Covid-19 update
Latest course update; May 20, 2020
At this time, Cloud Peak Expeditions has suspended all courses prior to July 10, and plans to run scheduled expeditions after that date—with a few adjustments to ensure the continued health and safety of our staff, faculty, and participants. Read the latest letter from our director about our response to the pandemic here.
Please keep in mind that right now we are monitoring COVID-19 impacts closely and although we are hopeful that we will will run summer expeditions, our schedule may change if external indicators, the CDC, and governing authorities provide guidance that would not allow CPE to operate. We appreciate your understanding, patience, and flexibility.
If you would like additional support and information, we encourage you to contact us. We can answer additional questions that you may have given the fluidity of the current environment. Thank you for your support, and we look forward to seeing you out in the mountains later this summer.
What resources are we using to make our decisions?
While there are many sources for coronavirus information, our primary resources include:
Health information from the Center for Disease Control (CDC)
State, County and other local health department advisories
Reputable news sources
The U.S. State Department including travel and other information
What factors are we considering when making operational decisions?
Cloud Peak expeditions will resume when relevant travel restrictions, social distancing recommendations, and community stay-in-place or quarantine orders are no longer in effect. We are also assessing the ability of local jurisdictions where we operate and their ability to support our participants such as available medical care and emergency response. These are the primary factors as we analyzes the evolving COVID-19 environment and the potential for running courses.
What are we doing to limit the spread of the Covid-19 virus on courses?
We have always placed a strong emphasis on personal hygiene and illness prevention. We follow guidance provided by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) for preventing the spread of illness.
These practices will be emphasized on courses and include:
Frequent handwashing with soap and water and when that is not available, using alcohol-based sanitizer with greater than 60% alcohol..
Using the crook of your arm (inner elbow) to cover your mouth when coughing or sneezing.
Avoiding touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
Carry disinfectant wipes to wipe surfaces before touching.
Cleaning and disinfecting high-use and shared surfaces.
What will we do if someone on course exhibits Covid-19 symptoms?
Cloud Peak staff and instructors are on alert monitoring flu-like symptoms and administering responsible self-care practices with participants and following best practices as identified by the CDC.
Anyone with reason to believe they may have been exposed to COVID-19 will be isolated from others and health care providers will be contacted.
What if a trip in which I am enrolled is cancelled due to Covid-19? What if I need to cancel a trip due to Covid-19 related considerations?
If Cloud Peak Expeditions needs to cancel a trip enrolled participants will receive a full refund or the opportunity to postpone enrollment to next year.
We encourage participants to buy trip insurance that offers cancel-for-any-reason coverage, which will ensure you are not responsible for trip costs should you need to cancel due to COVID-19-related considerations. One such travel insurance company is World Nomad Explorer.
My financial situation has been impacted by the pandemic. What if I can’t afford to pay the full price of course tuition?
If you are particularly impacted by COVID-19, you may be particularly in need of a joyful experience in the mountains—-reach out to discuss your needs and how we can help support them. Both financial assistance and scholarship opportunities are available, and we have made changes to our cancellation policies to allow us to more readily adapt to the rapidly evolving climate.
