COVID Information

We know our guests have questions about what the 2020/21 season will look like at Bluebird Backcountry. Our backcountry model means we’re naturally set up for minimal person-to-person contact. But we’re not stopping there.

At Bluebird Backcountry, we take our guests’ health and safety really seriously. Here’s what you need to know about skiing with us during a pandemic (never thought we’d have to say that!):

✔️ PLENTY OF ROOM TO SPREAD OUT

Max 200 guests on 1,200 inbounds acres (plus another 3,000 acres out of bounds) means it’ll be easy to find solace on the mountain. Our new location offers more skin tracks and numerous skiing zones.

✔️ NO LIFTS = NO LIFT LINES

No lift lines are always a good thing. But right now, it’s even better—it means you won’t be in close quarters with other guests on the ground or on a chair.

✔️ CONTACTLESS CHECK-IN

We’ve reimagined our check-in process and orientation so that you don’t need to go inside after picking up your pass on the first day. Lesson groups will meet outside, and we’ve streamlined the rental process to minimize indoor time.

✔️ LESSON LIMITS

Every lesson and avalanche course at Bluebird Backcountry has a limit of nine students to enhance personal instruction time—and keep group sizes under the CDC-recommended max of 10 people.

✔️ PHYSICAL DISTANCING

We will ask all guests to maintain a six-foot physical distance from people not in their party at all times. That’s easy to do when there are 200 guests on 1,200 acres of terrain. However, we will be limiting the number of people inside our warming huts and base building at any one time.

✔️ MASK REQUIREMENTS

Staff and guests will be required to wear masks or face coverings indoors, anytime we can’t maintain the six-foot distance, and when passing one another on the skin track.

✔️ SPACIOUS PARKING

Plenty of free parking in our spacious slopeside lot means you won’t have to worry about taking a shuttle or interacting with folks outside your household.

✔️ HEALTH AND SAFETY

All guests will be required to sign a waiver saying they won’t come if they are sick; all lesson participants will be given a health questionnaire before they arrive; we will train all of our employees on COVID safety and require them to do a health screening every day.

✔️ RIGOROUS CLEANING PROCEDURES

Shared spaces will be carefully cleaned multiple times each day, and rental gear will be sanitized after every use. (We’re doing this anyway!) We’ll also have hand sanitizer stations set up in shared spaces.

Day Pass, Lesson, Clinic, Rental, and Camping Refund Policy

All access passes, lessons, clinics, rentals, and camping are non-refundable.* Reservations may be rescheduled to a different available date in the 2020/2021 season and/or transferred to another eligible individual up to 72 hours in advance of the reservation. Service fees may be incurred per rescheduling transaction. In order to reschedule please email [email protected].

*If a guest is sick with COVID-19 symptoms, Bluebird Backcountry will reschedule as availability allows within the 2020/2021 season or issue a refund, minus any transaction fees. In order to cancel due to sickness, please call or email Bluebird Backcountry before or on the day of your reservation. Due to safety precautions, guests are asked not to cancel in-person at the Base Area Lodge for any reason.

Pass Pack Refund Policy

Bluebird Backcountry 4-Packs and 10-Packs have no blackout days and are transferable all season long. If you’re not able to use one or more of your passes, you can give them to someone else who can. For this reason, we cannot offer refunds on 4-Packs or 10-Packs for any reason––no exceptions. To be extra clear: no refunds will be given for unused days, lost or stolen passes/codes, pandemics or unplanned closures, snow conditions or weather, natural disasters or other acts of God, sickness or any other reason.

Bluebird Backcountry allows no more than 200 guests on the mountain each day. Pass Pack holders will be given early access to book their preferred dates, rentals, and lessons sometime in November 2020 prior to non-passholder bookings. We encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity window as we expect the mountain will be full on some days, and all reservations are subject to availability—first come, first served.

Reservations may be rescheduled to a different available date in the 2020/2021 season and/or transferred to another eligible individual up to 72 hours in advance of the reservation. Service fees may be incurred per rescheduling transaction. In order to reschedule please email [email protected].

All initial passholders and pass-transfer guests are required to complete a liability waiver, carry all of the requisite safety equipment, and meet the age eligibility requirements prior to accessing the mountain.

Passes must be used during the 2020–2021 season.

Season Pass Refund Policy

Season passes are non-refundable and non-transferable. However, if Bluebird Backcountry is closed for a substantial portion of the season (14 operating days or more) we will offer a prorated credit or refund.

We can’t offer refunds based on individual circumstances. However, if you don’t use your season pass at all in 2020-2021, we will give you a credit in full for next year’s pass.

All season passholders are required to complete a liability waiver, carry all of the requisite safety equipment, and meet the age eligibility requirements prior to accessing the mountain.

AIARE Course Refund Policy

Participant Cancellation:

We know the world is changing rapidly and understand that our guests might be nervous about booking a course months in advance. If you find that you need to cancel or change your avalanche course reservation, we ask that you give us as much notice as possible so we can try to fill your spot. Our refund policy is:

Cancellations 30+ days out from the start of the course: We can reschedule (availability dependent) or issue a refund minus 10% fee
Cancellations 7 to 30 days out: Cost is non-refundable, but can be rescheduled (availability dependent) with an additional 10% fee
Cancellations fewer than 7 days out*: No refunds or reschedules

Course purchases must be used during the 2020–2021 season and cannot be rescheduled for a future season.

All course participants are required to complete a liability waiver, carry all of the requisite safety equipment, and meet the age eligibility requirements prior to accessing the mountain.

*If you’re sick with COVID-19 symptoms, please contact us as soon as possible, and we’ll reschedule as availability allows or issue a refund.

Weather:

Bluebird Backcountry does not anticipate cancelling an avalanche course due to adverse weather. In the event of unsafe conditions or extreme weather events, Bluebird Backcountry reserves the right to adjust the format, move the course venue and/or cancel or reschedule the course under the terms of the Bluebird Backcountry Cancellation policy.

Bluebird Backcountry Cancellation:

While we do not anticipate any cancellations, Bluebird Backcountry reserves the right to cancel an avalanche course for any reason, including regulatory COVID-19 mandates. If Bluebird Backcountry cancels a course, we will provide you with as much notice as possible; however, please note cancellations may come at any time, including on the day of the course. In the event of a cancelation directed by Bluebird Backcountry, we will provide you with the following options:

An opportunity to reschedule to a future course within the 2020/2021 season, availability dependent; OR
A 100% credit for any future Bluebird Backcountry product(s), valid for one calendar year from the cancellation date; OR
A 100% refund of the course cost.

Bluebird Backcountry is not responsible for reimbursement of any supplemental costs associated with your expected participation in the canceled course. This includes, but is not limited to, travel, lodging and equipment expenses. If you rented your touring and/or avalanche equipment from Bluebird Backcountry for the course, we will refund you for the days not used.

To cancel your avalanche course registration, please email us at [email protected]

Guided Skiing Refund Policy

Participant Cancellation:

We know the world is changing rapidly and understand that our guests might be nervous about booking guided skiing days weeks or months in advance. We require reservations at least 14 days in advance, and bookings are subject to guide availability and mountain capacity limits. If you find that you need to cancel or change your guided skiing reservation, please give us as much notice as possible, as our guided skiing experiences are personalized to suit individual customers. Our refund policy is:

Cancellations 30+ days out from the start of the course: We can reschedule (availability dependent) or issue a refund minus 10% fee
Cancellations 7 to 30 days out: Cost is non-refundable, but can be rescheduled (availability dependent) with an additional 10% fee
Cancellations fewer than 7 days out*: No refunds or reschedules

Guided skiing purchases must be used during the 2020–2021 season and cannot be rescheduled for a future season.

All participants are required to complete a liability waiver, carry all of the requisite safety equipment, and meet the age eligibility requirements prior to accessing the mountain.

*If you’re sick with COVID-19 symptoms, please contact us as soon as possible, and we’ll reschedule as availability allows or issue a refund.

Weather:

Bluebird Backcountry does not anticipate cancelling a guided day due to adverse weather. In the event of unsafe conditions or extreme weather events, Bluebird Backcountry reserves the right to adjust the format, move the guided venue and/or cancel or reschedule the day under the terms of the Bluebird Backcountry Cancellation policy.

Bluebird Backcountry Cancellation:

While we do not anticipate any cancellations, Bluebird Backcountry reserves the right to cancel a guided day for any reason, including regulatory COVID-19 mandates. If Bluebird Backcountry cancels a guided day, we will provide you with as much notice as possible; however, please note cancellations may come at any time, including day-of. In the event of a cancelation directed by Bluebird Backcountry, we will provide you with the following options:

An opportunity to reschedule to a future course within the 2020/2021 season, availability dependent; OR
A 100% credit for any future Bluebird Backcountry product(s), valid for one calendar year from the cancellation date; OR
A 100% refund of the course cost.

Bluebird Backcountry is not responsible for reimbursement of any supplemental costs associated with your expected participation in the canceled guided day. This includes, but is not limited to, travel, lodging and equipment expenses. If you rented your touring and/or avalanche equipment from Bluebird Backcountry for the course, we will refund you for the days not used.

To cancel your guided day registration, please email us at [email protected]

Conditions Related Closures and Highway Closures

Occasionally extreme weather conditions (avalanche conditions, snow, wind, thaws or similar) may cause Bluebird Backcountry to close the entire mountain for the day. Occasionally CDOT closes Bluebird access highways (Highway 14 between Muddy Pass and Walden and Highway 40 between Kremmling and Steamboat Springs) due to road conditions. Bluebird will issue refunds or credits to guests if the entire mountain is closed or inaccessible for the day. Unfortunately we cannot issue refunds if the mountain is inaccessible for part of the day, or if Bluebird is accessible from either Kremmling or Steamboat Springs on Highway 40/14.

Merchandise Return Policy

If you are looking to return your order for whatever reason, we are here to help! We offer free returns within 30 days of placing your order. As soon as your qualified product(s) arrive here at Bluebird Backcountry, we will refund your original payment method.

Please note the following exceptions to our return policy:

Discounted items are final and cannot be returned or exchanged
Returned items must have tags still on and no visible signs of wear or use

To initiate a return, please fill out our Return Request form. We will reply promptly with more information on how to complete your return.

Additional Information:

Your refund will be processed within one week of receiving your qualified returned item(s)
Bluebird Backcountry does not refund original or return shipping costs
Lost or damaged returns will not be refunded

Questions? Email us at [email protected]