Group Events (Covid) Procedures
As our schools and the world are finding a way forward through this pandemic, so is Vertical Rock. We are excited to getting closer to our previous normal as our youth teams start back up! As we all face what it will take to get somewhere back to normal, we are addressing how we will be handling our upcoming indoor activities. In order to run our programming, we will be following the CDC’s and the State of Virginia’s COVID-19 guidelines.
We want to assure you that Vertical Rock will be doing our part to help keep everyone as safe as possible while participating in any of our indoor events! Below is a breakdown of how and what we are asking everyone including our Staff to adhere to:
Everyone must sign a New Waiver
Please take a moment to sign our new waiver.
ALL members and guests are required to sign this waiver in order to participate in VR activities. Minors under the age of 18 must have a waiver signed by their parent or legal guardian.
Health
Please take the time to consider the wellbeing of your participant, yourself, or anyone spectating with you, as well as others. If anybody feels unwell at the time of the event date, please have them not attend.
Upon entry to the gym, we will prompt everyone to wash their hands and/or use hand sanitizer before participating in any activity. We will spray the hands of each person with an alcohol based sanitizing spray.
Temperature checks
We will be screening everyone attending upon entry for an elevated temperature. If anyone has a temperature reading over 99.9 degrees, we will politely ask you to not participate.
Masks
Masks or a face covering must be worn at all times while visiting the VR facility. Please encourage and educate your participant on how to utilize their face covering. You must supply your own face mask/face covering. You will determine the type of mask/ face covering and fitment you want and your participant to utilize. The main focus of wearing masks/face coverings are for the protection of other participants below while climbing. (i.e. belayers) This should also help reduce any respiratory droplets from coming in contact with the hand holds, ropes, or anyone below. Exceptions will be made for eating and drinking or if someone feels like they are getting overheated.
Distance Guidelines
We will be keeping participants at a 6 ft distance indoors and outdoors. Although we know this is not entirely possible during these sessions, we urge all that participate to do their part in helping us with these social distancing guidelines and help adhere to keeping safe distance. In addition, we will have specific areas in the gym where activities will take place and labeled for appropriate distances apart. Please no hi -fives, handshakes, hugs, etc. for the time being either.
Hand Sanitizers
We encourage you to supply your participant with their own hand sanitizer, or sanitizing wipes, or anything that you will want them to use during this time. We will also have hand sanitizers on hand and will be making everyone use this every time we switch out belays/climbs and before and after we start activities. VR staff will be carrying a spray bottle of hand sanitizer in which they will spray on all the participants hands after switching out belays or climbs.
Event Rooms/Climbers Lounge
Our rooms and surfaces are disinfected before and after your event with a hospital grade cleaner/disinfectant. Tables and seating are setup up to reflect the CDC’s latest social distancing guidelines. Please help us adhere to these distances and encourage everyone in your event/party to participate in keeping as much distance as possible. Masks are mandated at all times in these rooms as well with the exception of eating or drinking.
Personal Gear
Please make sure to pack all of your participant’s gear in a portable container (egg crate, storage box, etc.) as we will not be allowing the use of VR lockers or cubbies at this moment. We encourage you to Lysol or wipe down personal gear before and after attending in activities at VR. If using street shoes for climbing, we will wipe them down with a disinfectant before use to help protect the climbing holds.
Gym
We are required to update our participant agreement pertaining to our new insurance regulations. This agreement must be signed by all in attendance to any event, party or activity again before attending. (If possible, please do this from your phone, tablet or computer.)
Bathrooms
Please do not wear climbing shoes or walk with bare feet in the bathrooms.
Cleaning
In addition, the gym will be cleaned and sanitized daily with scheduled hourly cleanings. We also want to bring to your attention we unfortunately will not be able to sanitize climbing routes and ropes as easily daily. Please make sure to use caution when handling the ropes and make sure to continue to wash and sanitize your hands before and after you switch out belays.
Contact-less Payment
Also, to make payments less contact we will suspend the use of cash at the register and utilize only credit cards and email receipts.
Most importantly, we feel it’s our moral responsibility to make sure we are able to do everything in our power to keep our campers, members, guests and employees as safe as possible when in our facility or attending any of our programs. Please reach out to us directly if you have something you feel we need to add to help with this.
Let’s hope we can start removing these rules from the list soon. But until then, this is VR’s normal, and what it will take to keep up with our social responsibility.
Vertical Rock will be sending out more updates and team information as our policies update.
Be well
The procedures above may be modified at any time to reflect the CDC’s guidelines.