Killer Company's: The chairs are spinning

Thursday, December 04, 2025

The chairs are spinning

Email not displaying correctly? View the web version

It's beginning to look a lot like ski season

After a slow and late start to winter, the chairs at our closest resorts will finally start spinning this weekend.

Powderhorn opens tomorrow and Telluride Saturday, and the weekend's storm allowed Monarch to get going on Tuesday.

And while I can't wait to get out and ride, there's still one big question on the table when it comes to what the season will look like this year.

Will Telluride's ski patrol strike?

The union and mountain have just two more scheduled negotiations over the next two days, and they don't seem to be getting much closer to a deal.

I dug into the topic, including what ski patrol entails, how much training it requires, and the negotiations, last weekend. I also tried to piece together what we know about Telski's plan for responding to a strike— and the mountain has said little on that front.

We are getting very close to the possibility of a strike, and how it plays out could affect the rest of the season for anyone skiing at the resort. Avalanche-prone terrain like Revy Bowl may not open all season if it's not properly mitigated this month, and ski patrollers unfamiliar with the mountain terrain could be the ones responding to incidents if the pros strike.

I'll check back in with the union after the last few days of negotiations, and I encourage anyone who skis (or even who doesn't) to check out last Saturday's Outdoors page to learn more about what ski patrol does— and the stakes if they don't do it right.

Cheers,
Kylea

INVEST IN YOUR LOCAL JOURNALISM
Just $2.15 per week - Become a member of your community today.

Healing Horses — Equine-based nonprofit Metaphorse helps people navigate life's challenges

Metaphorse, an equine-assisted learning nonprofit, was built on the belief that horses can bring out emotional honesty, confidence and healing in ways traditional environments can't. Monique Olson certainly found that to be true.

'They want to know who's showing up for their birth': Middle Way Midwifery moves downtown

Giving birth is an undeniably intimate experience, and midwife Jaime Doty knows some mothers prefer to do so at home, attended by a trusted provider they've already developed a relationship with.