Industry News
Telluride Ski Resort has announced it plans to open Lift 1 on Monday, the first terrain it has opened since the ski patrol strike began on December 27. The Telluride Times reported that internal communications from Telski stated “contingency EMS and patrol staff” will be used to staff the opening. Unless an agreement is reached on Saturday or Sunday, these contingency workers will have to cross picket lines to staff the mountain. Last year, during the ski patrol strike at Park City, mountain management chose to open limited terrain, but reports from the mountain suggested that operations were far from smooth.
Negotiations between Telski and the Telluride Professional Ski Patrol Association began in June 2025 but have slowed significantly in the last several weeks. The Telluride Professional Ski Patrol Association posted on its website that the last three offers they received from Telski were all identical, and did not make any movement towards an agreement. The bargaining team for the union is working to secure pay increases for the ski patrol’s most experienced and highly skilled members, who are responsible for avalanche mitigation work, including the use of a military howitzer, high-angle rescue, accident investigations, and other duties critical to maintaining safe skiing operations.
Chuck Horning has no respect for our Beautiful Community. Hard working, good people; that own restaurants, hotels, retail businesses. Health Care workers, Dr.’s, Nurses. Attorneys, Child & Day Card workers. Chefs, dedicated staff, serving breakfasts, lunches, dinners, cater our parties, Veterinarians who care for our pets, pet groomers, pet day care workers.
Park & Recreation workers, those who plow snow from our streets, pick up our trash, clean our homes, dry clean, & laundry our clothes, Spa workers, Seamstresses, Hairdressers. A list that is certainly not in any order of importance. We’re all the people that keep this community moving day to day. THIS EFFECTS ALL OF CHUCK HORNING.
STRESS WORRY FOR ALL OUR LIVELIHOODS.
ENTHUSIASTIC SUPPORTER OF THE TELLURIDE SKI PATROL! Not only are the Telluride Ski Patrol undervalued, I believe that they should be dramatically higher wages and benefits than they are seeking. The owner of Telluride Ski Area, Chuck Horning, is a PIG.
If you value your ski patrollers so much, why do you not pay your EMT’s and Firefighters more?