The ski patrollers’ strike and the subsequent closure of Telluride Ski Resort was seemingly all anyone could talk about in the tony mountain town this week, in restaurants, shops and at the downtown gondola station where the union was picketing.
Since Dec. 27, the Telluride Professional Ski Patrol Association has been on strike as it seeks higher wages and a pay structure that incentivizes staff retention. The resort closed the same day, and its ownership has been working to recruit temporary workers so it can reopen some terrain “as soon as possible,” according to a statement.
Downtown Telluride still bustled as patrons filled stores and families carried sleds for a different kind of outdoor adventure. However, it’s unclear how long the town will stay busy without the promise of skiing. The week between Christmas and New Year’s Eve is typically one of the busiest of the winter season and because the strike and closure were announced with short notice, most visitors kept their trips, said Zoe Dohnal, Telluride town manager.
“We still have been able to maintain a number of the tourists that are coming in,” she said. “But that will change the longer that this continues.”
According to the Telluride Tourism Board, the town’s occupancy from Dec. 27 to Jan. 3 is down 22% this season compared to the last. A lack of snow and an uncharacteristically warm start to the winter could be in part to blame, though uncertainty about when – or if – the ski resort will be able to reopen is impacting the season outlook.
Over the past week, the number of lodging accommodations booked for the rest of the season dropped 54% year-over-year, said Kiera Skinner, the tourism board’s executive director.
“The information of the resort closing has definitely put a halt on bookings,” said Dohnal.
Dohnal and Telluride Mayor Teddy Errico spoke to The Denver Post in a joint interview about how the town is adapting without its main economic engine. For those currently visiting, they are pushing secondary activities like snowmobiling, snowshoeing, ice skating and other special events curated for the holidays. Going forward, however, those may be more difficult sells.
“The reality is everyone comes to Telluride to ski,” Errico said, adding he is optimistic the resort will soon announce plans to reopen. “We know the resort operations team is having conversations with the forest service and they are working diligently to get that temporary plan implemented ASAP, and we know that for a fact.”
This week, Telluride Ski Resort said it is working to open limited terrain and recruit temporary workers, such as medical professionals, to fill the gaps in patrol staffing. Reached by text, owner Chuck Horning said there are unique challenges to operating a resort like Telluride and that it requires cooperation and a shared community vision for success, something that can be difficult when there are competing goals and interests.
Horning’s relationship with the local community has been fraught in recent years, marked by disputes over using the resort’s land for summer events and cost-sharing of the area’s gondola system, to name a few.
“(It’s) hard to operate a remote resort where the income is dramatically less than most resorts, and the costs are pretty much the same. A wonderful challenge, but worlds different than most resorts,” he wrote.
“We’ve not had good snow yet this season, but we’re accustomed to adverse conditions. We’re here to provide an amazing, safe experience for nice people. One way or another, we’ll get open,” he added.
Horning did not address the strike in his texts or whether he was open to meeting the patrollers’ demands. Graham Hoffman, president of the patrollers’ union, said he had not heard from resort representatives about continuing negotiations. “The ball is in their court,” he said.
And if the resort doesn’t budge? “It’s an ugly future. I’m not sure what else to say on that,” Hoffman said.
Unease about the strike was palpable among locals this week. Jesse Pekkala, who has lived in Telluride for 25 years, said he hadn’t seen residents so divided over an issue since a high-profile battle to preserve the town’s valley floor from development.
“I support ski patrol, I support what they do, but I also support compromise,” Pekkala said. “It’s kind of deadlocked, and I feel like both parties are going to have to give in in order to get past this and get through it.”
The stakes are, no doubt, high. Without tourism, local businesses will suffer, which will have a trickle-down effect on the workforce. Dohnal said the town is preparing to support residents and businesses, though the specifics of how are yet to be determined. There may be, for example, some leniency for those who live in employee housing, which comes with a prerequisite number of hours they have to work.
Despite all the uncertainty, Errico said it’s too early to panic and that he remains hopeful things will be resolved soon.
“I’m not worried, I’ll say that, but I am concerned,” he said. “We only have three months left in our season. We know that the impact, if it lands, is people losing their jobs, people boarding up their restaurants. That’s the reality that could hit. But we’re doing everything in our power to mitigate those concerns.”