Sports Club Update
COVID-19 Winter safety: Ski Area Changes to be aware of!

As we continue to learn how best to continue to safely offer community amenities to the members of Forest Ridge Community and their families, guests and renters, we will be making some changes in the upcoming winter months.  As everyone is aware, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to cause us to adapt our lives and routines.  With the winter season approaching and COVID numbers increasing, it is sensible to look at taking precautions to keep our community as safe as possible.

We followed New Hampshire guidelines for the Stay at Home 2.0 reopening when we reopened the Sports Club this summer.  We reopened the outdoor pool with an online reservation system which worked well.  In the fall, we transitioned to a new reservation system and using the indoor pool.  We also opened additional amenities at the Sports Club, most notably the Fitness Room.  All and all, everything worked well, but some changes are necessary.  Because of the more restricted area in the indoor pool area, we reduced the maximum of number of users in any session from 28 to 20.  Unfortunately, it has become apparent that 20 users is still too many for the available space and the maximum number will have to be reduced further.  Over the next few weeks we will be experimenting with smaller numbers of users.  We want to allow as many people as possible to enjoy the indoor pool, but must maintain appropriate spacing to assure that the facility can be used safely and comfortably by all of the users.  If you bring your children to the pool, please make sure they understand the need to respect the space around users who are not part of your group.

Now some good news!  We will be (partially) opening the locker rooms for limited use later on this winter.  To make this work, we plan on limiting the areas available in the locker rooms and probably closing them in the middle of pool sessions to allow cleaning.  We are working out the details and a date for reopening changing areas.  So, stay tuned.

We also are going to be lengthening the time periods for use of the fitness room in the future.  Again, we are still working out the details, and the best way to find out what is available is to visit our reservation page.

Speaking of the reservation page, please make sure to let your guests and renters know that reservations are required to use the pool and fitness room and that the reservations must be made on line in advance.  Also, please, please, please, respect others and reserve only one session a day.

Current increases cases of the coronavirus nationwide and in New Hampshire are a caution that we must continue to take precautions and even increase our vigilance.  For the safety of all users of the Sports Club, as well as the Staff, we must have and comply with these simple rules to allow everyone to use the community amenities safely.  If we all cooperate, I am happy to say that despite the continued need for safety measures, we will be able to remain open this winter season. We are in this together!

Know Before You Go; Local Ski Area Safety Measures

The Forest Ridge community is just a part of New England continuing to be affected by the ongoing pandemic.  Impacts of COVID and continued need for precautions also involve the upcoming ski season.

New Hampshire has issued guidelines for ski areas to open this winter. All ski resorts are going to be following the same guidelines and restrictions as they operate this season. Each resort may have slightly different restrictions, so it would be a good idea to check the website to make sure of rules to plan accordingly. Currently, Loon and Bretton Woods are open, with Cannon opening December 12th.  Only season pass holders are able to ski at resorts at the beginning of the season. IKON pass holders must make an online reservation for the day they are skiing. After December 13th, daily ticket sales will be offered online at a limited basis to non-pass holders at Loon. Facial coverings will be mandatory at all resorts while in lift queues, loading, riding, and unloading all lifts. This includes while riding inside Gondolas. To accommodate for proper social distancing, the wait times for lifts will likely be longer and the length of each line for lifts may appear to be longer too. Those arriving together should ride lifts together. No boot bags or equipment bags will be allowed in the lodges. There will be no bag check, cubbies or paid lockers available at the resorts. Restrooms inside lodges will be available for dining guests only. Restrooms accessible from the outdoors will be made available for other guests. Resorts will be opening additional warm-up areas and additional weather protection to shield guests from the elements and make taking a break outdoors a little more comfortable. All rental equipment must be reserved online in advance at resorts. Bretton Woods requires 72 hours advanced rentals. Some activities will not operate this winter at Loon. This applies to the following activities: zipline, snowshoe: tours, rentals, cross-country skiing: lessons, rentals, ice skating, and indoor climbing wall. The East Ridge Trail Network will be open to guests to snowshoe, cross-country ski and hike. Child-care will not be offered.

As Bretton Woods is following the same guidelines as Loon, and therefore will be operating in a similar way in terms of lodges, ticket sales, and face coverings. Bretton Woods is not offering ice skating, their climbing wall, child-care, or après ski entertainment. Many of their dining areas will be grab-and-go only, with dining outside of the lodges to avoid overcrowding.

These are some of the changes as of this writing. Again, please make sure to check the app or website of the resort you plan on visiting before going, to make sure you have the most up-to-date information as possible.

Other Winter Activities to Explore

Hopefully we can all have a healthy, happy and fun winter season here in Lincoln, even if it will necessarily be a little different than before. With that in mind, perhaps there are a few activities to enjoy that are not dependant on the ski slopes! There are plenty of fun winter activities you can enjoy this season that are pandemic-proof. Winter hikes, snowshoeing, stargazing, arts and crafts and many more activities are fun alternatives that all can enjoy right here in Lincoln, or anywhere! How about building a snowman or baking cookies? Indoors or outside, I think this winter should still be fun, even if it is a little different.

 

Sports Club and Community Services Manager

Christine McLaughlin

 

 

2020-2021 Winter Shuttle Bus Service

 

Dear Forest Ridge: 

We hope you are as excited as we are about another great winter season at Loon. Of course, this winter will look different than any other in our history. We have been hard at work making sure that we can give our guests the best possible experience this coming winter. At the top of that list is keeping the health and safety of everyone here at the resort as our number one priority. 

 

It is with that in mind, that we will see several changes to our shuttle bus service operation. It is our goal to provide shuttle bus service that complies with current federal, state, and local guidance. Keeping in mind that this guidance may change over time, the following changes will be implemented this coming winter: 

Not all shuttle service routes will be running this coming winter. With decreased capacities on our busses, we will need to decrease the amount of routes we operate to focus on our highest volume users. If you are receiving this letter, you are being offered shuttle bus service this winter. 

In some locations, we will be adding busses and routes to accommodate for decreased capacities per bus. For example, an association that may have only had one (1) bus servicing it in years past, may now have two (2) or more this coming season. 

 

Bus stops will be decreased, in an effort to maximize the efficiency of the bus route and minimize the amount of time guests are on the bus. Each route will have fewer bus stops than previous years. Loon will ONLY be picking up and dropping guests off at the specified bus stops. No exceptions. 

 

Facial coverings will be required for all guests, at all times. No exceptions! Face coverings are at the heart of our efforts to keep our employees and guests safe and healthy. Anyone without a facial covering will NOT be allowed to board our busses. 

 

Loon will only be offering Saturday, Sunday, and Holiday shuttle service. There will be NO midweek bus service during the February break vacation period. 

Although bags will be allowed on busses, they will not be allowed in our lodges this winter so we are strongly encouraging people to leave them at home. 

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Busses will be cleaned frequently and that cleaning may impact bus route turnaround times. Lunch breaks may also be extended to allow for mid-day cleaning efforts. 

 

 

If you currently do not receive Spectrum internet, you will need to get a cable modem from Spectrum (this is a no charge item per our contract).  The self-install kit including the modem is available from the offices listed below.  You can also call and request a kit be mailed to you.  This method works sometimes but often the operator does not understand "bulk residential contracts" such as ours.

 

Please be aware that the use of all terrain vehicles and snowmobiles is prohibited within Forest Ridge by the Master Declaration for the Forest Ridge Community. Unit owners are responsible for ensuring that their guests (including renters) comply with this and other rules within Forest Ridge. Please be sure that your guests and renters are aware of this restriction. Should an owner or their guests or renters violate this prohibition, the owner may be subject to fines and suspension of Sports Club privileges. Junior Associations may have similar restrictions. In addition to Forest Ridge rules, New Hampshire law also regulates use of all terrain vehicles and snowmobiles. Please read NH State Motor Vehicle statute 259:126 in addition to the 2009 New Hampshire Off Highway Recreational Vehicle Laws Digest, both of which are available at the Lincoln Police Department.