On Monday, October 23, 2023, a supermajority of ski patrollers and medics at Eldora Mountain Resort filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to hold an election for union representation in affiliation with the United Professional Ski Patrols of America (UPSPA, CWA 7781). The Eldora Professional Ski Patrol Association (EPSPA) is joining a growing movement of unionized patrollers working to adapt to the mounting financial pressures of living in high-cost areas and the spiking visitor numbers of today’s ski industry.

71% of the patrollers and medics on Eldora’s patrol team signed cards signaling their desire to hold an election for representation by CWA 7781. The team will hold a union election monitored by the National Labor Relations Board in the next 20-40 days. If a majority of voting members cast ballots in favor, the patrol team will unionize and move towards negotiating its inaugural labor contract with Powdr, the corporate owner of Eldora.

Patrollers cite turnover as an issue that has grown in recent years, with lack of overtime and compensation failing to meet the surging cost of living in Boulder County and its surrounding areas. Eldora has seen peak visitor numbers skyrocket since 2021 as a result of expanded parking capacity and unlimited ski days for IKON pass holders, all while staffing on patrol has remained stagnant. The unionization effort aims to maintain industry standards for hazard and risk management while providing high-quality emergency response to Front Range skiers and snowboarders.

In their mission statement, EPSPA says: “Eldora is a business, and we wish for it to succeed; we firmly believe that by having a collective voice we will be able to ensure this to the maximum of our abilities. Prosperity in our field is rooted in open communication and honest dialogue, and we see UPSPA membership as the means to this end.”

Recent years in Colorado have seen patrol teams from Breckenridge, Telluride, Purgatory Resort and Loveland Pass vote to join UPSPA, of which Crested Butte and Steamboat Springs were early members. Eldora Professional Ski Patrol Association would represent nearly 40 employees whose skilled onmountain expertise is necessary for daily mountain operations.

ABOUT CWA 7781: The United Professional Ski Patrols of America represents over 700 ski patrollers and lift maintenance crews at ten resorts across the Mountain West, including Big Sky, Breckenridge, Purgatory, Park City, and Steamboat Springs. The CWA is committed to improving the working conditions of Ski Patrollers—who statistics show have one of the most dangerous jobs in the United States and Canada—and within the ski industry in general.