What’s the Plan, Stan?

What’s the Plan, Stan?

By, Dana Forbes, CEO

“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are” ~Theodore Roosevelt

As A-Basin and Loveland Resorts race to see who will open first, we wanted to write to share with you how PSIA-AASI Rocky Mountain events will look for the 20-21 season.

Before we lay out what you can expect, we have one BIG ask; assume the best in us. We are going to do everything we can to assure that your experience with us is our usual “incredible,” however the reality is with all the uncertainty in the world, there is a chance something could go wrong. Examples of this could be the following: not connecting with your group first thing, a day of staff change due to illness, or even a very last-minute cancelation of an event. I assure you, we have your back and will make it right, so please be flexible and patient with us.

While we may have a few issues like this, most of the events are going to be AMAZING! It will be an opportunity to not only grow as an educator but to connect with your peers and to enjoy a few days on the mountain. We are so excited to slide with you this winter!

SAFETY FUN & LEARNING

While events will look a little different you need to know the stuff that matters will not.

To assure you have the most up-to-date information regarding how to remain safe and healthy while attending our events, please visit our Covid-19 Page on our website.

When registering for an event, the event details page and email confirmations will have the latest information regarding Covid-19 mitigation; be sure to read those up until the day of the event.

While most areas are allowing us to operate, we will be doing so based on their mitigation plan. This will include social distancing, lift riding procedures and other safety protocols. We ask that you always abide by Rocky Mountain and the host resort’s Covid-19 operating procedures. If you cannot, then we will ask that you obtain your continuing education online in one of our many Webinars or E-learning options.

Due to restrictions placed on resorts, this has greatly impacted our larger events. As our calendar is updated you will notice less “mega” events offered but we will still have plenty of options for events– look at this as an opportunity to go somewhere new or enjoy your home resort through a different lens.

In the past we were able to remain flexible on our event registration deadline, often accepting applications up until just days before an event started. This will not be the case for most events this year. There will likely be a hard stop, up to three weeks prior to an event to register. Our Member Schools are being extremely supportive of us by providing lift tickets. These requests need to be timely and accurate, so please be sure to update your home resort in the database.

All events will be direct-to-snow meet up. This means we will no longer be providing meeting rooms and an indoor check-in location. While we will be doing everything we can to communicate how this will look and feel prior to the event, we not only encourage you to review the event details page up until the night before the event, but we strongly suggest you plan accordingly. Arrive with plenty of time to park, get dressed and make your way to your on-snow meeting location.

While direct-to-snow may sound chaotic, we assure you that it will feel no different than what your guests experience daily when checking in for lessons. As mentioned above we will be communicating thoroughly up until the last minute every detail necessary. In addition, our Education Staff will be equipped with electronic rosters for check-in, along with your contact information should you get separated. Events with multiple groups will likely have staggered starts, starting roughly 10 minutes apart to avoid congestion at the base area. And we will be there to greet you with a smile, albeit covered with a mask.

You may notice if you attend multiple events that group sizes may vary. Since resorts dictate the size of groups, this may mean you may attend one event with a smaller group and one a little larger. We will need to maximize where we can, to support as many members as we can, due to these limitations. We understand that this may seem unfair, but no group will exceed any class size we have previously had in years prior.

Some additional things that may be different

• Breaks and lunch will likely be apart from the group and you may need to carry your hot chocolate in your pocket with your lunch
• Our assessments will no longer have indoor portions
• Award ceremonies will take place with your peer group outside
• All assessments will have electronic score cards that will be emailed to you following the completion of the assessment

We want to do our part to help mitigate Covid-19 and keep you safe and healthy and we need your active participation in this. If you do that, then we promise to deliver the best on-snow experience you have ever had. You wear your masks, and we’ll bring the FUN!

Finally, we ask that you remain flexible because this might all change tomorrow.