Allowing your son or daughter to travel on their own can be one of the most rewarding aspects of being a parent. As parents ourselves we understand the importance of a safe and well organized trip with plenty of supervision to ensure a memorable experience for your children, as well as high quality and value.
SWAT, Summer Winter Action Tours was formed in 1997 to provide high school students with the highest quality ski and snowboarding trips to their favorite resorts. We use well known and reputable properties for lodging (Sheraton, Red Lion, Hilton, Shilo Inn and Best Western/Royal Garden Inn) as well as world renowned ski resorts (Brighton and Snowbird Resorts) & luxury chartered buses for transportation.
We have planned activities (day and evening) along with a 24- hour on-site team of chaperons (ratio 1:20 students), professional security, Salt Lake City off-duty police officers and first aid to assist the students during their stay in Utah. Our chaperons stay in the same properties as the students and are visible at every SWAT event. We have a 24-hour staff/chaperon room at each property that is available to the students and parents in case there are any questions or concerns. Although these trips are not school or district sponsored events, students from all over the West Coast participate in them every year.
We want to open the lines of communication and let you know that we are dedicated to making sure your child’s trip is a safe, yet a memorable one. Please feel free to call our customer service line at 714-955-6900 Monday-Friday between 9am and 5pm or email us at Info@SwatUp.com. In addition, a list of FAQ is enclosed to ensure that all of your questions and concerns are answered.
SWAT will be hosting parent info nights throughout the month of November, if you would like more information on a meeting in your area, please contact our customer service.
Thank you for choosing SWAT. We appreciate your business and look forward to another successful trip.
This trip is for students age 13-19. Students over the age of 19 are not allowed on this trip.
·What is the age range of the chaperones and how are they screened?
The minimum age of our chaperones is 21 years old, with an average age of 25. Weuse staff that has had previous experience with students (e.g., teachers, coaches, youth counselors, city recreation leaders, off-duty police and fire department employees, etc.) All of our staff members must apply with our company, submit references, and are required to attend a mandatory training seminar. In addition to our customer service and operations staff, we also have a professional uniformed security team and EMTs on the trip on-site 24 hours of every day our trip is in operation.
·What is the ratio of students to staff?
We have a 20:1 student to staff ratio – the highest in the industry.
·Is there a curfew, and if so, what time is it?
Curfew will begin as soon as the night event is over – usually between 11:30PM and 12:00AM.
·What is your policy on alcohol and drugs?
This is a ZERO TOLERANCE trip. All students must sign a behavior code prior to the trip where they agree to adhere to the zero tolerance policy. Any student that is found using drugs and/or alcohol will be sent home immediately at his or her expense with no refund.
·Does someone account for all the students upon returning to the hotels at night?
All students will be accompanied back to the hotels by staff and security. No later than 12:30AM, our staff will begin to conduct room checks where all students are accounted for and informed of the following day’s events. Once students have returned to their assigned rooms they are not allowed to leave. Security guards are stationed on all hotel floors throughout the night to ensure the students’ cooperation with this policy.
·How much time are the students chaperoned and how much time is spent on their own?
The only time students are on their own is while skiing/snowboarding. Our staff is on the mountain and rides the buses to and from the resort with the students, with the exception of security teams and 24-hour room staff.
·Is anyone traveling with students on the buses to and from the mountain resorts?
Yes. A minimum of two chaperones will be on each bus that travels between the mountain and hotels.
·What are the rooming arrangements?
All room pricing is based on a four person occupancy room. SWAT does not allowcoed rooming of any kind – there are no exceptions. Lower occupancy rooms are available at an upgraded price.
·Do you offer trip insurance?
Trip insurance is offered for $39 through a third party and is automatically added to your account. We HIGHLY recommend you maintain the insurance option to protect your travel investment. Should you choose to decline the insurance option, you understand and accept that no refund of any amount will be issued should you need to cancel your reservation. Trip insurance will provide you a refund for the purchase price of your trip for any reason which prevents your student from traveling. In the event of a verified cancelation (e.g. death in the family, illness, injury, etc.,) 100% of your trip price will be refunded (less the $39 insurance premium.) In the event of an unverified reason for cancelation (e.g. poor grades, student being grounded, other travel plans, etc.,) 75% of your trip price will be refunded. A copy of the insurance policy will be mailed to you after your trip application is processed and is also available at www.swathigh.com/tools for immediate review. Note: Trip insurance only applied to paid-in-full trips.
·What is your cancellation policy?
Due to the fact that SWAT must commitments to its suppliers long before the trip actually begins, all monies paid towards a trip are non-refundable if you cancel for any reason. We HIGHLY recommend you purchase the trip insurance in the event a cancelation is necessary.
·If there is an injury on the trip, what’s the protocol?
In addition to the Ski Patrol at each mountain, we bring our own team of medical personnel to care for students. If there is an injury, parents will be contacted before any treatment is administered unless the injury is life threatening. We recommend that your student bring a copy of his or her medical insurance card just in case.
·Is food provided in the trip price?
While meals are not included in our trip, there are several restaurants nearby all hotels and mountains. Popular options include Subway, McDonalds, Olive Garden, and Romano’s Macaroni Grill, in addition to many others. For late-night meals, a wide variety of restaurants will deliver directly to students’ rooms until approximately 2:00AM. The appetite and need for souvenirs varies with each student, but we recommend $30 per day as a safe amount for spending money. Students are welcome to bring snacks for the bus ride and to have in their rooms at night.
·What about equipment rentals?
If your student needs to rent skiing/snowboarding equipment, he or she must do so at home before the trip. Please make sure to label all equipment and luggage to make sure it doesn’t get lost or confused with another student’s.
