Frequently Asked Questions

SFL 2008 FAQs

• When will I hear about whether or not I have been accepted for Ski for Light 2008?
• When is my payment due?
• Is my payment refundable if I have to cancel and not attend the event after I have paid?
• The application for guides says that all first- and second- time guides need to arrive at SFL on Saturday for guide training, but my schedule won't allow me to get there that early. Is this a problem?
• At what time do I need to arrive at the Bend/Redmond Airport on my day of arrival? At what time should I plan my departure?
• I would rather fly into/out of Portland then Bend/Redmond. Will SFL provide transportation from Portland? If not, is other transportation available between Portland and Bend.
• I would like to arrive early or stay late in Bend to downhill ski at Mt. Bachelor. Will I be able to get to/from the Bend/Redmond Airport, Bend, and Mt. Bachelor easily, on my own?
• Is there an adaptive downhill ski program at Mt. Bachelor?
• What is the altitude of Mt. Bachelor?
• How can I be considered for a position as a Guide trainer for SFL 2008?
• Will rental cross-country skis be available at Mt. Bachelor?
• If I select the standard diet option for the week's meals, can I switch to the pescatarian option on those nights when I decide that the other option looks better, or vice-versa? If I don't like the looks of either option can I just ask the waiter to bring me something else?
• Will I be able to buy snacks and other items to have in my room?
• Will I be able to use my credit card to charge purchases that I make during the week?
• If I bring my dog Guide to the event, will someone be available to walk and relieve the dog for me while I am away skiing?
• I have something to donate to the SFL Silent Auction. When and where can I send it?
• If I arrive a day or two before the event starts, can I crash in the room of a friend who is already checked in, without either of us having to pay anything extra?
• I would like a double- or triple-occupancy room but don't have anyone in mind with whom I could share a room. Can someone help me find another attendee who is also looking for a roommate, and pair us for the week?
• I have a special request regarding my room and my meals. Should I just call the hotel to tell them what I want?
• May I arrive at the hotel a day or two before the event starts?
• Is there someone I can contact with additional questions?

Question - When will I hear about whether or not I have been accepted for Ski for Light 2008?

Answer - If you are a Guide, you will hear about your acceptance within just a few days. Guides are generally admitted on a rolling schedule, as they apply.

If you are a Visually- or Mobility-Impaired participant, you will not hear about acceptance until at least mid-October. This is because the number of VIPs and MIPs that we can accept is based on the number of Guides who apply, so we have to wait until we have a good idea of Guide attendance at the event.

If you are a first-time participant we can generally let you know earlier, as new participants have acceptance priority. Top

Question - When is my payment due?

Answer - Full payment of your event fee is due by December 17, 2007. Payment instructions will be sent to you after you are admitted, and you can pay by check (preferred) or credit card, on-line only.

Question - Is my payment refundable if I have to cancel and not attend the event after I have paid?

Answer - If you cancel by December 31, 2007 your full payment will be refunded to you. If you cancel after that date, some or all of your payment will not be refundable. Any refund will be based on how much of your fees, which we will have already paid to the hotel, restaurant and ski area on your behalf, we are able to retrieve. This will generally be 50% or less of the total amount you have paid, depending on when you cancel.

If you have told your Application Coordinator that your payment is "in the mail", but it hasn't been received by the due date of December 17, 2007, you will be putting SFL in the difficult situation of having to either cancel you out, or make non-refundable payments on your behalf. Please don't force us to make this decision, get your payment in on time.

Question - The application for guides says that all first- and second- time guides need to arrive at SFL on Saturday for guide training, but my schedule won't allow me to get there that early. Is this a problem?

Answer - Yes, it is a problem, for two reasons. The first is the safety of our blind and mobility-impaired participants. The communication and guiding skills needed to safely guide such skiers are unique to the SFL program and have been developed over the 32 years of the program. They are proven and necessary skills that you must be taught by certified SFL Guide Trainers before you can be matched with a skier.

The second is liability. Quite bluntly, we cannot pair you with a blind or mobility-impaired skier without knowing from our own observation that you can do so safely. So even if you have guided in your regional program for years, or have other comparable experience, you must go through our guide training program at the beginning of the event.

Question - At what time do I need to arrive at the Bend/Redmond Airport on my day of arrival? At what time should I plan my departure?

Answer - You should try to arrive at the Bend/Redmond Airport by 5:00 pm on your day of arrival. Dinner is at 6:30 pm, so if you arrive later you will miss dinner and the start of the week.

Plan your departure on Sunday, February 17th for whatever time you like, but bear in mind that check-out time at the Riverhouse is noon. If you leave after that, you may have to hang out in a hospitality room until time for your flight.

Question - I would rather fly into/out of Portland then Bend/Redmond. Will SFL provide transportation from Portland? If not, is other transportation available between Portland and Bend.

Answer - Ski for Light will NOT be providing transportation to/from the Portland Airport. If you decide to fly into Portland you will need to get to Bend on your own. There are two ways to do that:

• Take the Portland/Bend bus operated by Central Oregon Breeze. They make two trips each way daily, using a 25 passenger lift-equipped bus. The fare is approximately $40 each way, with an extra charge of $5 for ski bags. Before making your airline reservations to Portland, call Central Oregon Breeze at (541) 389-7469 to check the latest schedule, and to make a reservation.
• Rent a car, and make the 175 mile trip on your own. In good weather the trip will take about 3.5 hours; in inclement weather it can take considerably longer.

Question - I would like to arrive early or stay late in Bend to downhill ski at Mt. Bachelor. Will I be able to get to/from the Bend/Redmond Airport, Bend, and Mt. Bachelor easily, on my own?

Answer - You should have no trouble getting around on your own, if you decide to arrive early or stay late for downhill skiing: The Riverhouse Resort Hotel has made the special group price we are paying available, on a space available basis, to anyone coming to SFL for up to three days before or after the SFL week. This means, that if you choose to stay at the Riverhouse, you could arrive as early as Monday, February 4th, and stay as late as Wednesday, February 20th. SFL will not be providing transportation from the Bend/Redmond Airport for anyone arriving before February 7th, or leaving after February 17th, but there are plenty of cabs and shuttles that will transport you. The flat fee should be in the neighborhood of $35 each way, and it should take only a few minutes to travel the 15 miles into Bend from the airport. Getting from Bend to Mt. Bachelor is pretty quick and easy. The Bend Super Shuttle operates daily between the Bend Park and Ride and Mt. Bachelor. The Park and Ride lot is only about five minutes from the Riverhouse. The hotel will shuttle you to/from the Park and Ride free of charge, while the Super Shuttle fare is $5 each way.

Question - Is there an adaptive downhill ski program at Mt. Bachelor?

Answer - No, Mt. Bachelor does not have an adaptive downhill ski program. They do offer a free lift ticket to the guide of a disabled skier, but the skier has to provide his/her own guide.

Question - What is the altitude of Mt. Bachelor?

Answer - The altitude of the Mt. Bachelor Nordic Center is 6,400 feet. Trails radiate downward to an elevation of as low as 5,650 feet. The Alpine trail system stretches upward from the West Village Lodge to a summit elevation of about 9,100 feet.

The altitude of Bend, and the Riverhouse Resort Hotel, is about 3,700 feet. Top

Question - How can I be considered for a position as a Guide trainer for SFL 2008?

Answer - If you are an experienced SFL Guide or participant and have an interest in being a Guide trainer, send a note of inquiry to Amy Brannan AmyB@sfl.org or Scott McCall, ScottM@sfl.org the Guide Training Coordinators.

Question - Will rental cross-country skis be available at Mt. Bachelor?

Answer - The Mt. Bachelor Nordic Center has waxable cross-country skis, poles and boots available for rent at a cost of $8 per day. They accept cash or credit card for your rental fee.

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Question - If I select the standard diet option for the week's meals, can I switch to the pescatarian option on those nights when I decide that the other option looks better, or vice-versa? If I don't like the looks of either option can I just ask the server to bring me something else?

Answer - The answer to both questions is no. Our contract with the restaurant specifies that only two meal alternatives will be provided at each meal. The restaurant orders food based on the number of each type of meal that we have told them will be needed, so if you switch your selection meal by meal someone else will end up with a meal they do not want and/or cannot eat.

Question - Will I be able to buy snacks and other items to have in my room?

Answer - A grocery store and a pharmacy/drug store are both just a few minutes from the hotel, so buying items for your room will not be a problem.

Question - Will I be able to use my credit card to charge purchases that I make during the week?

Answer - You will be able to use your credit card for purchases at the ski area shop, in the bar, and in the Ski for Light store.

You will need cash or check to pay any residual fee that you owe for the SFL week, and for purchases at SFL cash bars. An ATM cash machine is located near the hotel.

Question - If I bring my dog Guide to the event, will someone be available to walk and relieve the dog for me while I am away skiing?

Answer - In some years one or more of the Guide dog schools send people to SFL to assist with dog walking and relieving. This is not within the control of SFL however, and there is no guarantee that such help will be available this year. Check with Lynda Boose near the start of the week to learn the situation for this year.

Question - I have something to donate to the SFL Silent Auction. When and where can I send it?

Answer - If you have something to donate to the Silent Auction, you can send it, at any time, to:
SFL/Silent Auction
c/o Bruce Meland
63603 Pioneer Loop
Bend OR 97701

Bruce is president of the Fjeldheim Sons of Norway Lodge in Bend. Members of the Lodge will be helping out in lots of ways before and during the 2008 event.

Question - If I arrive a day or two before the event starts, can I crash in the room of a friend who is already checked in, without either of us having to pay anything extra?

Answer - No. Ski for Light and the Riverhouse Resort Hotel have a contract that requires payment for every person who occupies a room. We pay by the person, not the room.

Please be aware that if you wish a triple-occupancy family suite, priority will be given to people who already have their own identified roommates for the week. .

Question - I have a special request regarding my room and my meals. Should I just call the hotel to tell them what I want?

Answer - No. All communications between the hotel and Ski for Light must be through the various coordinators. One reason that SFL gets a good package price from the hotel is that they know that they do not have to deal with upwards of 300 people individually. They deal with just a very few SFL people. Please direct all of your questions to your Application Coordinator, not the hotel.

Question - May I arrive at the hotel a day or two before the event starts?

Answer - Some SFL Guides and participants like to arrive a day or two early in order to visit with friends. You are certainly welcome to arrive as much as six days early at the Riverhouse, or on Monday, February 4th, if you are coming early to downhill ski. Bear in mind, however, that the SFL group will not start arriving until Thursday. If you are thinking of coming early, mostly to visit with others in the SFL group, meaning that you are thinking of arriving on Thursday or later, please be aware of the following before making such a decision or making travel plans:

• There are no event activities for you to participate in until Sunday evening, the official start of the SFL week. While there will be board and event committee members, Guide trainers, and many first- and second-year Guides at the hotel and ski area, they are there to do all of the many things that have to be done to get ready for a successful week. You may join the official group for meals, but apart from that you will be pretty much on your own until Sunday evening.
• Arriving early will cost you more money. Call your Application Coordinator to discuss the pre-event rooming and meal-plan options, and the cost of each. Those in a double- or triple-occupancy room who arrive before their roommate(s) may have to upgrade to a single room for the pre-event days if no roommate is available for them. Almost everyone arriving before their roommate for the week will have to change rooms on Sunday, when the week begins. Please note that early arrivers have the choice of joining the SFL group for all meals from the time they arrive, at an incremental cost of course, or making their own dining arrangements for meals before Sunday evening.
• Reservations for early arrival must be made with your Application Coordinator by December 17, 2007. We will try to accommodate requests received after this date if at all possible, but if rooming and meal lists have already been submitted to the hotel you may have to make your own private reservations for early days at a different hotel in Bend. The incremental charge for early arrival at the Riverhouse should be included with your event payment due by December 17, 2007. If you have already submitted your payment for the basic week when you make plans to arrive early at the Riverhouse, the incremental payment should be submitted as soon as the reservation is confirmed by your Application Coordinator. The fees for early arrival are subject to the same refund policy as other event fees.

Question - Is there someone I can contact with additional questions?

Answer - Yes, if you have additional questions about the Ski for Light week please contact one of the coordinators listed below.

Visually-Impaired Participant Application Coordinator:
Lynda Boose
(906) 370-7541, or LyndaB@sfl.org

Mobility-Impaired Participant Application Coordinator:
Dianne Brunswick
(602) 504-3521, or DianneB@sfl.org

Instructor/Guide Application Coordinator:
Brenda Seeger
(507) 274-5502, or BrendaS@sfl.org

Other Attendee Application Coordinator
Renee Abernathy
(704) 263-1314, or reneabne@bellsouth.net

Local Volunteer Coordinator
Val Keever
(503) 566-3452, or ValK@sfl.org Top