Thanks to the longest professional ski patrol strike in U.S. history, 2025/2026 was Telluride Ski Resort’s (Telski) most chaotic ski season ever. The Telluride Professional Ski Patrol Association had been working without a contract since August 31, and after 99% of the members voted to authorize a strike on December 23, owner Chuck Horning made an unprecedented call: rather than operate with replacement patrollers, Telski would shut the entire mountain starting December 27 (although Horning later attempted to find replacements).
The patrol’s core demand was straightforward: fix what union president Graham Hoffman called a “broken and compressed wage structure” that was bleeding experienced patrollers out of a county where the average home runs $1.5 million and rent averages $8,000 a month. The union wanted starting wages bumped from $21 to $28 an hour; Telski countered with a 13% raise plus 5% COLAs for the next two seasons. The 13-day stoppage ended January 8 when patrollers ratified a deal delivering a roughly 20% raise over three years and folding supervisors into the bargaining unit, but falling short of fully fixing wage compression.
The latest chaotic development in Telluride? The downhill mountain bike park won’t open for the 2026 season.
Statement from Telluride Mountain
“Due to the Lift 4 operational upgrade project scheduled for this spring, we’ve made the difficult decision to plan for a closure of the Telluride Bike Park for the upcoming summer season,” wrote Telluride Mountain. “This project will begin immediately following the mountain’s closure in April. While we explored multiple options, there are too many variables that would need to align in order to provide lift-served and/or alternative access to the Bike Park during construction.”
This closure will affect “all downhill, technical, and free-ride trails,” but the cross-country and hiking trails on the mountain will remain open.
A local news article raises questions about the motivation behind the closure
On April 22, The Telluride Times published an article about the bike park closure, including rumors circulating through the community. David Wernet, one of the builders who helped create the current rendition of the park and the bike park trail crew manager since 2021, told the Times reporter the bike park was initially slated for a delayed opening in late July. But before the winter season had even ended, Wernet was told that the bike park wouldn’t open “no matter what,” and that there wouldn’t even be any trail work available for him at the mountain.
“I tried to convince them that this was a really bad idea,” Wernet said in a quote to the Times. Instead of working for Telski, Wernet is now building trails in Arkansas.
Due to the park closure, numerous mountain bike tourists have chosen to cancel their planned trips to Telluride and are heading to other iconic Colorado bike parks instead, according to anecdotes from local business owners like Steven Steinberg, owner of Telluride Cyclery.
“30-40 full-time employees will be affected by the closure, along with a similar number of part-timers,” according to the Times. In addition to lost wages, the closure will make it difficult for year-round employees to reach the 1,300 hours required to qualify for benefits.
Is this retribution against the employees who led the strike over the winter?
The question on everyone’s mind is whether or not this bike park closure is, in part, retaliation against the employees who led the strike and forced the resort closure over the winter. According to the Times, the rumor is widespread in the Telluride community, but they were unable to confirm or deny the allegations.
One thing’s for sure: if you want to ride downhill in Southwest Colorado, you’ll have to skip Telluride this year. According to the latest reports, the bike park at nearby Purgatory Mountain will be open for the 2026 season, following a closure last year.
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