COVID-19 Guidelines, Policies & Resources

The mission of the Leavenworth Winter Sports Club is to promote health, fitness, and fun through skiing and other winter sports by providing quality facilities, education, and activities to the community.

The fulfillment of our mission is dependent on our ability to provide a safe environment for all who come to work and recreate at our venues.

Our top priority is the safety of our employees and guests, as well as maintaining compliance with federal, state & local guidelines.

In addition to the guidance coming from federal, state and local governing bodies, there are numerous ski specific organizations that have put forth best practices for all aspects of running a ski area during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The LWSC has taken in all of the information coming from these governing bodies and has used it to formulate the guidelines below. The Resources section at the bottom of this page has links that you might find informative.

In an effort to maintain the health of all employees and guests, the LWSC has adopted the following:

Guest Responsibilities

Masks or other face coverings that cover both the mouth and nose will be mandatory at all times by all visitors aged 2 years and above unless physical distancing can be achieved (a minimum of 6’)*.
Guests are asked to refrain from visiting the LWSC venues if they are ill or have had a known or possible exposure to COVID-19 within the previous 14 days.
*When standing in line at ticket booths and lift lines or in other congested areas such as trail heads, trail crossings and the base area at Ski Hill , guests will wear masks and actively attempt to physically distance from others outside of their party.
While visiting the LWSC venues, guests are asked to wash their hands with soap and warm water as frequently as possible or use hand sanitize if a washing station is not readily available.

Nordic Trails:
   •   Face coverings are mandatory when you're in the base area, trail head area, ticket booth lines & anywhere else that congestion occurs.
   •   Even if you're just walking through or there for a hot minute while you get your skis on or off.
   •   Once you're off and skiing you may pull your face covering down, but please keep it around your neck for easy access.
   •   If passing someone with a minimum of 6' of distance between - it is not mandatory, BUT - note that some skiers may be more comfortable with a mask-on passing situation.
   •   If another skier asks you to pull your mask up, please be considerate of their wishes and do so (even if you've got 6' of space).
   •   When stopped on the side of the trail for a breather - pull your face covering up. Utilize one of the many pull-offs if you can.
   •   When in two-way traffic zones (the bridge zone at the IRT, for instance) - pull your face covering up.

Ski Hill Base Area & Slopes:
   •   The ticket lines, rope tow lines, tubing line and base area are congested and you can't really control who's in your space. Face coverings are mandatory in these locations.
   •   Our slopes are so short that it would be difficult to remove and replace a face covering over and over and over as one cycles the rope tows, so we are requesting that face coverings just stay on.
   •   Our Ski Patrol monitor the lines and will kindly ask those not in compliance to get that way or risk being removed from the property.

The Risks of non-compliance:

   •   The obvious - you risk infection, both of yourself and others.
   •   You risk losing your Season Pass.
   •   The LWSC has a responsibility to our members, our employees and our guests.
   •   And since COVID can be deadly for some members of society we're just not in a position of allowing exceptions to the rules.
   •   If we can't operate safely we reserve the right to close our gates & doors.

Employee Guidelines

Employees will be subjected to COVID-19 screenings each day before they start their shift. If there is any indication that they have COVID-19 or have been recently been exposed to COVID-19 they will not report to work and will seek medical guidance.
Masks or other face coverings that cover both the mouth and nose will be mandatory at all times unless physical distancing can be achieved (a minimum of 6’).
Employees will wash their hands with soap and warm water as frequently as possible or use hand sanitizer if a washing station is not readily available.
Employees will regularly sanitize surfaces and shared items.
Additionally, Ski Hill Lodge Employees will follow all current guidelines concerning restaurant operations.

LWSC Promise

Our goal for the 20/21 winter season is to be open and to offer our community and visitors the means to recreate responsibly.
We promise to do our best to provide a safe environment for all.
We will stay up-to-date with the ever changing regulations concerning COVID-19 that come from federal, state and local governments.
We will be willing and able to change our COVID-19 policies as new information concerning COVID-19 becomes available.
We have banded together with ski areas across the US to adopt the COVID-19 best practices put forth by the National Ski Area Association (see below: Ski Well, Be Well).

Resources

National Ski Area Association (NSAA), Ski Well, Be Well

Pacific Northwest Ski Area Association (PNSAA)

US Ski and Snowboard COVID-19 Information

Cross Country Ski Area Association

Professional Ski Instructors of America (PSIA) COVID-19 Updates

CDC COVID-19 Information

WA State COVID-19 Response

WA State COVID-19 Risk Assessment Dashboard

Chelan Douglas Health District COVID-19 webpage