Telluride Ski Resort recently delayed its scheduled Thanksgiving opening day due to unseasonably warm weather and it may have been a blessing in disguise as it allows additional time for the resort to come to a resolution with the Telluride Professional Ski Patrol Association (TPSPA) on contract negotiations.
The Telluride Times reports Telluride Ski Patrol has been working with an expired contract since August 31st, 2025 and the resort plans to open on December 6th, the same day a last scheduled meeting between TPSPA and Telluride Ski Resort.
“The snow is coming, and with it, our critical work begins. As ski patrollers, we know that the hours spent on explosives mitigation, boot packing, and ski packing are essential to safely opening Telluride’s terrain. That’s why our team of experts is going back to work without a contract – we’re dedicated to getting the job done, and we expect a fair offer that reflects our value.” -Telluride Professional Ski Patrol Association (TPSPA)
Graham Hoffman, TPSPA president, told The Telluride Times that if they didn’t make any significant progress towards a contract agreement by December 6th, the likely result would be a ski patrol strike.
“As this gets weirder and weirder and crappier, we just feel like we’re getting pushed into an untenable position here. We’ve recently held a strike authorization vote, and that vote was 100% with no negatives, no ‘No’ (votes). We’re going to do everything we can to work towards getting a contract and getting the mountain open as we negotiate. But at a certain point, the company needs to come to its senses.” –Graham Hoffman
The main dispute in the contract comes down to wages. Many Telluride patrollers earn hourly wages around $21-$25 hour and a few as much as $30 hour. The union has asked for around a 30% raise in recent negotiations and Telluride Ski Resort’s most recent rebuttal was 2.5% raise.
There is a meeting between the two parties scheduled for November 25th before the final negotiation on December 6th. We will be sure to monitor this story and provide updates when information becomes available.
