The Telluride Ski Patrol labor strike is not just an East End issue. Many people who live in Norwood, Nucla and Naturita work for Telluride Ski Resort, as snow groomers, in the offices and for ski school. Others are impacted too, since they work in the service industry.
Negotiations failed over the weekend. On Monday, Jan. 5, a small portion of the resort was set to open — just Chair 1, a beginner run, plus the children’s learning area — without ski patrol. Some management workers were going to fill in the gap left by the strike.
Liz Foley, of Norwood, works for TelSki as an instructor. She told the Forum she’s not too worried about money now, but if the strike continues, it will definitely impact her livelihood.
“The strike is currently affecting at least some of my coworkers, probably most,” she told the Forum. “TelSki’s offer is published on the ski resort’s website. Where is the publication of the patrol's demands? It, in fact, is our business; it is my business that I have built. It is my co-workers’. Patrol gets the same hourly, whether we have 1,000 skiers or 10,000, in case recent actions, or inactions, didn’t make that clear. Ours is driven by return business and ideally request business.”
Foley said TelSki’s owner Chuck Horning didn’t voluntarily close the ski area. She said when patrol enacted the strike, it violated TelSki’s lease with the USFS, and the ski area is prohibited to operate without a safety plan per the lease.
“Closure was a result of patrol no longer working,” she said.
Foley said at this point, it’s not worth being “right.”
“The TelSki side of the argument likely comes from one person, maybe a few,” she said. “The other side consists of an 80-member patrol, plus outside union players. Common sense has a much higher rate in showing up in the latter, simply because there are more minds.”
Foley said for anyone wanting to be a true hero, they should rise above the “squabble.”
“You don’t always get what you want in life, but you get as much as you can while still considering the welfare of those around you, hopefully, whom your decisions affect,” she said. “At some point you’ve got to see beyond yourself, or you’re no better than whom you accuse.”
Charlie DeFelice, of Norwood, was a ski instructor for 30 years, until 2025 when he decided not to return to teaching. He said the strike is not impacting him personally. DeFelice said he has other things to do, including carpentry, and doesn’t need to drive to Telluride every day.
Regarding the current situation, he said “the whole thing is kind of silly.” He’s talked to Horning, personally, and believes that one day of regular operations on the mountain would pay the patrol what they’re asking for — “which is not that much,” he added.
“I think they deserve to get the money they’re looking for,” he said. “They’re professional … How will you replace someone like that, TelSki?”
DeFelice said there are other things the mountain needs done too. He’d like to see more intermediate runs for skiers and Chair 7 worked on, since it’s long overdue and the longest-running chairlift in Colorado. He also referenced the “snafu” at Giuseppe’s, wherein the plumbing wasn’t inspected and the building is now “worthless.” He said that money could’ve been used to pay patrol.
DeFelice said he understands that TelSki might be worried that others will ask for more money, if they agree to patrol’s wage increases; however, he believes everyone deserves a bit more money. His opinion is that TelSki could be more community-minded.
“Patrol didn’t come out of the clear blue sky,” he said. “They asked (for wage increases) over the summer.”
He said the strike is affecting “everybody.”
For those who’d like to read about the negotiations, the offers and other information are online at https://tellurideskiresort.com/ski-patrol-negotiations/ .
The Forum also reached out to others employed by the resort and who reside in the West End: Sherri Reeder, Heather Curtis, Ian Kirkwood, John Miller and Kenny King. None of the aforementioned were available, or felt comfortable, to comment.
