Powder Mills Ski Hill COVID-19 Plan
Our top priority at Powder Mills is the health and safety of our staff and our guests. We are committed to proper sanitation and cleanliness for the safety of everyone.
Powder Mills has responded to the COVID-19 pandemic by implementing a strict standard of cleanliness and customer service throughout the facility for the upcoming season. These standards are designed to minimize risk and enhance safety for our guests and employees and include additional cleaning and sanitizing across the resort, as well as increased monitoring by Swain staff to ensure proper protocol is followed, as well as enhanced online reservation procedures to ensure your safety and security.
Please review our updated re-opening plan so you can be fully prepared for your upcoming visit to our hill.
Check-Ins and Rentals
Upon arrival, you will need to fill out our waiver through your mobile device. Each time you or your family visit us, you will need to sign this waiver through your mobile device. Once you have arrived, you will call the lodge to let us know upon your arrival. If you have rentals, you will be called back to come into the lodge for your first fitting of the rentals needed. After that, your rental skis will be set outside for future programs. Even if you do not have rentals, please call the lodge to let us know of your arrival.
After check-in, we ask you to please wait in your vehicle. Please treat your vehicle as your home base during this time. Once your program time has arrived, you will go to the chain-link gate to meet the instructor. That instructor will tell you where to go to meet your instructor and group. We ask parents to please wait in their car until the program is complete.
All participants will be required to have their temperature taken before being allowed on the ski hill.
Lodge
Our lodge will operate at 50% capacity due to the state mandate. Inside the lodge, tables are to be placed 6 feet apart. Tables are used for food and drink ONLY. At this time, no personal belongings are allowed to remain in the lodge. Hand sanitizer will be available for all guests and employees.
We ask that you must wear a mask or face covering at all times, including during programs and while skiing or snowboarding. We have placed signage as a reminder to wear your mask, and remain 6 feet distance from other guests not a part of your immediate party. We have also made our lodge one way, entering from the front and exiting by the rental window.
Restrooms
Both in public spaces and in restrooms, we have implemented a rigorous cleaning process, using only CDC-approved cleaning products and increasing the frequency of cleanings around the lodge. To use the restrooms, please use the back entrance to enter and exit for access to the restrooms.
Staff
All employees will be required to wear face masks as directed by laws.
Employees at Powder Mills are screened daily for COVID-19 symptoms. If an employee does not pass the screening, they are sent home and monitored. If employees are feeling ill, they are instructed to stay home.
We will continue mandatory training on COVID-19 awareness and train our staff on proper health etiquette, social distancing and personal hygiene. Staff are trained in workplace behavior, sanitation, social distancing, and hygiene protocols.
Powder Mills Assurance Policy
If Powder Mills is forced to close early for the season due to COVID-19 prior to January 15, the full value of any season pass will be transferred to the 2021-22 season as an account credit to the passholder. A season closure due to COVID-19 between January 16 and February 28 will result in a 50% credit.
If Powder Mills is forced to close prior to the start of a weekly lesson class or camp, guests will have the option to receive a credit at Swain Resort for the original purchase price or may choose to receive a full refund. If the student has attended a part of the class or camp, and Powder Mills is forced to close, there will be a proportional credit applied to the guest’s account for later in the season or for the 2021-22 season.
*Requests for other options or exceptions will be reviewed by Swain management on a case by case basis.