Less than 3 months after filing for unionization, the ski patrol at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort has concluded its effort to unionize.
On Nov. 20, 2025, the group filed paperwork with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to hold a union election. After several months of organizing, 93% of the 88 patrollers signed the petition to form a union.
Like other ski patrol outfits that have unionized in Park City and Telluride, patrollers in Jackson Hole argued that wages were not keeping pace with the high cost of living in the resort community they serve. Teton County is one of the wealthiest (and most expensive) counties in the U.S.
On Jan. 8, the ski patrol held its union election. As documented by the NLRB, 32 voted yes, 42 voted no, and 16 ballots were contested. Supervisors, managerial employees, and other subsectors of workers were excluded from voting, resulting in the contested ballots.
After the election resulted in a majority voting against unionization, the next step would have been deciding the fate of the contested ballots. The NLRB would’ve accepted or rejected those ballots, which were numerous enough to affect the outcome. Instead, the ski patrol withdrew its bid for unionization.
On Jan. 9, the ski patrol posted its decision on Instagram. “After a vote, we have chosen as a team to not unionize at this time,” it stated. “The petition and vote have created space for dialogue and to give new ownership the opportunity to listen and respond.”
The Kemmerer family, longtime owners of the resort, sold Jackson Hole in 2024. The new owners include local investors Eric Macy and Mike Corbat.
GearJunkie reached out to JHSP for comment, but they did not respond by the time of publication.
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