COVID-19 WINTER 2021 - Talus Lodge

Based on community health, we may open in March for spring skiing .
For your pod, cohort or quaranteam.

Covid Management Plan	The Talus Covid Management Plan will be modified to comply with active COVID-19 guidelines and regulations as set out by British Columbia Health Authority, Alberta Health Services, Association of Canadian Mountain Guides, Backcountry Lodge Association of BC and Worksafe BC. For more details: click here.
Entire lodge group booking	Talus Lodge will be accepting entire lodge group bookings only. Call it your cohort, pod, bubble, squad, or your quaranteam. All group members must accept the collective risk of being with each other.
Local travel with in the regional zone	Adhering to travel guidelines is the responsibility of the traveler, not the operator. Please respect the most current public travel guidelines when you book and re-evaluate at the final payment deadline and upon trip departure.
Everything subject to change	When it comes to the Covid-19 pandemic, each day comes with new announcements, policies, guidelines, or unexpected situations. We place absolute priority on the health and safety of our community. Things can and probably will change; we appreciate your patience as we determine the right thing to do.
Winter	March and April program will be determined on February 15, 2021. This includes confirming existing bookings and accepting new bookings.
Summer	We are accepting booking from private groups within our regional zone.

Staff and guests	The health and safety of our guests, staff, and community is our priority. We are all in this together and we all need to do our part to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
Acknowledgement of Risk for COVID 19	There is undeniably an ‘Assumption of Risk’ for guests wishing to pursue this adventure amidst a Global Pandemic. No matter how many precautions and measures are taken, we cannot guarantee with certainty that COVID-19 will not find its way into the lodge. Please deeply consider your personal level of vulnerability AND that of your co-vulnerability. Acknowledgement of Risk for COVID 19 Form
Personal accountability	We all need to do our part by following health guidelines, minimizing social contacts prior to the trip and following the measures we have implemented at the lodge. Coming to the lodge is a financial commitment for everyone and we encourage everyone to manage their own exposure in their personal lives and make responsible choices.
Covid-19 Signs and symptoms	The symptoms of COVID-19 are similar to other respiratory illnesses, including the flu and the common cold. Commonly these are fever / chills, cough, sneezing, sore throat, and shortness of breath. Additional symptoms may include muscle aches, fatigue, headache, loss of appetite, runny nose, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, loss of sense of smell or taste. Almost everybody that has COVID has fever and cough (new or worsening). Shortness of breath and chest pain can be signs of severe illness. People infected with COVID-19 may experience little or no symptoms, with illness ranging from mild to severe, but still be a carrier
COVID and mandatory trip cancellation	Stay safe and stay home if in the last 14 days leading up to your Talus departure day you have; tested positive for COVID-19. experiencing COVID-19 symptoms. are a close contact of a person who tested positive for COVID-19. traveled outside of Canada. A trip cancellation is not mandatory if in the last 14 days leading up to your Talus departure day you have; experienced COVID symptoms and are symptom free at the time of departure and provide a negative COVID test.
Health screening	With in 12 hours of departure for staging Complete and follow the recommendations of the BC COVID-19 Self-Assessment . Daily A daily safety briefing will be conducted to confirm the absence of symptoms (BC self-assessment tool). Guests will be required to immediately bring any symptoms to the attention of staff members
Lodge life	Mask wear is required in the communal spaces of the lodge. Whenever possible, the lodge pod must maintain physical distancing from the staff. Diligence with personal hygiene. 2 hands free hand washing sinks. No touch water facet. Hand sanitizers stations throughout. Meals are plated and served and/or pre-packaged for pickup. Meal seating will be arranged with a maximum of 6 per table. Sauna may only be used by members of the same pod. The sauna will be sanitized after each pod.
Orientation	Following health and safety guidelines provided by Talus during orientation and adhering to the guidelines outlined in the on-site manual administered by the Provincial Health Officer for staff, guest and facility health and hygiene procedures.
COVID signs/symptoms at Talus	Should anyone feel unwell, an isolation venue will be provided. Arrangements will be made for a safe evacuation if signs/symptoms listed above do not resolve, get worse, or deemed a risk to you and others by Talus Lodge staff. The cost of a helicopter evacuation, in the case of medical emergency, is the responsibility of the guest. Helicopter evacuation coverage can either be purchased from Talus Lodge for $50 per person or an insurance provider at the time of booking your trip.
Post trip follow up	We will be communicating, post trip, regarding any COVID-19 positive tests in the 14 days after Talus departure.

CLEANING

Best practice sanitization

The lodge and shower house has been, and will always be, cleaned to meet public health guidelines. We are taking additional steps to ensure guest and staff safety;

Enhanced cleaning with a focus on high touch areas including: door handles, light switches, handrails, faucets and knobs.
Sauna to be cleaned between guest pods and staff.
Linens and towels washed in a Miele washing machine sanitized at 70 C.

TRANSPORTATION

Transport	Transportation services will follow Transport Canada guidelines for air and surface transport including mandatory mask wear.

Why is Talus waiting to accept new bookings and confirming existing booking on January 12?

We will be adhering to the stricter provincial regulations since we are located in British Columbia and accessed through Alberta. The current Alberta mandatory restrictions will be in place at least until January 12, 2021. We will delay decision making until then. Should we, as a community, be able to manage COVID, Talus Lodge is going to be good to go. Sign up for our newsletter for a heads up on our decision.

CLEANING

TRANSPORTATION

Why is Talus waiting to accept new bookings and confirming existing booking on January 12?

HOW TO BOOK