Just like for you, it’s been a roller coaster of a year. We paused in-person experiences from mid-March to mid-May, during which we secured a loan through the Payroll Protection Program, putting our guides and administrative staff to work on a comprehensive COVID-19 operating plan. 

Now, we’re excited to be back in the mountains with you adventuring and learning responsibly. We appreciate your patience and incredible demonstrations of support in getting us here.

Note: The Estes Park Adventure Hostel, operated by Colorado Mountain School, is open exclusively to private bookings (full facility) at this time.

The short answer is “yes.” The only way to fully limit your risk of contracting or spreading COVID-19 is complete isolation. To ensure all clients are aware and accepting of this risk, all clients must complete and sign an additional COVID-19-specific Acknowledgement of Risk / Release of Liability form before participating in one of our guided adventures or instructional courses.

By acknowledging we cannot eliminate risk, we turn our focus to managing it. It is our primary goal as professionals and recreationalists to manage our risk every time we play in the mountains. That means proper planning and decision-making.

We are professional risk managers and the wellbeing of our guests and guides is paramount. Whether it’s dealing with avalanche hazard, rockfall or COVID-19, we have frameworks, systems and controls in place to inform our risk management process. 

Here’s what we can do to manage our risk together:

• CMS will limit the size of courses and private outings to reduce exposure.

• All guides and clients must participate in COVID-19 Medical Screenings before the outing. If you do not pass the screening, you may be subject to additional screening questions. If your participation in the outing is not recommended, you will be given the option to reschedule at no cost, or receive a guaranteed 100% credit or refund.

• We will meet and gear up outside, where studies show COVID-19 exposure is decreased. We strongly discourage carpooling with members outside of your household.
• Physical distancing will be enforced whenever possible, as will appropriate face coverings when guests can’t maintain six feet of physical distancing.
• Practice good hygiene. Sanitize hands often, especially when using shared gear. 
• All shared gear provided by CMS, such as climbing ropes or avalanche kits, will be sanitized and/or quarantined between use.

These precautions have been reviewed by risk management experts and our Medical Advisor, Dr. Alan Oram, M.D. & IFMGA Guide.

If you have concerns that you’d like to discuss, please contact our Service Team and we would be happy to discuss them. We believe in transparency, so our entire COVID-19 Operations Plan is available upon request, but be warned, it’s over 25 pages!

Note: Risk management will be interactive leading up to, during and after your adventure. If you refuse to follow our risk management instructions, we will be forced to end the day prematurely. We appreciate your understanding and participation.

The dynamic nature of this pandemic requires us to be nimble and flexible in how we respond. Because some things are unpredictable and/or out of our control, there may be more pauses or adaptations to our field calendar to come. Our team will contact you if there are any reasons for postponing or altering your adventure.

Rest assured, we are committed to helping all of our clients through these uncertain times and have implemented worry-free reschedule and cancellation policies. If you do not pass a COVID-19 Medical Screening or Colorado Mountain School is forced to alter your program due to public health concerns, you will be given the option to reschedule at no cost, or receive a guaranteed 100% credit or refund.

We are taking reservations for private guiding and course enrollment is open for AIARE avalanche training, backcountry skiing & splitboarding, mountaineering and ice climbing. 

For the 2020/21, you’ll likely see some changes to our course logistics, such as replacing indoor class time with e-learning and/or more field time. Rest assured that no matter what curveballs are thrown at us, you can count on us to ignite passionate living through mountain education and adventure.