2024 Ski for Light International Week
January 28 – February 4, 2024
Rhinelander, Wisconsin
- When is my payment due?
- Is my payment refundable if I have to cancel and not attend the event after I have paid?
- Is financial assistance available for attendees who need such assistance in order to attend the International Week?
- The application for guides says that all first and second time guides need to arrive at SFL on Saturday January 27th for guide training, but my schedule won’t allow me to get there that early. Is this a problem?
- I live in the Rhinelander area and would like to participate in the SFL week as a guide. What options are available for me?
- At what time do I need to arrive at the Minneapolis Airport on my day of arrival? At what time should I plan my return flight on Sunday February 4th?
- If I cannot arrive in Minneapolis in time to take the SFL bus to Rhinelander, or need to schedule an early morning return flight on Sunday February 4th, how can I get to and from Rhinelander?
- What is the altitude of Rhinelander?
- Will rental cross country skis be available in Rhinelander?
- If I select the standard menu option for the week’s meals, can I switch to one of the other menu options on those nights when I decide that the other option looks better, or vice-versa? If I don’t like the looks of any of the options can I just ask the wait person to bring me something else?
- Is there a store nearby where I can buy snacks or 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 guide dog to the event, will someone be available to walk and relieve the dog for me while I am away skiing?
- Will before breakfast stretch and yoga groups be offered in Rhinelander for those who wish to participate?
- 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 occupancy room but don’t have anyone in mind with whom I could share a room. Can someone help me find other attendees in the same situation and put us together in a room for the event?
- 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 in Rhinelander a day or two before the event starts?
- Is there someone I can contact with additional questions?
Question: When is my payment due?
Answer: Full payment of your event fee is due by December 1, 2023. Payment instructions will be sent to you after you are admitted, and you can pay by check (preferred) or credit card, on line only.
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 1, 2023, 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: Is my payment refundable if I have to cancel and not attend the event after I have paid?
Answer: If you cancel on or before December 1, 2023 you will receive a refund of fees paid minus $25. If you cancel from December 2, 2023 through January 20, 2024 you will receive a refund of fees paid minus $100. If you cancel after January 20, 2024 no refund will be given. In the event of a major medical or family emergency causing you to cancel after January 20, 2024 the President may authorize a refund of fees paid minus $200.
Question: Is financial assistance available for attendees who need such assistance in order to attend
the International Week?
Answer: Ski for Light recognizes that some prospective visually-impaired participants, mobility-impaired participants and instructor/guides may not be able to attend the Ski for Light International Week without financial assistance. Accordingly, stipends to cover a portion of the International Week event fee will be available for applicants who have been accepted to attend the 2024 International Week who meet each of the following eligibility requirements.
- Applicants who receive financial assistance must have, and must demonstrate, a need for such assistance. In general, it is anticipated that the applicant will not be able to attend SFL without such assistance, or at the very least that it would be a major financial burden to attend, as detailed in an application for financial assistance which must be submitted by all applicants.
- Assistance is not available to applicants who request a single room, or to applicants who do not reside in the United States.
- Attendees who are receiving financial assistance may arrive early at the event hotel only for guide training or other official SFL business, or with the prior approval of the Applications Coordinator.
- The deadline for financial aid applications to be submitted is November 1. Exceptions may be made if funds are still available after that date.
The amount of any individual awarded stipend will be based on: the funds that SFL has available for such purposes, and; the applicant’s demonstrated financial need.
Question: The application for guides says that all first and second time guides need to arrive at SFL on Saturday January 27th 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 45 plus 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: I live in the Rhinelander area and would like to participate in the SFL week as a guide. What options are available for me?
Answer: If you live in the Rhinelander area and are an experienced classic cross- country skier we welcome your participation as a guide during the SFL event. Before you apply, however, we want to explain some aspects of the SFL program that are probably different from what you may have experienced with other events for which you have volunteered in the past.
First, at SFL each guide is paired with a single visually- or mobility-impaired skier for the entire six-day event. This means that you will need to be able to commit to guiding all six days of the event. You will need to be able to meet your skier at breakfast each day, or shortly after, and be available until mid to late afternoon. This week-long pairing is necessary to form the bond of trust and communication clarity that are so important to a visually- or mobility-impaired skier skiing safely and enjoyably during the week.
Next, as a guide who is new to SFL you will need to participate in the guide training program on Saturday evening and Sunday at the start of the week. Even if you are a very experienced guide we require that you attend these training sessions for reasons of legal liability.
Next, Ski for Light is much more than a learn-to-ski program. If you have not already done so, please read the New to Ski for Light page for a good description of the entire program. What this means for local guides is that to truly be part of the SFL week you need to attend at a minimum the opening and closing night dinners, other group meals if possible, and as much of the late afternoon and evening programs as your schedule permits.
Last, at SFL every attendee, able-bodied or disabled, pays the expenses of their participation in the week
Accordingly, the registration and meal package options available for local guides all include the opening and closing night dinners, all cross-country trail and other resort fees, and all late afternoon and evening programs and activities. Beyond this set of items, you may choose to add additional meals during the week if you so desire.
Question: At what time do I need to arrive at the Minneapolis Airport on my day of arrival? At what time should I plan my return flight on Sunday February 4th?
Answer: You should schedule your flight to arrive in Minneapolis no later than 12:00 pm on your arrival day, and not schedule your return flight for earlier than 1:00 pm on Sunday February 4th.
Your event fee includes the cost of charter bus service between the Minneapolis airport and Rhinelander. If you schedule your return flight for earlier than 1:00 pm you may not make your flight if weather is inclement, causing the bus trip to take longer than planned, or the airport is congested when you arrive.
Question: If I cannot arrive in Minneapolis in time to take the SFL bus to Rhinelander, or need to schedule an early morning return flight on Sunday February 4th, how can I get to and from Rhinelander?
Answer: If you cannot arrive in time to take the SFL bus, you may wish to consider changing your schedule to arrive one day earlier, stay at one of the many hotels near the Minneapolis airport and take the SFL bus the next day.
If you wish to depart the Minneapolis airport earlier than 1:00 pm on Sunday February 4th please remember that the SFL charter bus will not get you to the airport in time for an early morning flight. You will need to make your own arrangements at your own cost.
Question: What is the altitude of Rhinelander?
Answer: The altitude of Rhinelander is 1,549 feet (472 meters).
Question: Will rental cross country skis be available in Rhinelander?
Answer: Mel’s Trading Post in Rhinelander is supplying the ski rentals. The skis are waxless with NNN compatible bindings. Basic skis, poles and boots will be available for rent at a cost of $85 for the week. Mel’s accepts cash or credit card for your rental fee.
Question: If I select the standard menu option for the week’s meals, can I switch to one of the other menu options on those nights when I decide that the other option looks better, or vice versa? If I don’t like the looks of any of the options can I just ask the wait person to bring me something else?
Answer: The answer to both questions is no. Our contract with the catering firm for this event specifies that only four meal alternatives will be provided at each meal. The catering firm 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: Is there a store nearby where I can buy snacks or other items to have in my room?
Answer: Trig’s Grocery Store is about 1.2 miles from the Quality Inn. Trig’s is a typical grocery store with an organic food section. Golden Harvest Market is about 2 miles from the Quality Inn. Golden Harvest is owned and run by an Amish family and carries all organic foods along with a selection of other health foods.
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 most of your incidental expenses during the week
Question: If I bring my guide dog 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, however this is not within SFL’s control. In addition, Deni Elliott is working to recruit some local volunteers to assist. Check with Sheri Richardson near the start of the week to learn the situation for this year.
Question: Will before breakfast stretch and yoga groups be offered in Rhinelander for those who wish to participate?
Answer: Tentatively, yes, a before breakfast stretch and yoga group will be offered at the Quality Inn from Monday through Friday mornings, for those wishing to participate.
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 two event hotels have contracts that requires payment for every person who occupies a room. We pay by the person, not the room.
Question: I would like a double occupancy room but don’t have anyone in mind with whom I could share a room. Can someone help me find other attendees in the same situation and put us together in a room for the event?
Answer: Yes, the SFL Housing and Registration Coordinator will endeavor to match you with another person or persons 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 event hotels and Ski for Light attendees must be through the various SFL coordinators. One reason that SFL gets a good package price from the hotels 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 event 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 welcome to arrive early if you wish, but 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-occupancy room who arrive before their roommate 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.
Reservations for early arrival must be made with your Application Coordinator by December 1, 2023. 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 event hotels and caterer, or if there is no space left in the event hotels for additional people, you may have to make your own private reservations for early days at a different hotel in the area.
The incremental charge for early arrival should be included with your event payment due by December 1, 2023. If you have already submitted your payment for the basic week when you make plans to arrive early , 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:
Sheri Richardson
(425)681-5215
Mobility Impaired Participant Application Coordinator:
Nicole Haley
(603) 969-4083
Instructor/Guide Application Coordinator:
Erik Peters
(720) 524-6929
Worker-Bee, Companion and Guest Application Coordinator
Bonnie Hartman
(509) 859-3478