Communication from Festrival Staff to Attending Director regarding COVID-19 and changes we know of as of now:

Normally, this email would be sent to only explain how to complete the online December Questionnaire.  With as many as 75 groups in a normal year, the questionnaire was the most efficient method for us to capture all the information needed to continue planning for all groups.  This spring, we will have only a fraction of groups when compared to a normal year.  Most are groups that have chosen to apply their 2020 credits for 2021, along with a few groups that are previous customers of the festival. My point to this explanation is to share:  we could receive a phone call from all directors attending this spring, to gather the same information.  If you want to skip providing your information via the December Questionnaire, just call us prior to December 15, and we can take your information over the phone.  You will still need to review what we will be asking you in the Step #1 pdf link listed below, before you call.

Next, we want to give full disclosure with some important updates that will affect how we normally plan for groups.  Despite what we published within our 2021 Winter Park Ski-Music Festival information document, we hope each director or travel planner understands the everchanging environment this COVID-19 pandemic produces.  With Covid-19 still present within Colorado and within the Winter Park/Grand County community, the Winter Park Resort has implemented new guidelines to be followed for its 2020-2021 ski season.  I don’t know if it because I am associated with the skiing industry, but I have received and viewed numerous articles telling how these guidelines are being implemented all throughout Colorado and other states’ ski resorts.  These articles surround pre-arranged or “reservation only” components, whether lift ticket sales, rentals, lessons or non-ski activities.  No resort is allowing walk-up persons or groups to just show up, for fear of overcrowding guidelines.  Below are several known guidelines and changes, and our comments, that will affect how we plan for music groups in 2021.  This list may grow or lessen as time nears the festival dates.  Call and we can talk through any of the topics you have questions about. 

• For groups staying at Beaver Village Condos, Fraser/Founders condos (at resort), and Zephyr Mountain Lodge (at resort):  Many condo owners have taken their properties off rental programs, so they can utilize the condos themselves.  Right now, the management companies we work with are promising to provide all the lodging we have for your group.  We may not be able to provide as many of the larger 2,3, and 4 bedroom condos we have provided in the past. So, for 2021, accommodating a group’s first choice of having some larger condos for several adult couples in one condo unit may be limited.
• At the resort: 

o   Everyone wears a mask or face covering properly when outside and inside.

o   There will be volume restrictions inside any resort building.  We suppose these volumes will be posted and/or enforced in some manner for all indoor premises, including the resort eating places, the private restaurants, retail shops, ticketing spaces, and within overnight lodging common spaces or lobbies.  Luckily, our festival dates are during low volume ski season, which may not near person volume maximums.  If your group will be at the resort during a Saturday or Sunday, it could be more of issue than during a weekday. 

o   Ski lifts will only allow smaller amounts of riders per seat or gondola.  This could create a longer wait time to load a lift.  But will probably not be noticeable unless on a weekend day.  Gondolas must have open windows, being locked open or the windows removed.

• Resort Rentals.  In years past, when a group stays overnight at a resort managed property, we have always had them receive their ski/snowboard rentals at a resort operated rental shop.  We can still do this, but need to share some changes with this: 

o   To comply with volume guidelines, the resort shops are only allowing group rental fittings Monday through Thursday only.

o   On any of these four weekdays, the rental times for groups can only be scheduled during the hours of 1:00-3:00 pm, the day prior to a group skiing the mountain.  With those rental hours, and the lifts stop running upward at 4:00 pm, a group arriving on any specific day, will most likely not ski the day they arrive, unless getting rentals elsewhere. The fitting, being the day before a group skis, will not count toward the 4 days of rentals we provide.

o   The maximum number of group rentals they can provide each day is 100 rentals.  And they cannot process more than 25 persons each half hour. 

o   Rental fittings maybe outside if needed, with only employees getting rental equipment from the inside. 

o   There will not be overnight storage for rental equipment in the rental shops, or in the black carts that are brought inside each night.  Resort rentals will have to be brought to the resort overnight lodging facility each night.

o   These are the parameters we have been told to follow when planning for resort rentals.  The most concerning aspect to resort rentals is groups arriving before 1:00-3:00 pm the day before they wish to start skiing/snowboarding.  So, if there is any flexibility with transportation arrangements as to when you can arrive, keep this in mind if you want to have the convenience of resort rentals.    

• In the year’s past, any group that stayed at Beavers or Snow Mountain Ranch, received their ski equipment rentals at non-resort rental shops.  This will be the same for 2021.  Right now, the only guideline the state and county officials are mandating is the number of persons inside a shop at any time.  Currently, this 20-25 persons at a time for fittings.  Therefore, date/time restrictive scheduling should not be an issue.  We will just need to plan for 20 persons in the shop at a time, with the remainder being outside or in the bus. Rental shops can usually process 20 rentals every 20-30 minutes.
• Ski and Snowboard lessons

o   There will only be three lesson start times each day: 9:00 am, 11:00 am, and 1:00 pm

o   Each of these three times will be limited to 75 persons only, for all groups.

o   We will arrange for this best we can for groups needing lessons the same day.  Unlike years past, when an entire group received a lesson at one start time, 2021 may be different with staggering start times.

o   Good news is, unlike previous years with 15-20 persons per instructor, the max ratio will be 5 beginners per instructor. 

• Non- ski recreation. Below are the changes with how the six vouchers we provide are utilized: 

o   The scenic Gondola ride to the top of Winter Park and back down will not be available to non-skiers wanting to redeem one voucher for this ride.  The Gondolas will be used solely for getting skiers upward, because of the restrictive volumes on all upward lifts.

o   The Snowcat tour will be available for booking in exchange for three provided vouchers for each person, BUT because of new COVID-19 guidelines, each tour requires a minimum of 8 persons, maximum of 10 persons, reserve for each tour, with all 8-10 persons being from the same group.  If a group has less than 8 persons wanting to take the Snowcat tour, they will not be able to, unless at least 24 vouchers are somehow exchanged for that tour.  If a group had 11-20 persons total wanting to take a Snowcat tour, it would require at least 16 persons, (8 persons each tour) redeeming at least 48 vouchers to schedule for two separate tours.  One more note about Snowcat tours:  In past years, the Snowcat tours originated from the top of the mountain, which the tour included a Gondola ride up the mountain to access the tour, and back down after the tour.  So, we always suggested that a non-skier not redeem for a Scenic Gondola ride, when they would get it included with a Snowcat tour.  We believe this will still be the case in 2021. 

o   Downhill tubing.  As we published in our 2021 information, the downhill tubing recreation may not be available for the April 15-18 festival week or could close earlier with any festival week because of inadequate snow or temperature conditions.  Keep this mind with the new guidelines with the other non-ski activities, and would this persuade some attendees to select skiing or snowboarding rather than the non-ski activities?   

o   For Snowcat tours, Guided Downhill Snowshoe tours, and Downhill tubing at the resort, everything must be reserved at least one month prior to a group’s arrival.  In the past, any non-skiers could select the activities they wished to exchange vouchers for, after their arrival in Winter Park. For resort staffing, overcrowding preventions, and to accommodate all groups visiting Winter Park Resort this season, expect both you and us, to create reservation dates and times for all your non-ski members, at least one month prior to your arrival in Winter Park. 

o   An incredibly undesirable aspect to these required reservations is students and adults being forced to stick with the recreation choice they register for.  In the past, we have always allowed the best we could, for some members to switch their recreation choice after they arrived in Winter Park.  Honestly, with all these new guidelines and prior reservations requirements, this previous luxury may not be permitted for 2021. When the time comes for recreation choice decisions made when your members individually register, please encourage them to be extra diligent in their decision making/investigation.   As their director, you may want to visit with everyone individually or within a group, sharing how they must commit to their recreation decision, without any promise of alternative recreation otherwise. 

• Music Performances. We have so many directors share with us, because of COVID-19 or guidelines within their community/school, their inability to rehearse or perform with their ensembles.  We want you to know, if music performances are something you want to eliminate with this trip, despite this being a music performance festival, we understand, and you have that option.  We will be glad to refund the performing ensemble charges.  Right now, we believe our high school performance site will be available for our use.  If something changes with it, we have other location options available to us.  We will make more specific decisions later, but each director can pretty much count on your group being the only group scheduled within the performance site at a time, without an audience from other music programs.  We are planning to have all performance site spaces disinfected the best we can between attending groups.  Recordings, adjudication, and provided equipment to be as usually provided.  
• Awards Ceremony.  The Winter Park Resort cannot allow us to have our awards ceremony/street dance as usually provided.  The local community currently restricts large gatherings. And perhaps no group should be in close proximity with other group members.  So currently, an awards ceremony is a festival component we do not believe will occur.  However, each group, whether performing or not, can expect some type of private, in group gathering with the festival staff, recognizing performance achievements, or participation in the festival.  More to come later on this topic.              

As described in the Registration Form Agreement, each group was to complete our online December Questionnaire before December 15^th .  For this year, just a phone call to us proving the same information will be fine.  The information you provide is entirely necessary for many trip planning purposes.  And based on your responses, it allows us to update your Billing Invoice amount, so you will know the ½ payment amount due in our office by January 15th. 

If your district, school office or booster club requires more than 2 weeks to process and mail a check after the holidays, in time for the festival to receive by the January 15th due date, complete the online December Questionnaire as soon as you receive this email in early December, so your Billing Invoice can be viewed shortly afterward, allowing you to request a payment/check amount well before your holiday break.

If you are group attending the 2021 festival, using 2020 credited payments, you will notice when you view the Billing Invoice after we receive your December Questionnaire information, no payment would be required for the January 15^th due date.    

Completing the December Questionnaire through WPSMF Online is easy enough to use with the below instructional pdfs .  If you need assistance with anything, just call us, and we can talk you through it from start to finish.  Do not hesitate to reach out to us.  

Here is how to begin with the online December Questionnaire:

1. Before you begin to complete the online December Questionnaire, or call us with your information, you will probably want to research and prepare for some of the questions the online questionnaire, or we  will ask you.  Open this PDF: “Step #1- Information being asked on December Questionnaire” to help prepare you. 

2. Now that you know what the questionnaire will ask, and you are ready to answer those questions, open this PDF:“Step#2- WPSMF Online Director Login”.  It will provide suggestions and instructions to log in, so you can complete and submit your questionnaire online.  The username and password you will need are below in this email. By the way, learning to login with WPSMF Online is not just for the December Questionnaire. You will log in for many other purposes in the upcoming months.  

3. After your successful login, open this PDF: “Step#3- Instructions to complete December Questionnaire”.  Once you have completed the online questionnaire, the festival staff will be alerted, review your responses, contact you with any additional questions (if needed), and then email you, stating your Billing Invoice is ready for you to view/print online.  If you don’t hear from us within one business day after completing, please contact us.

Keep in mind, if we do not receive your completed questionnaire, or hear from you by December 15th, we will most likely start reaching out to you.   If we have not received by Thursday December 17 or Friday December 18, you can count on us contacting you however we can, until we get in touch with you.  Your submitted responses are important when we begin festival scheduling for all groups during the holiday break. Group’s with late questionnaire responses will not receive the same scheduling priority as other timely groups.          

While we are emailing this page with the above PDF links to every director, here is a final PDF: “Instructions for Director to use WPSMF Online”.  A director does not need to read and get started with this document prior to their school holiday break, unless they choose to. As a matter of fact, there are some early December COVID-19 related editing to perform with some of the information described in this email, for your students and adults to view before they start registering.  So, waiting a couple of weeks before you start entering your member names and distributing their instructions would be helpful for us.  Every director should read and begin with these instructions well before January 15^th. All your students and adult individual registrations will rely on you getting them set up to register online, which also provides important festival information for their individual trip planning needs.         

Thanks to all!  We are only a phone call/email away and will be glad to assist you.  

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