In a growing trend across the snowsports industry, the patrol team at Arapahoe Basin Ski Area has formally filed a petition to unionize.

According to an announcement over social media on Monday, Nov. 18, A-Basin ski patrol filed a petition with 70% support under the United Professional Ski Patrol of America Local 7781.

The news came a day before Dream Unlimited Corp. officially sold A-Basin to Alterra Mountain Co. on Tuesday, Nov. 19.

Although the union announcement looks like it coincides with the sale of the ski area to Alterra, fourth-year A-Basin ski patroller Ben DeSutter says that unionization talks began long before the sale.

“The Alterra acquisition may have spurred us just a little bit, but had Alterra not bought A-Basin, we would still be going through this process at the same time as we are now,” DeSutter said.

According to DeSutter, talks about unionization first started among ski patrollers around two years ago. However, it wasn’t until this past summer that the conversation grew more serious between a larger group of patrollers.

“That was really spurred by seeing Breckenridge, Keystone and Loveland all unionizing,” DeSutter said. “That is also just the local resorts, we also talked with other patrollers across the country from Aspen, Park City to Solitude.”

As DeSutter mentioned, A-Basin is not the first ski patrol team in the area to work towards unionization. Back in 2021, patrollers at Breckenridge Ski Resort formed a union, and Keystone ski patrol successfully unionized last spring. 

As of the start of the 2024-25 winter season, patrollers at Breckenridge, Keystone and Loveland all are part of a union. Most recently, ski patrollers at Eldora Mountain Ski Resort near Boulder were able to successfully unionize in May after facing opposition from management and Powdr Corp.

After hearing from unionized patrollers, A-Basin ski patrol felt motivated to unionize as a team in hopes of receiving benefits, compensation and respect. 

“Right now our main concern with the union is solidifying what we currently have now as a workplace in a union contract,” DeSutter said. “Once we have that solidified we can start asking for more through our negotiation period.”

While in the negotiation period, DeSutter and third-year ski patroller Kali Flaherty says that A-Basin ski patrol could ask for things like additional incremental raises for EMTs, guaranteed start dates, gear and tools stipends, and an increase in pay.

Although A-Basin ski patrol has yet to have any conversations with management about the union, it does not expect to receive major push back or scrutiny. Instead, the employees who make up the smaller A-Basin ski patrol team are expecting to be listened to.

“I think it will go well,” Flaherty said. “We are a smaller patrol. It creates a more open dialogue than if we had a larger patrol. I have high hopes, plus I think management is willing to hear us. That has never not been the case. They have always been willing to hear us. It is just about having that guaranteed spot at the table.”

President and chief operating officer Alan Henceroth backed this sentiment by releasing a statement to the Summit Daily News that solidifies A-Basin’s continued effort to be a transparent and equitable place to work.

“Arapahoe Basin is an extraordinary resort providing incredible experiences for our guests and employees for almost 80 years,” Henceroth said in his written statement. “We take pride in being a transparent and equitable employer and are committed to continuing that while we work through this process with our ski patrol.”

A-Basin ski patrol will now navigate the unionization process, which can often be lengthy. For example, Alterra’s Solitude Mountain Resort in Utah filed a petition to unionize nine months ago and has just now entered the bargaining phase of the unionization process.

A-Basin ski patrol expects it will be approximately six weeks before patrollers can vote to become a union. During that time, patrollers will host a series of town halls, have conversations with management and further solidify what they want out of the union.

After the six-week period, the vote will take place. A-Basin ski patrol needs the majority of its on-staff patrollers who show up to vote to cast in favor of the union in order for the union to officially become recognized.

“The goal here is to really get 70% approval from our staff,” Flaherty said. “We don’t want a union to pass if we only have the 50% minimum. We want everybody to want this. We want our staff to be united. We want a united voice to come to that negotiation table down the line.” 

A vote has yet to be scheduled, but it is expected to take place right around the Christmas and New Year holidays. To follow along with A-Basin ski patrol’s unionization process, visit Instagram.com/abspunion/