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“PRESEASON” Operating Plan WCSA has developed a “PRESEASON” opening plan that will allow for outdoor recreation without having any amenities, such as rental, food and beverage service, or ski school. This will allow for our guests to enjoy the great outdoors in its simplest form while Local, State, Federal agencies develop additional guidelines. WCSA will then add additional amenities as deemed appropriate. GUEST DISCLAIMER Due to COVID-19, this ski season will be different in some ways, but WCSA is dedicated to continue to provide the best skiing experience possible. We kindly request all guests to keep our community safe by practicing the Five Commitments of Containment:

• Stay home when sick and get tested: please pre-screen for symptoms of COVID-19 prior to coming to ski. These symptoms include fever, sore throat, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, chills, muscle pain, headache, new loss of smell or taste. Health screenings will be required for ski lessons.

 

• Wear a mask: Masks are required in all buildings, bathrooms, while waiting in line for tickets or to ride the lift, while riding in the shuttles, while on the lift, and while participating in ski lessons.

• Maintain six-feet of physical distance: This includes in buildings, in lift and ticket lines, parking lots, and anywhere else you encounter others while enjoying our 1581 acres of skiable terrain.

• Minimize group size: please consider only traveling and recreating with your immediate family and avoid crowded places as much as possible

• Wash hands frequency: we kindly request that guests wash their hands or utilize the hand sanitizer stations before entering buildings

  SAFETY MEASURES:

• WCSA will be operating during the “PRESEASON” without any amenities or accommodations. Please plan appropriately. This includes all lodges, locker rooms, ski school, rental, and sports shop. The shuttles will also not be running.

• Guests purchasing day tickets must pay for their day tickets online. You can do this online any time, but we stop selling tickets for the next day at 8PM the night before. You will then pick up your tickets at the Ticket Office. If there is inventory, we can sell day tickets at the window the day of.

• One person or immediate family per chairlift. This may change upon the determination of Local, State, and Federal guidelines.

• Bring your own bagged lunch and drinks. Until we receive more information on Local, State, and Federal guidelines, WCSA will not have any lodges open. This includes Base Camp, and we also will not have any water fountains available.

• Guest capacity and social distancing will be managed in the bathrooms and in their First Aid Room (FAR). Therefore, there may be a line with social distancing requirements outside.

• Social distancing will be required in the parking lots. WCSA will not be allowing any “tailgating” in the parking lots, and we will be parking cars farther apart to maintain the social distancing requirements. Guests without season passes or pre-purchased tickets will be kindly asked to leave during the parking process.

• WCSA will be using electrostatic sprayers to disinfect all buildings and bathrooms. All bathrooms will be cleaned on an hourly basis.

• WSCA installed ionizing machines in all the forced air systems in our lodges. These machines are UL listed and produce a large number of ions in the airstream. Once in the room, these ions bond with all particles and accelerate the breakdown of the virus to around a half an hour.

*Before planning a trip to ski, please consider these new policies as well as everyone’s responsibility in keeping our community safe. We’re all in this together! There may be risk of Local, State, or Federal guidelines and regulations changing which may alter or cancel your visit at WCSA. WCSA will not be offering any refunds due to COVID-19 closures. There is also a risk that if you do get sick while visiting that you will be asked to quarantine for 14 days in the local area and this additional financial cost for the added stay will be your responsibility. EMPLOYEE GUIDELINES:

• All employees are required to do the same health pre-screening that we ask our guests to do prior to coming to work

• All employees must wear a mask at all times and maintain social distancing whenever possible. We will be supplying masks to employees that need them, as well as face shields for employees work closely with the public.

• Employees will be scheduled to work one station that cannot change on a daily or weekly basis

• Clock-in times will stagger for larger departments to maintain the building capacity of locker rooms and lodges

• WCSA has put together safety policies for our employees to follow such as o COVID-19 Safety Plan o WCSA Employee Handbook o COVID-19 Supervisor Reporting Form
  • MindFlash Trainings; WCSA has an extensive online training program for each department as well as mountain-wide trainings that are required for each employee. These trainings for COVID-19 include but are not limited to:
    • Employee Transportation and Car Pool Safety
    • Health Pre-Screening Protocols
    • Proper Hand Washing & Hygiene
    • Proper Cleaning and Disinfecting Protocols
    • COVID-19 Reporting Standards
    • Proper Mask Wearing & Cleaning

DEPARTMENT GUIDELINES: All departments will follow the Mountain Wide COVID-19 safety policies, with the addition of these more specific policies for their departments PATROL POLICIES All protocols have been reviewed and approved by Physician Advisor/Medical Control Dr. Grant Hurley • Duty stations should be limited as follows:

• Duty stations will be assigned on a weekly basis and will remain on that station for an entire week
• Summit – no more than 4 patrollers at a time when possible. o Palace – no more than 2 patrollers at a time when possible.
• Knife Ridge Out-Post – no more than 2 patrollers at a time when possible.
• Every response requires the following minimum PPE for patrollers while onhill assessing patients in the lower risk/routine/non‐respiratory patients; gloves, buff or neck gator covering mouth and nose when outdoors, eye protection (approved medical eyeglasses or goggles).
• Minimal PPE use for patrollers while on‐hill assessing patients in the higher risk/nonroutine/respiratory patients (this would include the coughing patient, CPR, suctioning, or any AGP’s, as well as any positives on the screening protocol); gloves, N95, eye protection (approved medical eyeglasses, goggles, or face shield), and gown.
• New protocols for responding to COVID-19 patients o Dispatch must acquire as much information as possible including asking if patient has or has recently had fever, cough, sore throat, nausea or vomiting, or COVID‐19 symptoms and relay information to first responder.
• PPE Required: Properly fitted N‐95 mask, gown, gloves, and approved eyewear or face shield. Patient dons surgical mask if not already wearing one.
• Isolate the patient. No family members or acquaintance within 6 feet of patient or first responder. If a family member or acquaintance must be present, they must wear a surgical mask.
• Treat patient per appropriate protocol as out lined in SLV RETAC protocols mentioned above attempting to avoid nebulizer treatment or CPAP.
• If patient is stable and can seek medical care via POV contact medical control and attempt to release patient POV to hospital, otherwise call ambulance. If an ambulance is called indicated ID (infectious disease) precautions required by EMS crew. This decision is to be made by ALS patroller, senior patroller, or medical control ONLY.

• On-Hill Procedures:
  • Attempt to do initial assessment from at least 6 feet away to determine potential COVID-19 risk
  • Limit the number of responders to one if possible, or the minimum required to safely provide care

• Unless medically contraindicated or under 3 years of age, all patients are to utilize source control masking, to be initiated at first contact, preferably simultaneous to initial screening questions. If patient is in the lower risk category in relation to COVID‐19, their own cloth mask or buff/neck gator or bandana would be sufficient. If patient has no such face covering available, we provide a surgical mask. If patient is in a higher risk category, then a surgical mask preferred.

• First Aid Room (FAR) Procedures:
  • Once in the FAR, surgical masks are required for all patients. o Once in the FAR, N‐95 mask is required for patrollers providing care.
  • Walk‐in patients will be screened prior to entry by FAR attendant to the nature of visit, as well as asking if the patient has or recently had a fever, cough, sore throat, shortness of breath, nausea or vomiting, or COVID‐19 symptoms.
  • Patients who have a fever should leave the ski area to receive further medical attention. They will not be permitted to stay in the FAR while the rest of their party continues to ski.
  • Limit the number of family/visitors in the FAR to zero or minimum possible. Patients that require assistance or are not of age may have one guardian with them but all other visitors will need to wait outside. Every patient or acquaintance in the FAR must wear surgical mask.
  • There will be no “hanging out” of patients or their family/friends in the FAR. After a patient has been carefully assessed and treated, they then need to leave and seek further medical treatment. We will be making sure that we express to our guests that there is no available space for resting in the lodges due to limited capacity, and they will be restricted to the outdoor seating spaces or their cars for resting.
  • Altitude sick patients will not be allowed to rest in the FAR unless medically contraindicated or they fall into a high-risk category in consideration to altitude sickness. For the altitude sick patients that do not meet the before mentioned criteria, they will be thoroughly and carefully assessed/treated and advised on prevention, to go to a lower altitude, and where to seek medical attention if symptoms persist.

WCSA will be updating all policies based on Local, State, and Federal guidelines. We will ensure all guests and employees receive necessary and prompt communication based on these guidelines, and will implement new regulations as required. https://durangoherald.com/articles/333510-how-are-local-ski-areas-preparing-for-uncertain-future-in-public-health https://unofficialnetworks.com/2020/07/27/favorite-ski-resorts/