Telluride Ski Resort was closed yesterday for the second consecutive day in the midst of a ski patrol union strike aimed at securing better wages and will remain so indefinitely. There are no current plans to reopen the Colorado ski resort as the ski patrollers are standing firmly behind the picket lines.
“As a result of the Ski Patrol’s decision to strike, we have made the difficult decision to close the resort on Saturday, December 27th. At this time, we do not know how long the strike will last. We will continue working on a plan that allows us to reopen safely as soon as possible.” -Telluride Ski Resort
Telluride Professional Ski Patrol Association are seeking approximately 30% to 35% hourly wage increase. The resorts most recent counteroffer was a 23% hourly wage increase.
“We hustle to bear the weight of compressed wages. The value of our winter work is not reflected through our paychecks. Hustling has always been a part of life here. Many of us work several jobs to make ends meet. A lot of us have started businesses to serve the community in order to survive on winter Patrol wages with little benefits. It’s not enough. It’s chipping us down. It’s causing the patrollers with essential integral knowledge to phase out. Our core, our building block, our foundation is fading away.
We’re fighting for the acknowledgement that this profession is a career. A profession which requires education, special skills, and experience to perform. This is Big Mountain Terrain. The performance my colleage’s provide to the public, the workers, and the backcountry recreators directly correlates to the dedication and talent required for this profession.
The terrain that Telluride offers is unique and paired with our dangerous snowpack quite complex. We need a wage structure which reflects our merit. Retention of Patrollers equals safety. Integral knowledge is essential for this operation to thrive. Every inch of hard work, every training, every avalanche, every special skill, every wreck…it all increases the capacity of each Patroller. This patrol is highly regarded among the industry. We will lose that regard unless we can fix the wage structure to increase retention. We stand united. We’ve earned what we’re asking for. We need a fair contract.” -Katherine Devlin
Again there is with no date set for reopening as this labor dispute continues.
“Currently, we have no idea how long their strike will last so we will continue to work on a plan that allows us to safely open again as soon as possible.” -Telluride Ski Resort
All uphill and downhill access to Telluride is closed day and night. There is no public access and the resort has stated that anyone trespassing on the mountain will be prosecuted. We will be sure to stay on top of emerging developments and provide the most up to date information on this story.
