Telluride Ski Resort remained closed on Monday, as its ski patrollers spent their third day on strike.
The union, known as the Telluride Professional Ski Patrol Association, walked off the job on Saturday — during the busy holiday tourist season — following months of negotiations with the resort ownership over a new contract. The patrollers are seeking higher wages and a pay structure that incentivizes retention so that it can keep staff who are knowledgeable and experienced with the terrain specific to this area of the San Juan Mountains.
Union president Graham Hoffman said these asks received renewed importance over the weekend after members learned a ski patroller at Mammoth Mountain in California died from injuries sustained during avalanche mitigation and a subsequent avalanche. Another patroller was injured during the incident, according to Mammoth Mountain.
“It just speaks to the unpredictability and danger of our job on any given day,” Hoffman said. “When we go to work, you never know what’s going to happen.”
Representatives for Telluride Ski Resort could not be reached for comment on Monday. But last week, spokesperson Nancy Clark said by email that in order to reopen, “we have to have a plan in place that ensures the safety of all guests, which means we need to have an appropriate number of skilled and qualified personnel. We are working on that plan now.”
There are indications the mountain intends to reopen at some point. For example, snowmaking took place over the weekend as Colorado experienced a cold snap.
Over the last three days, the Telluride Professional Ski Patrol Association’s 70-plus members have been picketing near the gondola station in downtown Telluride, as well as walking through town and traveling to the neighboring Mountain Village to spread the word about their cause. It’s unclear how long they will be on strike; Hoffman said he has not heard from the resort and there are not currently plans to go back to the bargaining table.
“There’s no saying how long this is going to last,” he said. “We did everything we possibly could to avert this and we will happily come off the line once there’s a contract that addresses our broken structure and concerns.”
When asked last week if there were plans to resume negotiations, Clark said, “The ski resort is always open to continue discussions exploring how this offer may be arranged to better meet the ski patrol union’s priorities.”