Thank you for being patient as we worked to create a plan to collect the season equipment rentals! Our priority has been to make sure that staff, volunteers, and participants all are able to be safe while we collect the 1200 sets of skis and over 100 snowboards that families were borrowing for the winter. We now have a plan that we are confident in and fits within the guidelines of the State of Minnesota and City of Duluth. We are using the model of curbside pickup, but for drop-off. There is a lot of information here, but please read through it carefully to make sure expectations are clear and we can minimize any chance of virus transmission during this process.

We are also using this time to confirm volunteer hours completed and your choice for handling the volunteer refund.

IF YOU HAD A SEASON PASS BUT NO RENTALS:

If our records show that you completed your volunteer hours, you can expect an email from Dave (dave@chesterbowl.org) in the next two weeks asking what your preference is for your refund. Please reply to that email with your choice. You should not come to Chester Bowl on a return night. If you do not receive an email by early June and did complete your volunteer hours, email Dave. Families that did not complete their volunteer hours will not be emailed. Your options are:

1. Receive a full refund. For those with season passes only, this would be $75. A check will be mailed to you.
2. Donate your deposit back to Chester Bowl. Your generosity will allow us to re-invest in our program, including purchasing new equipment for next year and continuing our commitment to award scholarships to any families that need them to participate. A donation receipt will be mailed to you.
3. Choose a combination of refund and donation- many families choose to split the amount evenly. A check and a donation receipt will be mailed to you.

IF YOU HAD EQUIPMENT RENTALS:

To make equipment returns work with this many people and to reduce the potential for large groups of people, each family MUST sign up for a specific time to bring their gear back, scheduled at two minute intervals. If you arrive but are not scheduled, you will be turned away. Also, unlike in other years, everything will be outside (even in inclement weather).

Please go to https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090d4daaae2ca4fa7-20204 to sign up for your timeslot. Options are available during afternoon hours on 5/27 and evening hours on 5/26, 6/2, 6/3, and 6/4. Please make every effort to make one of these time slots work for your family.

This year we will be putting in place extra precautions to protect you, our staff, and our volunteers. This means that our procedures are slightly different, and we need your help to make everything go smoothly. Please review the info below before signing up:

1. Participants will be required to schedule a time frame to return gear. No unscheduled returns are allowed.

2. Participants will arrive at Chester around their scheduled time. We know it is nearly impossible to hit a two minute window perfectly, but please try to be as close to your scheduled time as possible.

3. Participants will REMAIN IN THEIR VEHICLE and will line up in a queue. If we do have a line, please be patient while waiting for your family’s turn.

4. Participants will be allowed to drive into the drop off area one-by-one as directed by a volunteer stationed at the start of that line. 

5. Participants will PUT ON A MASK, get out of their car, take equipment out of car, and lean it against the ski garage for our volunteers to take care of. Please, wear a mask. As we will be interacting with over 400 families, we really appreciate your consideration in this area. Even wearing a buff significantly decreases the risk of virus transmission for everyone. Our staff and volunteers will also all be wearing masks.

6. After dropping off gear, participants will check in with staff and volunteers under a 10×20′ tent. During this time you will verify your volunteer hours, verify that you dropped off all your equipment, and talk about volunteer deposit options with staff. If you completed your volunteer requirement (12 hours for families of 2 or more with rentals, 6 hours for an individual season pass with one rental) you will be eligible to receive your volunteer deposit back; we have three options for you to consider. To speed things up, please know which option you would like to select in advance:

• Receive a full refund. For most families with rentals, this would be $100. For an individual season pass with one rental, it would be $75. A check will be given to you at that time or mailed to you (depending on if we are backed up).
• Donate your deposit back to Chester Bowl. Your generosity will allow us to re-invest in our program, including purchasing new equipment for next year and continuing our commitment to award scholarships to any families that need them to participate. You will receive a donation receipt.
• Choose a combination of refund and donation- many families choose to split the amount evenly. You will receive a check and a donation receipt.

7. Participants will then leave and start dreaming about next winter!

Here are some things to do in advance of returns:

1. If you are experiencing symptoms related to COVID-19 or if you have had confirmed exposure, please don’t come to your return night. You can reach out to us to re-schedule when you are able.

2. Buckle boots ahead of drop off.

3. Put a rubber band on the tail of each set of skis.

4. Put a rubber band on each set of ski poles. 

5. Double check to make sure you have everything!

These steps are very important this year as we would like to reduce the risk and the amount of time each staff member and volunteer spends working with your equipment. 

We do also need a limited number of volunteers to assist with these events. This is a great way to complete your hours for the year if you haven’t already. You can sign up at https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090d4daaae2ca4fa7-20203.  Adults only, please.

If you have any questions please reach out to Sam, sam@chesterbowl.org

Thank you everyone, for your support.

After careful consideration we have made the decision to cancel camp through July 2. As the situation evolves we will be evaluating the feasibility of running camp beyond July 6. We hope to be able to make a decision for July and beyond by mid-June, but the exact timing will depend on the timing of the guidance from the various governmental offices involved. We are so disappointed to have to make this decision, but we think it is the right one and in the best interest of our campers and our community.

You can find full details, including our refund options, at this link.

Registration is open for both new and returning Fall Fest vendors. Find out more at this link.

Our Equipment Return nights (originally April 14-16) are postponed due to the safety risks of COVID-19. In addition, our Chalet is officially closed to the public. We do not have new dates selected at this time. The earliest they would be is May. Please hold on to your gear until we can reschedule the returns; we are not able to schedule individual returns at this time.

Starting Tuesday, March 17th, the Thom Storm Chalet, a City building, is closed to the public. This includes the Chalet public restrooms. Chester staff are still working, so please reach out to us by phone (218-724-9832) and email (dave@chesterbowl.org / sam@chesterbowl.org).