Early Tuesday morning Arapahoe Basin sold to Alterra Mountain Company, owner of the Ikon Pass.
Just hours before, late Monday night, a group of A-Basin ski patrollers announced it was filing to unionize. The group confirmed this on a new Instagram account, ABSPUnion.
“As of today our patrol has submitted a petition to become a union,” the group said via Instagram. “The union will guarantee that we have a voice at the table to negotiate for what is important to us as a staff. We hope to work closely with management to ensure we receive the benefits, compensation, and respect we deserve for our hard work.”
Already ABSPUnion is getting lots of love from others, like the IG account breckskipatrol, saying, “Best of luck to you all for a smooth process! You have our support from across the county.”
From Utah, solitudeskipatrolunion writes, “Exciting news! We wish you the best!!”
The timing is curious. Did the sale to Alterra have anything to do with it?
“We are organizing to elevate our voices regardless of who is in charge :),” ABSPUnion writes.
In a later post the union backers say this is about protecting what they are owed.
“Our close collaboration is key to our success, as we manage not only medical coverage for the mountain but also set up infrastructure, carry out avalanche mitigation, and train specialized rescue teams, among many other responsibilities,” ABSPUnion writes. “Help us to continue to strive towards greatness every day.”
If successful A-Basin patrollers would join Breckenridge, Keystone and Loveland with union backing.