Frequently Asked Questions

SFL 2012 FAQs

• When will I hear about whether or not I have been accepted for Ski for Light 2012?
• 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 Salt Lake City Airport on my day of arrival? At what time should I plan my departure?
• What is the altitude of Soldier Hollow?
• Will rental cross-country skis be available at Soldier Hollow?
• 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?
• Will before-breakfast yoga and stretch groups be offerred in Provo 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 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?

Question - When will I hear about whether or not I have been accepted for Ski for Light 2012?

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

If you are a Visually- or Mobility-Impaired participant, you will not hear about acceptance until November. 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 15, 2011. 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 15, 2011, 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.

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Question - The application for guides says that all first- and second- time guides need to arrive at SFL on Saturday February 4th 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 36 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 Salt Lake City Airport on my day of arrival? At what time should I plan my departure?

Answer - Bus schedules from and to the Salt Lake City Airport will not be firmed up until late fall. If you need to make airline reservations before the schedule is known, a good rule of thumb is to arrive at the airport no later than 3:00 pm on your arrival day, and to plan your departure for no earlier than 9:00 am on your departure day. Top

Question - What is the altitude of Soldier Hollow?

Answer - The altitude of the Soldier Hollow Nordic Center is 5,500 feet. The Provo Marriott altitude is 4,500 feet.

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Question - Will rental cross-country skis be available at Soldier Hollow?

Answer - The Soldier Hollow Nordic Center has waxless cross-country skis, poles and boots available for rent at a cost of $60 for the six-day week. 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 most of your incidental expenses during the week. The only exception is that you will need check or cash to pay for any remaining residual portion of your event week fee. An ATM cash machine is located in 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 - Will before-breakfast yoga and stretch groups be offerred in Provo for those who wish to participate?

Answer - Yes, before-breakfast yoga and stretch groups will be offered in Provo from Monday through Saturday mornings, for those wishing to participate. If you want to get a head start getting ready for the week in Provo, listen to this MP3 recording of one of the 2011 stretch sessions .

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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 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. 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 15, 2011. 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 Provo. The incremental charge for early arrival at the Marriott should be included with your event payment due by December 15, 2011. If you have already submitted your payment for the basic week when you make plans to arrive early at the Marriott, 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.