The health and safety of our students and instructors are of utmost importance to the Alaska Avalanche School. We continue to monitor state and local health guidelines and are planning to adapt to meet evolving safety standards. AAS will operate using known best practices that support vaccination, physical distancing, strong hygiene, uncontaminated surfaces, reduced physical points of contact between all persons, and personal protective equipment (PPE) when physical distancing is not an option. People who are at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19 as defined by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) should carefully consider, in conjunction with their health care provider, whether to attend an avalanche course at this time.
AAS will make efforts, through a variety of approaches, to decrease the probability of transmission of COVID-19 during our courses. Adaptations such as classroom size, class size, online/remote learning, and PPE will be used in various combinations to adjust to current level of community transmission or to adhere to state and local health regulations. Our school retains the right to move or cancel courses as it adapts to COVID-19.
We are planning for the upcoming avalanche education season with both traditional and blended delivery of our coursework, adapting as necessary to meet current health regulations.
We will require all students who have been out of the country or state to follow state/federal travel mandates. Students and instructors should not attend a course if they have any COVID-19 symptoms.
Vaccinations
Being vaccinated is one of the best ways to reduce Covid transmission and avoid severe illness. We consider this just as important as having an avalanche transceiver in avalanche terrain.
Personal Protective Equipment
Students must arrive for our classes with a filtered mask for indoor lessons. The mask may or may not be worn at the discretion of your instructor in concert with current community transmission risk factors.
Symptoms on Course
Students who present symptoms associated with COVID-19 while on the course will be removed from the course environment at the sole discretion of AAS staff. Symptomatic students will be unable to return to class once removed and will not be issued a tuition refund. It is the responsibility of the student to contact the office on the next business day. The continuation of the course for the remaining instructors and students will be assessed on a case by case basis.
Cancellation Policy:
In alignment with our Cancellation Policy, we will not refund or transfer any students who are unable to attend a course after the cancellation deadline due to last-minute personal or medical issues including COVID-19; this policy is inclusive of issues that arise once the course has started. We strongly recommend the purchase of trip insurance which includes coverage for COVID-19. Policies vary greatly and it is your responsibility to ensure your policy is the right fit for your needs and has appropriate coverage. While there are a range of available Tuition Protection and Travel Insurance providers, many outdoor companies recommend and work with Travelguard, DogTag, or Aon Affinity. Check with your travel agent for more policies. Please read each policy carefully and discuss any questions with a policy specialist at the provider you select.
