We are excited to welcome you to Snowwater Heli Skiing. Thank you for choosing to join us for some of the most unforgettable skiing and riding of your life! Please read this document before departing for your trip and let us know if you have any questions.

NEW!!

This will enable you to get a full refund if you were to test positive, but you need to purchase it at least 72 hours before the trip start date!

We are pleased to announce that Sanderson Insurance is now providing coverage for cancellation and interruption due to due to illness related to COVID-19. There is no limit on this.  You are covered from the day you buy it, but if you get it the day before your trip, you get all your money back!

Please contact Sanderson Insurance to expedite this:

Call toll free:  1-877-226-8728.

While we had all hoped that COVID-19 would be gone by now, we are again faced with new and ever-changing variants that continue to persist. We are adapting to the current best practices evolving and we will adapt as necessary. At Snowwater, we tend to obsess over every detail in general, and negotiating COVID is no different. In this type of business, we are accustomed to mitigating all forms of risk, and we take it seriously. Together with Blackcomb Helicopters, we are committed to protecting our staff, our guests, and the community from the spread of COVID-19. We are diligently following the most comprehensive protection policies and procedures to protect everyone in our lodge and office environments and have adopted measures that are in accordance with guidelines set out by the BC Ministry of Health, WorkSafe BC, and HeliCat Canada.

We look forward to seeing you this winter and providing you with the exceptional service and guest experience you have come to expect at Snowwater.

Whether checking in, dining at the lodge, riding in the heli, or having a massage – each area has its own specific COVID guidelines that we, as a business, are required to follow. In addition, health screenings, temperature checks, and protocols around food sharing and interpersonal behaviours are now required in order to participate in our ski programs.

We kindly ask that all guests wear a mask whenever two meters of social distancing cannot be achieved. We encourage frequent hand washing and the use of hand sanitizer, which you will find in every room of the lodge.

Plan to make SMART decisions:

• S – Stay home or self-quarantine if you are not feeling well.
• M – Measure your physical distancing (6 ft from anyone outside of your household)
• A – Appropriate behaviour is essential. Take responsibility for your actions. Wash your hands frequently, cough into your sleeve, wear a mask in ALL indoor public spaces.
• R – Respect others and protocols. Accept that there are new ways of doing businesses and participating in activities which are all put in place to keep us ALL safe. Be kind, do not judge and do not discriminate.
• T – Together we will beat COVID-19 through SMART decision

Our goal is to keep all staff, guests and communities along your journey free from the spread of COVID-19.

• Ensure that you are double vaccinated and have your vaccine passport in order for us to check upon arrival.
• Sign your waiver before arriving on your trip.
• Please complete your guest confirmation form well in advance of your trip, being sure to include in food that cannot or will not eat.
• We will call you before you arrive to check that you do not have any COVID symptoms currently.
• Please do not travel or show up for check-in if you are experiencing any signs or symptoms of feeling unwell.
• Don’t forget your mask!
• Please be sure to purchase the insurance now available for a full refund in the event you get Omnicron just before your trip!

OUR NEW REQUEST TO YOU

• Considering the recent health changes, we are asking our Canadian guests to please get a COVID PCR or antigen test within 72 hours of arrival. This will give peace of mind to all who are coming to see us and help keep everyone safe.

TRAVELING HERE
We recognize that all our guests are being vigilant in the prevention of COVID-19 in their daily lives, and coming to Snowwater is no different. The following steps should be practiced when travelling to and from our location to limit the spread of COVID-19:

• Practice physical distancing.
• Use a face covering or mask when you’re close to others outside of your travel posse.
• Avoid crowded places like restaurants & bars.
• Do not travel at all if you have symptoms or feel sick.
• Drive to our location instead of flying, if possible.

With new protocols and procedures in place, it’s more important than ever to arrive promptly. Upon check-in, it is mandatory to wear a mask or face covering and practice physical distancing of at least 2 metres.

• Please wear a mask for your arrival procedure. Guests must wear a mask at all times during our transport procedures when they are less than 2m from another person.
• Please use available sanitize stations before entering any building.
• A masked staff member will greet you in the parking lot upon arrival.
• Temperature checks will be done before entering the building.
• Health Screening and SP02 monitoring will be done before being permitted to go to the lodge.
• We have separated the arrival and departure spaces. All check-ins will take place at the Snowwater Clubhouse, checking out will be done at the main office.
• The Clubhouse has been reconfigured to better allow for social distancing. Tables have been placed 6 ft apart. Everything is cleaned and sanitized between groups.
• We use a Vital Clean fogger machine to sanitize every room between groups. This is a hospital grade disinfectant that is guaranteed to kill 99.999% of all viruses and bacteria. This tool is now being used by ski areas industry wide and has proven to be very successful.
• After screening, please bring your luggage into the clubhouse where it will be room- tagged by our team and then loaded into a truck for transport to the lodge.

A guest who does not clear our in-person health screenings will not be permitted to participate but will be allowed to reschedule the booking (within the current season or the following one).

We are required to ask and observe that our guests are not exhibiting any of the below symptoms:

• Fever and/or chills
• A body temperature in excess of 38°C
• A new or recent cough (or worsening chronic cough)
• Headache
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Gastrointestinal symptoms including abdominal pain, diarrhea, and vomiting. Anybody who has experienced these symptoms must be symptom-free for at least 72 hrs prior to arrival for their trip.
• Recent diminished sense of smell and/or taste
• Nasal congestion and/or runny nose
• Generally feeling unwell

We are also required to ask about you travel history:

• You have been refused boarding in the past 14 days due to a medical reason related to COVID-19
• Are the subject of a mandatory quarantine order as a result of recent travel, or as a result of provincial or public health order
• You have been in contact with anyone who has been diagnosed with COVID-19
• You have been diagnosed with COVID-19

• All guests are required to wear masks at all times while inside the helicopter or snowcat.
• All guests will eat when outside the machine, and at least 2 metres away from all other person(s) not in their assigned cohort.
• Optimum ventilation will be maintained by keeping windows open. Please dress accordingly as this could lower temperatures and make things considerably more chilly.
• Lunches will be pre-ordered and handed out by the guides at lunch time.
• Guests will use their own water bottle.

IN GENERAL

• We have become (even) clean(er) freaks!
• We have added an additional cleaning position to our cleaning staff.
• We have implemented new cleaning policies that specifically focus on high traffic areas.
• Hand sanitizer will be everywhere – please use it often.
• We have purchased a hospital grade FOGGER machine, which when used after cleaning kills up to 99% of all viruses.
• Anyone that is visibly unwell at any point in your trip will not be permitted to join activities until cleared to do so and will be brought to the base if necessary to see a doctor and quarantine in a hotel room if need be.
• Our staff is trained to use safe disinfectants that kill infectious diseases including COVID-19.
• Our staff is health screened daily.

DINING

• Seating is now limited to 6 per table.

GUEST ROOMS

• Beds have been further separated to allow for as much room as possible between them.
• At least one window should remain open in your room (better for sleeping anyway!).
• We may have a single room option later in the winter, for an added upgrade to our EVERGREEN SPA king suites!

OTHER SERVICES

• We are still offering massage services! 1 – 1.5 hr treatments available. Please book in advance to ensure you get your preferred spots!
• Please wear a mask when entering the massage room.
• The Hot Tubs will be open and limited to only 4 people per tub at one time.

OUR STAFF PROCEDURES AND PROTECTION

• Daily staff health self-assessments before entering any common space and/or commencing work.

CHECK OUT

• Guests will be taken to the main office where they will check out and will not intermingle with the incoming group at the smokehouse.
• Guests are brought to the office from the lodge in groups of 4 for check out.
• We have a barrier to separate our office staff in place at the front counter.
• Please sanitize before entering the building.