Extenuating Circumstances Cancellation Policy

Last updated: 12/12/2024

Summary:
We may be able to give you a full refund (waive the $50 cancellation penalty) if you have to cancel because of an unexpected circumstance that’s out of your control. Below is a list of circumstances covered by our Extenuating Circumstances Policy. Before you cancel, check that your circumstance is included in the list below and that you can provide the required documentation. If extenuating circumstances do not apply, there is still a chance we will be able to reschedule your lesson free of charge. Please reach out to guest services at [email protected] with at least 24hrs notice and our team will do what we can to accommodate your request.

Extenuating Circumstances that require documentation

  • Death - of a host, guest, or their co-host, additional guest, immediate family member, or caregiver. You’ll be asked to provide one of these documents:
    • Death certificate
    • Obituary
    • News article naming the deceased
    • Police report
  • Power outages or mechanical breakages that affect ski area operations (such as ski lifts breaking) for more than 50% of the lesson reservation.
  • Unexpected serious illness or injury affecting a host or member of the traveling party. You’ll be asked to provide a statement from a physician confirming that the person can't host or travel due to an unexpected, serious illness or injury. The statement must be also dated after the reservation was booked and provided within 14 days of cancellation. At this time, pre-existing conditions known to the user at the time of booking are not covered by our Extenuating Circumstances Policy.
  • Travel restrictions imposed by a government, law enforcement agency, or military that restrict travel to or from the listing or experience location.
  • Transportation disruptions that make it impossible to reach your lesson reservation location, including road closures and flight cancellations where there are no alternative methods of travel. This includes closures and cancellations caused by natural disasters, such as earthquakes or severe storms. You’ll be asked to provide a notice of the road closure, or documentation from the airline that the flight was cancelled and supporting documentation confirming that it's not possible to travel to your destination.
  • Government-mandated obligations including jury duty, travel restrictions, court appearances, and military deployment. You'll be asked to provide a copy of the official notice dated after the reservation was booked, including the name of the person fulfilling the obligation.
  • Natural disasters, terrorist activity, and civil/political unrest that prevent the guest from traveling to or from the destination, or that make it unsafe to host guests.
  • Safety and security threat advisories issued for the ski area location of your reservation.

December 2020 Update - Re: California Shelter-in-place Orders

  • Despite the shelter-in-place directive that most counties in California are currently under, Snow Schoolers will remain open at both our Granlibakken and Kingvale locations.
  • We have adopted industry standard best practices to ensure both our guests and employees' safety. These include mandatory mask-wearing for all employees at all times. Guests likewise must have a mask to enter, and are expected to wear their mask whenever social distancing is not physically possible (e.g. lift lines, etc.)
  • Snow Schoolers and the Granlibakken Ski Hill are classified as ski operators, and are accordingly exempted from a forced business shutdown during the shelter-in-place order. The full advisory notice from the state of California for ski operators can be found here: https://files.covid19.ca.gov/pdf/guidance-campgrounds-outdoor-recreation--en.pdf.
  • While we do plan to remain open, we expect and understand that many of our guests may be unable to visit us over the coming weeks due to the necessary travel restrictions that are part of the order. If your ability to travel to Tahoe is forbidden due to the shelter-in-place order, please reach out to our guest services team by emailing [email protected].
  • We appreciate your patience in advance as we are already experiencing a high volume of questions. We'll be answering questions in the order they come in, with an additional priority for bookings whose lesson date is fast-approaching.