Ski patrollers press for higher pay in pricey mountain resort towns

Ski patrollers in Western U.S. resort towns have struck or unionized to press for higher wages as local housing costs rose sharply; the Telluride strike on Dec. 27 closed the resort during the holiday season.

Ski patrollers in several Western U.S. mountain towns are pressing for higher pay, and some have staged strikes or moved to organize unions. In Telluride, veteran patroller Tony Daranyi said he earns about $32 an hour while newer patrollers make about $21, and he and colleagues walked off the job on Dec. 27, shutting the resort during the holiday period. Patrollers say rising local housing costs after the pandemic are a central reason they are seeking higher wages. The issue has spread across resort communities as workers point to pay that they say does not match the training and risks involved. Key facts: - In Telluride, Tony Daranyi has worked as a ski patroller for 27 years and is a certified EMT with avalanche forecasting and mitigation training; he reported about $32 an hour for seasoned patrollers and about $21 for newer staff, and the patrol strike on Dec. 27 closed the resort during the holidays. - Similar labor actions have occurred elsewhere: Park City patrollers struck about a year ago and most terrain was closed for nearly two weeks; Jackson Hole patrollers voted to unionize last fall; other patrollers at Keystone, Eldora Mountain and Arapahoe Basin have organized, and the United Mountain Workers reports about 1,000 members. - Ski patrollers perform first aid, rescue stranded guests and use explosives to reduce avalanche risk; their skills and training make them difficult to replace during work stoppages. - A Harvard University analysis found home prices in rural vacation communities rose about 47% in the three years after the pandemic began, with Western vacation communities up about 51%, and rural areas saw a population gain of about 540,400 from 2021 to 2023 compared with a prior three-year loss. - The job carries serious safety risks; the article reports a recent avalanche at Mammoth Mountain that killed ski patroller Cole Murphy and injured another patroller. Summary: Wage disputes have led some ski patrollers to strike or unionize, disrupting resort operations during busy periods and underscoring tensions between pay and rising local living costs. Undetermined at this time.