Telluride Resumes Snowmaking, Is Working To Reopen "As Soon as Possible"

The popular Colorado ski resort, Telluride, announced that it has resumed snowmaking efforts and is working on a plan to safely reopen as soon as possible amid a unionized ski patrol strike that began on December 27, at the height of the busy holiday season.

“Please stay tuned for further updates,” the resort wrote in the social media update, noting that colder temperatures have allowed for snowmaking. The mountain, like others in Colorado, has seen a warm and largely snowless start to winter.

Check out Telluride's latest update below. Keep reading for more on this developing story.

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On Telluride’s job portal, there are openings for temporary ski patrollers, which were posted before the resort closed and aimed at ensuring “continued operations” due to a “potential labor dispute.” 

Nancy Clark, a representative for Telluride, said that “the resort has formed a recruitment team, led by industry professionals. The goal is to hire qualified and experienced personnel to temporarily fill the gaps,” according to Denver7.

Last winter, Park City Mountain, Utah, also faced a ski patrol strike during the holidays. It remained open through the work stoppage, but faced complaints about limited terrain offerings and long lines for its chairlifts.

Telluride’s closure began the same day that the Telluride Professional Ski Patrol Association (TPSPA) went on strike. The strike came after the two parties couldn’t agree on a new contract after months of negotiations. 

The patrollers rejected the contract Telluride offered on December 8, and have said the ski resort hasn’t budged since then. TPSPA also noted that it has dropped healthcare and a higher gear stipend from its bid. Telluride, in a web post about the strike, said its offer included “industry-leading, livable, and sustainable wages.”

After the rejection, 99% of the TPSPA’s members voted to strike.

“The heart of this community has been shrinking for years. It is impossible to live here on these wages. We all know this,” the patrollers wrote in a recent statement, in an apparent nod to the notoriously high cost of living in ski country. According to Zillow, the average rent for a one-bedroom property in the Town of Telluride is $3,336, which is 122% higher than the national average. 

Following the strike vote, Chuck Horning, the owner of Telluride, confirmed that the ski resort would close.

“Telluride didn’t make this decision—the strike nor the timing of it,” his statement read, in part. “We are concerned that any organization, particularly one that exists to help people, would do something that will have such a devastating effect on our community.”

The patrollers, in their statement, used similar language.

“The Ski Patrol did not make any decision to close this mountain. That is not, and has never been, our decision to make,” they wrote.

“Chuck Horning and Steve Swenson (a representative for the resort) have no idea what it takes to subsist here. However, they do know exactly what it takes to devastate this community,” their statement continued.

The recent snowmaking announcement comes as local worries around Telluride’s closure intensify. The ski resort is the Town of Telluride’s wintertime economic engine, employing workers and driving traffic to restaurants.

“We recognize the strain and uncertainty this labor dispute places on local businesses, residents, employees, and guests,” the Town wrote in a statement, adding that local officials are “continuing to urge a speedy and amicable resolution to contract negotiations.”

The Town of Telluride also dismissed calls to use taxpayer funds to bridge the gap between the resort and the patrollers, writing, “While the merits of this approach have been considered, the regional governments have consulted labor counsel and have been told that such contributions are prohibited under applicable labor laws.”