Terms & Conditions…

Booking

All bookings are made to Vertical frontiers Ltd, company number 09005015 and registered offices at Laurel Cottage, Black Dog, Crediton, Devon. EX17 4QJ. Ben Bradford is company Director.

  1. Bookings are confirmed upon receipt of a deposit and medical form for each participant.
  2. The deposit is required to secure your trip dates, normally £300 or 50% of trip cost per person. This is non-refundable.
  3. Full payment is due 45 days (six weeks) before the trip date.

Once we have recieved your medical form and deposit and are satified that you meet the criteria for the trip we will confirm your booking and send you any further joining instructions and information.

  1. We are unable to accept bookings for under eighteens on certain trips unless they are accompanied by a parent or guardian.
  2. You must instruct your bank to cover all transfer charges related to international payments. If we receive less than the invoice amount then this must be settled before your course start date, by transfer or cash in Chamonix.
  3. Any contract between the client and Vertical Frontiers Ltd shall be governed in all respects by English Law. Only English Courts shall have jurisdiction in relation to any claim or dispute arising out of or connected with any such contract.

Cancellation:

If you wish to cancel your course please do so in writing via email as soon as possible.

  1. If you cancel your course with 45 or more days notice we will refund the full course fee, less the deposit.
  2. With 45 – 30 days cancellation notice we will refund 50% of the course fee, less the deposit.
  3. With 30 days or less cancellation notice we reserve the right to retain the full course fee.

Vertical Frontiers Ltd accepts no liability for the consequence of strikes, riots, acts of war or terrorism, disease outbreaks, government intervention, natural disasters or adverse weather conditions. If such a situation occurs then we would endevor to offer an alternative venue, itinerary or programme. If this was not possible then the trip would be cancelled and no refund would be given.

Please read the information related to the Covid-19, Cornovirus booking conditions at the bottom of this page.

Cancellations by Vertical Frontiers Ltd

  1. We reserve the right to cancel your course, in which case we will refund you the full trip fee. Courses cancelled due to bad weather (see below) are not liable for any refund.
  2. In the event of your guide being unable to work due to illness or injury we will endevour to find a replacement guide. If this is not possible then we would refund you any guiding days not used (not including any accommodation costs for the trip).
  3. We reserve the right to cancel your trip or transfer bookings to other trip dates due to insufficient numbers. We will do this as soon as possible and not less than three weeks (21 days) before the trip dates.
  4. Vertical Frontiers is not liable for any costs arising from trip cancellations or transfers that we have to make and you are advised to book flexible travel arrangments at all times.

Package Holiday Regulations

For trips that include accommodation we comply with the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 by paying money received for package holidays into a trust administered by independent trustees, Serenity Travel Trusts. This means that in respect of all arrangements requiring protection, in the event of our insolvency, funds will be available to ensure that you will receive a refund of the money you have paid to us.

Medical conditions, rescue and cancellation insurance

You must have adequate medical, rescue and cancellation insurance for your trip, including helicopter rescue and repatriation as well as on and off piste skiing for winter trips. We reserve the right to refuse your participation and cancel the trip (with no refund) if we think you are inadaquatly insured)

Please bring your insurance card or documents with you at the beginning of the course. This is entirely your responsibility.

Insurance for injury, death, loss of earnings etc is strongly recommended.

You will also give your consent for emergency medical treatment:
“I agree to authorize Ben Bradford (or associates), during the course/activity to approve such medical treatment as is deemed necessary in an emergency and/or in accordance with the recommendations of a qualified medical practitioner.”

It is vital that you communicate with us if you have any medical information that might affect your participation during our course/trip. This information is strictly confidential and is never disclosed without your permission. Failure to disclose this information prior to the start date may result in us having to refuse your participation.

Participation statement

When you climb or walk with us you should have read and understood the participation statement by the British Mountaineering Council:
“Mountaineering and associated activities, by their nature, involve an element of risk, which cannot be totally eliminated. Every care is taken to ensure the safety and well being of participants. However, adventurous activities do involve the acceptance of risk and of responsibility for the consequences of one’s actions.”

All bookings are taken on the understanding that participants will observe and follow the safety instructions given by the guide/instructor.

Expenses and trip costs – Guiding only trips

The majority of our trips are run on a guiding only basis, and expenses such as lift costs, hut fees, travel and other such expenses are not included in your invoice from us. This means we can be as flexible as possible with our itineraries and pass on any savings to you.

You will need to cover these expenses during your trip. Most of our trip pages have a expenses breakdown, and you can contact us with any questions.

Expenses and trip costs – Package trips

Please read carefully the ‘included” sections in the trip page.

We reserve the right on all of our trips to charge a supplement due to a change in itinerary because of weather, conditions, participant fitness/ability or any other reason. In every such case we will discuss these changes with you and inform you of any likely cost related to these changes.

If you choose to end your trip early for any reason, you will be liable for any additional costs related to this such as accommodation etc.

Bad weather/conditions policy

Weather and conditions often dictate that for safety reasons, or to give you the best chance of success, we might have to change the programme without notice. Due to weather or conditions we reserve the right to not even attempt the route or mountain at all.

Your safety, and the safety of your guides is our highest priority.

In all cases, no postponement or refund will be applicable. But we will do our best to take you to a different area/mountain, whilst still providing you with a challenge and a memorable trip.

Before booking your trip, you should think about what your plan B might be in case the main objective is not achievable. This might be new skills learnt or practiced, or different peaks climbed.

Any costs associated with a change of itinerary are not included in the price, including travel, accommodation and lift fees for example.

Equipment:

It is your responsibility to look after any equipment on loan or hire during the course. We reserve the right to claim full equipment costs due to loss or damage.

Photos

From time to time we place photos we take during courses on our website or on social media, if you would rather stay anonymous then please let us know.

Bookings made after 18th March 2020 – Covid-19 and travel restrictions

As of 18th March 2020 for travel insurance purposes the Covid-19 (Coronovirus) and changed from an unexpected and unknown event into somthing more predictable. This potentially means your personal travel insurance wouldn’t cover a cancellation due to Cornovirus.

To reassure our regular and new customers, if you are booking after the 18th March 2020 then the following special booking conditions apply. You can ask for a full refund or have a 100% credit towards a scheduled or private trip uner the following circumstances below.

In all cases Vertical Frontiers Ltd has no liability for trip expenses not booked as part of our trip such as flights, transfers, loss of income etc.

Within 14 days of the trip start date:

  1. Local law prevents your guide from working in the destination country.
  2. There is restriction on search and rescue services.
  3. Your country of residence specifically advises against all but essential travel to the destination country.
  4. The destination country has special restrictions on foreign travellers entering the country that affects you directly such as a quarantine period of more than 48hrs.
  5. Your home country requires a quarantine of more than 72hrs upon your arrival back home.

In the event of restrictions coming into effect during the trip (point 1 & 2 above) that means we are unable to continue the trip and we are unable to offer you a satisfactory alternative then all guiding/logistics fees for the remaining trip length will be fully refunded.

Examples of situations that are not covered by our Covid cancellation policy.

  • If during the trip the travel restrictions  for your country of residence changes and you are due a covid test or quarantine upon arrival back home then no refund or postponement is due.
  • You have been asked to isolate because you have been in contact with someone who has been tested positive for Covid-19.
  • You have tested positive for Covid-19 (your travel insurance can cover this eventuality)
  • You have symptoms of Covid-19 and you don’t want to travel.
  • You have underlying health condition and you don’t want to travel because of Covid-19.

In these cases we treat Covid-19 like any other health condition that has prevented you from travelling such as flu, accidents, sickness etc. You can insure yourself against a positive Covid-19 test.

Covid tests pre or post trip must be covered at your own expense.

In summary, if you are unable to travel due to goverment level Covid-19 travel restrictions then these special cancellation terms apply. In all other cases (including where you are reluctant to travel due to health or any other concerns) then our normal terms stand.

Last updated: Wednesday 24th February 2021 – Updated refunds in the event of excessive quarantine, Covid tests, new restrictions during trip.