Telluride plans to open this weekend even as contentious ski patrollers union talks continue

Telluride Ski Resort is scheduled to open this Saturday a week later than originally planned after winter storms dropped much-needed snow on the mountains in southwestern Colorado The resort disclosed Monday it would open one lift with access to limited terrain and continue snow making operations as temperatures permit with the goal of opening additional terrain as rapidly and safely as manageable Related Chuck Horning s leadership of Telluride Ski Golf has led to a deteriorating relationship with the locality The weather however wasn t the only reason locals in recent months speculated that the ski season might further be delayed Since June the resort s ownership has been negotiating a new contract with its ski patrollers union the Telluride Professional Ski Patrol Association In latest weeks those negotiations have turned contentious with the union voting to authorize a strike and subsequently staging a practice picket in downtown Telluride The main sticking point throughout bargaining has been compensation union president Graham Hoffman described The Denver Post Ski patrollers perform a variety of functions on the mountain from assisting skiers who need medicinal help to avalanche mitigation and maintenance and more So far this winter they have been preparing the resort to host guests by assessing the safety of the conditions and packing snow across the mountain Given the technical skills required for the job the union is seeking to secure at least an hour base pay for its -plus members Hoffman mentioned there are at present approaches for patrollers to do additional training and move up the pay scale to earn more per hour but that greater part still don t reach the union s desired threshold We re trying to get everyone closer to and over and lay out a roadmap that will help with the retention of this patrol he reported Telluride Ski Resort defended its current wage offer in a declaration sent to The Denver Post and accused the patrollers union of bargaining in bad faith Both parties have repeatedly cited what they believe is considered a living wage in their area one of Colorado s the majority expensive places to live with a disparity of about per hour Related Articles Mikaela Shiffrin thrills crowd of at Copper Mountain with th World Cup win Here s how ski patrols train to evacuate chairlifts and gondolas when they break down Outside festival forced to move will have new name and location in Nothing beats the thrill of watching downhill daredevils ski at mph at Beaver Creek Driving a WD carriage on I- in a storm New traction law requires chains or anti-slip devices Ski patrol unions garnered a lot of attention during the previous ski season when patrollers at Vail Resorts-owned Park City Mountain Resort in Utah held a -day strike before Vail agreed to a deal Unions at resorts in Colorado including Keystone Breckenridge and Arapahoe Basin also made news While the Telluride union has not yet released a strike Hoffman stated patrollers are in an increasingly uncomfortable position Christmas and New Year s Eve are the busiest times of the season at Telluride Ski Resort and it remains unclear exactly how operations would be impacted should the patrollers initiate a work stoppage Speaking on local radio last week resort spokesperson Steve Swenson mentioned that much of the mountain would likely have to remain closed in the event of a strike As a contingency the resort is at this moment hiring temporary ski patrollers We don t want to go down this road Hoffman stated We know what this is going to do to the public and we love this area this is our group And we love this mountain we want to keep going to work The resort and the union have two more bargaining sessions scheduled for this Friday and Saturday Subscribe to our weekly newsletter The Adventurist to get outdoors news sent straight to your inbox