Officials at Colorado’s Telluride Ski Resort say it will close Saturday due to a labor dispute
ByMEAD GRUVER Associated Press
December 24, 2025, 7: 10 PM
FORT COLLINS, Colo. — Telluride, one of the best-known ski resorts in the Western U.S., plans to close in the coming days due to a labor dispute between its owner and the ski patrol union.
The Telluride Professional Ski Patrol Association voted Tuesday to strike Saturday after contract negotiations since June failed to yield an agreement on pay. With no more talks planned before the weekend, Telluride Ski Resort said it will not open that day.
“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,” owner Chuck Horning said Wednesday in a statement.
It was not immediately clear whether the closure will last longer. Resort officials were working on a plan to reopen even if the strike continues, according to the statement.
The patrollers are seeking to be paid more in line with their counterparts at other resorts in the region.
The union wants starting pay to rise from $21 to $28 per hour, and for wa