COVID-19 Updates
Our first priority is the health and safety of our community, students and staff. We are closely monitoring the situation, and will continue to assess and alter our operations in accordance with what is best for our staff and students.
Currently, we are still planning on running courses this summer! If any program can practice social distancing, proper hygiene, and safe, effective risk management, it would be a wilderness program like Summit Adventure. That said, we are not taking COVID–19 lightly. We will be refining various program components to help ensure everyone’s safety. This will include:
1.) A thorough vetting of participants’ medical history prior to arrival on course
2.) All program staff and participants will be checked for a fever before the course begins. Anyone with a fever will not be allowed to participate. If other symptoms of the virus such as a cough, shortness of breath or fever appear (including a fever while on course), those participants will not be allowed to complete the course.
3.) Everyone will be required to bring hand sanitizer and Clorox wipes and strongly encouraged, or mandated, to use these on a daily, regular basis, especially when cooking, cleaning, and as always, when using the bathroom.
4.) Participants and staff will adhere to the 6-foot social distancing requirement established by the CDC. This distance is feasible out in the field for most activities. However, if any activities do require participants be within 6-ft of each other we will require you to wear a mask.
– An example of a situation where a mask might be required is during support school for our climbing elements, in which students have to be within 6ft of each other
– Family members or individuals who live in the same household can be exempt from the 6-ft rule.
– Summit Adventure will not be facilitating any group activities or team building exercises which require physical contact between students
5). The way we prepare and serve meals in the backcountry will look a little different this year. Groups will be separated by households/family members when possible. All snacks will be pre-packaged individually. Furthermore, when applicable instructors will do all the food preparation and serving (particularly when handling items which will not be cooked) to minimize the number of people in contact with food.
That being said, we are closely monitoring the situation and will continue to re-evaluate periodically as events related to COVID–19 unfold. If you have any questions, please send me an email at tom@summitadventure.com.
Tom Smith
Executive Director
Regular Updates on Programs & Courses
[accordion title=’March 18 – Spring Semester Program’]Semester Program students who were in Ecuador have returned to the United States. The students will return home to their families within the next week and we will finish up the semester virtually.[/accordion]
[accordion title=’April 14 – Yosemite National Park, Summer Courses’]Yosemite National Park is not giving out commercial permits until, at the earliest June 1st.
The Leadership Training Expedition has been moved from May 20-31 to June 3-14th. [/accordion]
[accordion title=’May 1 Update’]