Winter of discontent

As the stalemate drags on in Telluride over what is considered fair wages for the resort’s patrollers, local leaders say the strike and subsequent closure of Telluride Ski Resort is already exacting significant damage on the town’s economy.

According to the Denver Post, Town Manager Zoe Dohnal said the number of lodging accommodations booked during the month ending Jan. 5 was down 41% compared to last year. And while some of this could be attributed to the winter that’s not really a winter, resorts across Colorado and Utah are only reporting drops of about 6.3%, she said.

But the closure doesn’t just affect lodging owners, with everyone from the patrollers themselves to shop and restaurant owners and their staff, being affected.

In an interview Tuesday with the Denver Post, president of the Telluride Professional Ski Patrol Association Graham Hoffman said it is unfair to pin the situation solely on the ski patrol. “This is a much bigger issue that we just happen to be at the forefront of,” he said, referring to the fact that the entire winter economy is driven by a single entity, the ski resort. “Just because we’re refusing to sacrifice our safety and our wellbeing for this does not mean we don't care. This is our profession; these are our lives.”

Hoffman said bargaining continued last weekend, and the union countered an offer from the resort on Sat., Jan. 3.

In the meantime, folks are stepping up to help those who are out of work. Multiple restaurants have offered free meals, and other ski patrols, including from Breckenridge and Park City, have sent groceries to be used in pop-up food banks. There is also $500,000 in the Telluride Foundation’s “Good Neighbor Fund” to help cover rent for locals impacted by the closure. In addition, a GoFundMe page has been set up for patrollers.

Katherine Devlin, vice president of the Telluride Professional Ski Patrol Association, told the Telluride Times that some of the funds from GoFundMe, which had raised $155,000 as of Wednesday, will be transferred to the Good Neighbor Fund, which helps the entire community and not just patrollers.

“What is appropriate for us is to really lean into the Good Neighbor Fund at this time,” the foundation’s President and CEO Jason Corzine, told the Times. “It can be the safety net support for everybody impacted by the strike, not just patrol. That’s the beauty of the Good Neighbor Fund – it is there to serve all community members.”