It’s official! We are opening for Winter. With both Perisher (24th June) and Thredbo (22nd June) announcing their opening dates, the Committee have agreed that both lodges can re-open from the 22nd June. This is only possible due to the hard work of a tremendous number of people, who have not only drafted (and re-drafted, and reviewed) the Club’s COVID-19 Management Plan (the Plan), but also supported the operational implementation of the Plan at both lodges.
I would particularly like to thank the CAC Committee, along with the members of the Work Health & Safety sub-committee, and Bookings sub-committee, who have contributed many, many hours of their time to work through the issues. Without all the work to get us to this point, we would not be able to open. In fact, we have been advised that a number of other lodges, including Cooma, Maranatha Lodge (Thirroul Ski Club), Wildspitz Ski Club, Ku-ring-gai Alpine Club, Oldina Ski Club, and Windarra Ski Lodge will not open this season, so we are very fortunate to have such a great group of members, who have volunteered their time to make this possible.
We are also fortunate to have two large, and (relatively) modern lodges. However while government regulations such as the four square metre rule remain in place, we plan to operate each lodge at a reduced capacity. These capacities are:
| Lodge | Normal Capacity | Reduced Capacity | Reduction |
| Jindabyne | 30 people | 23 people | 25% |
| Perisher | 44 people | 26 people | 40% |
Bookings were re-opened on 13th June (following the decision to waitlist all bookings on 15th March) allowing Sarah to start processing the bookings that had been received during that 3 month period. While we are operating with reduced capacity, we have been able accommodate almost all of these bookings, although in some cases, not at the preferred lodge. We appreciate the understanding and support from all of our members as we have worked through this process.
The Plan contains details of all the other changes that have been made, and a Summary has been prepared with the key items. I would encourage all members to read through the Summary, which you will find on the COVID-19 Essential Information page. Please check this page regularly, as the information will be updated as new advice is received and government regulations change. To receive notifications of updates, we strongly recommend subscribing to Skimail (please email cac.office@cac.org.au if you do not currently receive this). Alternatively, please join the CAC – Canberra Alpine Club Facebook group.
We are also hosting a CAC Social Catch Up and Q&A Session, via Zoom Meeting on Sunday 21st June at 4pm. If you have any questions about the Plan, or would just like to have a catch-up with some other members, please join in. Details will be distributed in Skimail, or if you don’t receive this, please email cac.office@cac.org.au to get your invite.
This year continues to be challenging for all of us, and for the Club. Health and safety must be our first priority, and we need to ensure that we follow the health guidelines, and maintain our COVID-19 Management Plan. We appreciate all your support, and welcome feedback, as we get used to the new operating conditions. As always, if you need my assistance, please email me on president@cac.org.au.
