(716) 941-5654

COVID-19

Buffalo Ski Center: 90 Years Together and Better than Ever!

It’s our 90th Anniversary! Although 2020 has been challenging, a new ski season is quickly approaching and life on the slopes means that you and your family can get outside, enjoy Western New York’s fresh air and beautiful scenery and celebrate nearly a century of winter fun at Buffalo Ski Center.

Your safety is paramount and we’ve made many improvements so that you can enjoy your time here. As a private club, we’re a small community of winter-sports lovers by nature, so our slopes are never too crowded. We’re also like family and we’re counting on everyone to respect the safety precautions that we’re taking to ensure a safe season.

Attached is our comprehensive plan for your safety. Here, we’ve highlighted key changes:

  • Tamarack Lodge: We’re adding 1,100 square feet of additional indoor space, a new boot-changing area and 1,200 square feet of heated outdoor space, including a firepit with seating.

  • Sitzmarker Lodge: We’re installing plexiglass around the Sitzmarker deck to act as a windbreak and make it enjoyable to sit outside, whatever the weather, as well as adding a new boot-changing area.

Additional Guest Services:

  • We’re making changes to program schedules to alleviate crowds at the lifts, on the slopes and in the lodges, including moving the Extreme Team to Tamarack, with options for Saturdays and Sundays, to reduce crowds at the Sitzmarker Lodge.

  • We’ve relocated the Mini-Buffalo Adventure Center (formerly known as the BSC Nursery) to the Guest Services building and doubling its size.

  • Our parking areas are close to BSC’s lodges and slopes and you’re always welcome to make your car your own “private lodge,” too.

We’re in this together and we’re counting on everyone to work collectively for a safe and happy 90th season. If you have a concern about the facility or member compliance, please let management know and we’ll take care of any issues immediately.

Spending time on the slopes is a great way to get outside and enjoy the fresh air and especially this year, winter sports enable us to remain socially distant while still having fun. Let’s make it an awesome year!

As we eagerly welcome families back to Buffalo Ski Center, we want to acknowledge that this season will be different than before. At BSC, we have developed health and safety procedures utilizing guidance from SANY (Ski Areas of NY), NSAA (National Ski Areas Association) along with other commercial ski areas that adhere to Erie County and State of New York health regulations.  While the details of these plans are likely to change major themes of face coverings, physical distancing and cleaning/sanitation protocols will remain at the forefront.

Every season, we develop a strategy for opening terrain for our members and guests this year will be no different. 

If needed, we are prepared to tailor area access based on the relationship between demand and open terrain.

New Hours of Operations
Wednesday – Friday 2 pm – 9 pm, Saturday 8 am – 8 pm and Sunday 8 am – 6 pm

For Members & Guests
Buffalo Ski Center values the health and safety of our employees and everyone who visits the area this winter. We are asking our members, guests, and employees to follow the BSC COVID Code so that they can help mitigate transmission of the virus by assuming personal responsibility during their visit to the area.

BSC COVID Code

  • 6-foot distance from others
  • Wear face covering to protect yourself and others
  • Wash and Sanitize – Wash and sanitize your hands routinely
  • Feeling Sick – Stay Home

Required Face Coverage

We’re lucky that wearing protective gear such as gloves, goggles and face masks is already part of the skiing and boarding experience.  Our current policy is that face coverings are required at all times unless seated to eat or drink, or in an outdoor location where social distancing is readily achievable.  You will need to wear a face covering in the lodges (including restrooms), in lift lines, on lifts, and whenever you interact with any of our employees.

Sanitization: Hand sanitizer stations will be located throughout the area, including entry points and activity locations for members, guests, and staff usage. BSC has also implemented enhanced cleaning and disinfecting procedures in high touch areas around the club to mitigate transmission of COVID-19.
Every night our staff will utilize an emist machine to sanitize all buildings.

Physical Distancing Practices: While indoors and at the loading /unloading area per NYS state regulations requires a minimum of 6 feet of physical distance. Signage will be located throughout the area to help guide and inform guests of proper physical distancing.

Lodges and Indoor Spaces

Indoor space this season will be very limited and we’re asking all of our guests to help out by getting ready at their cars, going straight to the lift or lesson line up and, where possible, avoiding the lodges entirely.  Plan to operate out of your vehicle like it was your private lodge.

We have rearranged our lodges tables to be 6 feet apart.  We will have greeters at lodge access points who will help us comply with these new limitations.  This year, we are asking all guests to minimize the time that they spend indoors.  This will reduce everyone’s exposure risk and allow us to accommodate skiers and boarders who need to access a lodge to warm up, grab a bite to eat, or use the restroom.  To promote the goal of minimizing time indoors, we will be implementing some changes:

  • Lodges will act more as a “warming hut” for skiers and boarders this season with new entry and exit points.
    Tamarack lodge entrance double green doors/ Tamarack Lodge Exits single green door on parking lot side and/or single green door hill side.
    Sitzmarker  Lodge entrance when entering the building at main doors  proceed to your right. When exiting Sitzmarker lodge exit through fireplace room door or downstairs back door.
  • Ski Patrol will be stationed at the Tamarack and Sitzmarker Lodge entrance doors at our busy times welcoming members and monitoring lodge flow along with random temperature checks.
  • Emist EPIX360Mist Electrostatics technology is now being integrated into the infection prevention and control industry as a tool to break the chain of pathogen mobility. Daily treatments will be utilized to sanitize all of our buildings.
  • Tamarack Food Service food will be available along with a system TBD on ordering food without then having to stand and wait in line.
  • Tables spaced out at 6 feet in Tamarack and Sitzmarker Lodge, some tables and chairs removed
  • Tamarack and Sitzmarker wooden picnic tables replaced with hard plastic tables that can be wiped off after use.

Snowsports Protocol

We have changed times of all programs and lesson to allow that only 1 group lesson is commencing at the same time allowing us to spread out concentrations of people throughout the day.

Extreme Team has now been moved to a 2 hour lesson and based out of Tamarack Area.

All participants in any lesson/program must wear a face covering. Since all of our group lessons are pre-registered we are asking parents to be their child’s advocate by doing a COVID appraisal before heading out to the area. If your child is showing any signs of illness please do not bring them on site.

We will send daily texts to all registered participants with a survey that needs to be completed before arrival.  

If a child becomes ill during a lesson or program they will be isolated to one of our patrol rooms and staff will contact the parents.

Nursery Protocol

Face covering must be worn by children 5 and over. Children ages 1-4 face coverings are voluntary but we recommend them.

Any Adventure Program participant that is utilizing the nursery should already have had their parents perform a COVID appraisal before heading to the area. (Sent by BSC via text message)

All non-Adventure Program children will need to make a reservation in order to drop their child off in the nursery.

Any non-Adventure Program child that does not have a sibling in the Adventure Program will have their temperature taken on arrival to the nursery and the parents will fill out a COVID questionnaire on site.

The nursery will not accept children under the age of 1 year old.

If your child is not toilet trained and they need a diaper change we will contact you to change their diaper.

Lift Protocol

You can ride the lift with the group that you came to the area with.

BSC will have a designated line for single riders who want to ride alone.

Guest Services Protocol / Season Pass photos

Guest Services exterior windows have been updated to allow most interactions to be done at our outside windows.

All current members will be issued season passes using 2019-20 photos that we have on file.

All new Trial Families photos will be by appointment only.

For Employees

Required Face Coverings: Employees are required to wear facial coverings at all times while working indoors in spaces open to the public, outdoors when 6 foot separation cannot be maintained, and while interacting with members and guests.

Employee Education: Employees have been trained to assist in educating guests about club health and safety protocols. BSC is conducting a mandatory employee training course that provides the opportunity for employees to better understand some of our safety precautions, including sanitizing stations and personal hygiene requirements, physical distancing, the wearing of face masks, and general expectations of employment.

Health Screenings: All BSC employees who are working onsite complete a daily health screening and temperature checks.

Safety Gear: Appropriate safety gear is worn by all employees based on their role and responsibilities within the area in adherence to state and local guidelines. All employees are required to wear facial coverings based on local health orders.

Sick Policies: Employees who are unwell are asked to notify their manager, stay home and seek medical attention as required. Employees who begin to feel unwell during the workday are asked to notify their manager immediately and leave the workplace and seek medical attention as required.

________________________________________________________________________

Question and Answers regarding season passes / lessons/ programs in relation to COVID-19

BSC has not increased season pass prices nor charged late fees as compared to the same sales period last year.

This off-season will place new stresses on us all in dealing with COVID-19, and small businesses like ours appreciate your support as we all deal with its effects. More than ever, season passes and lesson/ program participation will help us pay for our employees to maintain and improve the infrastructure this off-season. So thank you from all of us here at BSC.

Does my family qualify for a refund if we paid for our season pass and NY State does not allow ski areas to open?

Although season passes, as always, remain non-refundable, BSC will provide you a full credit for your 21/22 season pass (next season) if NY State does not allow ski areas to open for the season before our 20/21 opening day due to COVID-19.

What if NY State shuts down ski areas after our season begins due to COVID-19?
BSC will apply partial credit toward a 21/22 season pass if the season is shut down early before February 1, 2021. Making your season pass investment protected. 

What if my family does not want to ski this season but has already paid? Your family can choose to defer your 20/21 season pass payment, no questions asked.  Deadline to defer 20/21 season pass to 21/22 is 11/15/20.

How do I defer my 20/21 payment to 21/22?
Simply email office@buffaloskiclub.com

Lesson / Programs registration opens for members on 9/15/20-What happens if there are no lessons due to COVID-19?

All lesson / program payments will be deferred to the 21/22 season.

What if the US/Canadian border does not open in time for ski season?

If you already paid your season pass it will automatically be deferred to 21/22 season.

If you did not pay your season yet we will automatically mark you membership inactive for the 20/21 season.