UPDATE at 1:50 p.m. on Dec. 24: Telluride Ski Resort is preparing to close on Saturday, the day its ski patrollers are planning to strike.Spokesperson Nancy Clark confirmed to The Denver Post the resort will close until we can c reate a plan to safely reopen. The resort is planning to refund the cost of lift tickets and lessons to any holiday travelers who bought them ahead of time.Previous reporting:The ski patrollers at Telluride Ski Resort are planning to go on strike this weekend, following months of bargaining for a new union contract.On Tuesday night, the Telluride Professional Ski Patrollers Association announced a strike would commence on Saturday (Dec. 27), during the holiday ski season rush. Patrollers plan to walk off the job indefinitely, said union president Graham Hoffman, or until the resort will resume negotiations in good faith.Hoffman said he was deeply troubled by the situation and acutely aware of the impact this may have on the local community, especially during one of the busiest stretches of the winter. Ultimately, he said, the union presented its bottom line and solutions for ownership, but that the resort came back with its last, best and final offer that was already rejected by the unions 70-plus members earlier this month.Continue reading this story on DenverPost.com. ...read more read less