Ski patrollers warm to unions to cope with low pay, high costs in resort areas

Dec 27, 2023
They provide essential services like emergency rescue and avalanche prevention, but they often can't afford to live near where they work.
Ski patroller Jake Miller at Eldora Mountain Resort. He loves the job but struggled with the compensation.
Courtesy Miller

Western resort towns see record-breaking real estate prices — and housing woes

Mar 6, 2023
More wealthy people are moving to mountain communities, pushing up home values and pushing out some local workers.
Ariel Kazunas says she’s dealt with unstable housing for most of the decade she's lived in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. For one season, she lived out of a vehicle.
Courtesy Joey Sackett

This Colorado brewery subsidized housing to attract workers

Dec 26, 2022
In Ouray, Colorado, high-priced housing is a labor force issue.
During the pandemic, Erin Eddy, owner of the Ouray Brewery in Southwestern Colorado began subsidizing housing for employees to help alleviate the staffing shortage. Above, the Ouray Brewery in October of 2021.
Courtesy Erin Eddy

Remote workers have stayed in Truckee, California, but not the local workforce

Aug 16, 2022
Skyrocketing housing costs are driving out the local labor force, leaving all kinds of businesses in the small town short-staffed.
Truckee, California, became a haven for remote workers early in the pandemic.
Matt Gush/Getty Images