargaining for a new union contract.
On Tuesday night, the Telluride Professional Ski Patrollers Association announced a strike would commence on Saturday (Dec. 27), during the holiday ski season rush. Patrollers plan to walk off the job indefinitely, said union president Graham Hoffman, or until the resort will resume negotiations in good faith.
Hoffman said he was “deeply troubled” by the situation and acutely aware of the impact this may have on the local community, especially during one of the busiest stretches of the winter. Ultimately, he said, the union presented its bottom line and solutions for ownership, but that the resort came back with its “last, best and final” offer that was already rejected by the union’s 70-plus members earlier this month.
“None of this is comfortable, none of this is a positive, happy feeling,” Hoffman said. “This is the position we have been forced into, and none of these decisions have been taken lightly. We truly feel we have exhausted every option.”
The union said 99% of its membership voted for the work stoppage. They will be picketing on both sides of the town’s gondola, in downtown Telluride and in Mountain Village, Hoffman added.
The announcement comes after resort ownership and its patrollers union, which have been bargaining since June, reached an impasse in negotiations. On Dec. 8, the union rejected what Telluride Ski & Golf, colloquially known as Telski, presented as its “last, best and final” offer. The two parties returned to the table last Saturday, but did not reach an agreement.
The Denver Post emailed a list of questions to the resort about the impact a strike would have on mountain operations, but it went largely unanswered. A lack of snow has already hindered the resort from opening much of its skiable terrain.
Resort spokesperson Nancy Clark, in a statement, blamed the patrollers for launching “a devastating attack on the community.” Resort owner Chuck Horning previously threatened that he would raise lift ticket prices if the company “caved” to the patrollers’ demands.
“It has always been our hope that we could reach a fair and equitable solution. We have provided the Ski Patrol a generous and market-leading offer,” Clark said by email. “They have stated publicly several times that striking during the holiday week is their ‘nuclear option.’ We are not sure why any organization would choose to launch a devastating attack like this on our community.”
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“Holiday occupancy is pacing behind last year, with the highest-compression period between Christmas and New Year’s currently tracking at 59%, compared to 67% last year,” she said by email. “It’s difficult to attribute the difference to any single factor, as early-season snow conditions, a delayed opening, the ongoing contract negotiations, and larger industry trends may all be influencing booking behavior.”
Still, Hoffman expects the strike to affect mountain operations significantly. Telluride’s terrain is steep and logistically complicated, and he anticipates the higher elevations in the ski resort won’t be able to open without patrol on duty.
“We know how much this will affect our friends and colleagues on the mountain. We have nothing but respect and gratitude for the groomers, snow makers and other on-mountain departments. We’ll do what we can to support them as well,” he said.
The action follows others that have taken place around the country in recent years. For example, patrollers in Park City, Utah, initiated a strike around last Christmas that lasted about two weeks in response to a stalemate in negotiations with its owner Vail Resorts. Park City patrollers shared a message of solidarity on Instagram, saying, “@tellurideprofessionalskipatrol is being forced to strike! They need any and all support!!!”
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