Solitude Ski Patrol Union Secures Unprecedented Contract

Originally posted on Powder | By Ian Greenwood | Last updated Jul 17, 2025 7:17 AM ET

After eight months of negotiations over two seasons, the Solitude Ski Patrol Union (SSPU) ratified its first contract with Solitude Mountain Resort, Utah, on July 10, 2025.

The SSPU shared the news in a social media post Wednesday, writing, “We could not be more proud of the work we have achieved here, from getting our patrol empowered enough to stand up and unionize, to getting an incredibly strong contract not only written, but done so in a timely manner.”

According to the SSPU, the contract includes a $1,300 gear stipend for full-time patrollers, two separate $100 monthly stipends for healthcare and wellness, and an average base wage increase of 10%. The starting wage for ski patrol rookies is now $24, the SSPU said, calling the compensation associated with the contract “industry-leading.”

We’ve contacted Solitude Mountain Resort for comment and will update this article if we receive a response.

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In April 2024, Solitude Mountain Resort’s ski patrollers voted to unionize, with 70% of its 37 patrol members voting in favor. They were the first group of ski patrollers to try to form a union at an Alterra Mountain Company property. Alterra Mountain Company announced that it had entered an agreement to buy Solitude Mountain Resort in 2018.

In pursuing unionization, Solitude Mountain Resort’s ski patrollers hoped to improve pay and employee retention as well as secure healthcare benefits.

“Organizing will give us the ability to collaborate with our parent company and allow us to create a workplace worth returning to year after year,” a portion of the SSPU’s mission statement reads.

The SSPU’s unionization efforts align with a broader trend across the Mountain West. At ski resorts like Keystone, Colorado; Eldora Mountain Resort, Colorado; and Arapahoe Basin, Colorado, patrollers have all made recent union pushes.

At Park City Mountain, Utah, a 12-day ski patrol union strike during the holidays last winter produced a national media circus as guests complained about limited terrain and long lift lines. The strike ended with the ratification of a new contract for the Park City Mountain patrollers.

This article first appeared on Powder and was syndicated with permission.

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