Telluride to partially reopen amid ongoing labor dispute at Colorado ski resort

The Telluride Ski Resort in Colorado announced it will partially reopen next week. The resort closed a week ago due to a labor dispute with the ski patrol union over wages.

On Christmas Eve, the Telluride Professional Ski Patrol Association voted to begin a strike the following Saturday after negotiations failed to reach an agreement on patroller pay. The union says patrollers want starting pay to be raised to a level more in line with other ski resorts.

But even before the strike, unseasonably warm weather kept the majority of the resort's trails closed. Only 20 of 149 trails have been open this season.

In a statement Friday, the Telluride Tourism Board said total occupancy rates over the next two weeks are pacing 19% behind this time last year. They added that January has seen a significant impact, with an 11% drop so far.

"With the strike enacted and resort closed, this week showed the first wave of cancellations and trip changes, with December and the Holidays now down about 12% as of Monday," the board said. "However, there is still solid carryover of holiday traffic Jan 4-10, with departures staging down through the week."

The resort said it met with the union on Jan. 3 and revised its last offer, but ski patrol said, "They did not bring more money to the table; they just moved it around."

Resort officials announced Saturday that Lift 1, Meadows Magic Carpet and the children's learning center will resume operations on Monday. The ski area said it was developing a safety plan to support the reopening in a social media post.

The tourism board reported that the next three weeks will be critical for spring bookings if the resort resumes operation.