Not surprised at the fallout. And also not surprised that this seems that it will go on longer than most strikes:
Saw that.
Yes, the Telluride Ski Patrol needs to realize they have no real leverage against a deranged, mean-spirited, narcissistic, wealthy owner who does not care and can afford to lose $1M+ per day. This is similar to how Donald Trump treated contractors - basically won every single time because you can outlast things. It's hardball business tactics. It's perhaps morally wrong, but Telluride is not a public company where you can apply pressure through multiple channels. There is no real pathway or strategy to success.
Yes, SkiPatrol deserves a raise, and they deal with some of the steepest terrain and the most unstable snowpack in the USA. But they have been given a significant raise However, Ski Patrol has been a bit inflexible in its demand to get to $29/hr versus the current $27/hr offer.
I have grown tired of the online support groups for the Telluride Ski Patrol being led by and full of West Coasters who are not part of the Telluride Community in the least (outside of maybe visiting one for Bluegrass). It's all Portlandia, rent-controlled Berkeley types, maybe some Colorado Western Slopers - and almost every hippie/leftist in a West Coast town who wants to "Fight The Power!" Most constructive comments/posters are quickly cancelled/censored.
At the Town of Telluride/Mountain Village meetings yesterday, many people testified/cried for ski patrol. A lot of politicians were like: Give me an f-ing break. You are out to lunch. Reality please!
Some businesses are closing - some permanently. Many seasonal workers have fled. They want to ski for a winter, not be broke in some mountain town with picket lines. Most businesses gave everything 2 weeks to get sorted out. (Park City lasted 12 days). Telski Ski Company will start laying people off this weekend without any resolution. My brother will likely do mass layoffs this weekend.
I am very happy to report that Telluride Ski Patrol is not raising much money via GoFundMe and is falling well short of its $360k goal. They are not even 50% there. This is less than $1.5k per patroller for the last 2 weeks; can't live on that! I do not want to enable their behavior and picket lines.
Essentially, Telluride Ski Patrol is done; they made their point, they got a 25%+ raise, but they need to be cognizant of the community and live in reality. They have no power and no endgame to prevail, except community self-destruction. I cannot support them or this path forward.
And let's compare to the Vail Resorts agreement with the Park City Ski Patrol:
After the Park City ski patrol strike at Park City Mountain Resort (owned by Vail Resorts) ended in early January 2025, the new labor contract included higher wages for ski patrollers as part of the settlement:
Pay rates agreed after the strike:
- Starting rate for entry-level ski patrollers: $23 per hour (up from about $21) — a $2/hr increase.
- Experienced ski patrollers: received larger raises, with an average increase of about $4/hr compared with pre-strike pay. Some senior patrollers saw their wage go up by about $7.75/hr.
- That means most patrol workers ended up earning in the low-to-mid-$20s per hour, with the highest increases going to the most tenured staff under the new contract.
Again, I cannot support either Chuck Horning or the Telluride Ski Patrol. I am done with both of them.
And yes, I speak with Gaham Hoffman, Head of Telluride Ski Patrol, and even rode the chairlift with him last winter/February 2025. Asked all about controlling and opening the Gold Hill Chutes. Great guy!
