Refunds and Cancellations
Mountain Trip recognizes how difficult and disappointing it can be for skiers who must cancel ski expeditions which they have planned for a long time. Team members must also recognize that, due to the nature of planning expeditions and dealing with governmental permits and regulations, Mountain Trip also accrues significant expenses in the months prior to expedition departure dates. We must therefore adhere to a strict refund policy for all skiers. Trip cancellation and travel insurance is generally available for all expeditions. U.S. and Canadian residents should contact us for more information regarding travel insurance. Our refund and cancellation policy is outlined below.
• All Alaska Range ski expeditions require a $1000 deposit to secure a spot on the team. Your submission of a deposit constitutes your acceptance of this Fee Schedule, Refund and Cancellation Policy.
• All deposits for Alaska Range ski expeditions include a non-refundable $250 administration fee.
• Final payments for expeditions must be received 120 days prior to the Team Meeting Day.
• Failure to pay expedition fees by the date they are due constitutes cancellation of your spot on the team and forfeiture of your deposit.
• Any cancellation 90+ days before your Team Meeting Day will be refunded in full, less the administration fee.
• No refunds will be provided for cancellations occurring within the last 89 days prior to an expedition.
• All requests for refunds must be made in writing and received in our Colorado office.
• If you register for an expedition within 90 days of the Team Meeting Day, expedition fees will be due in full to secure your spot on the team.
• Mountain Trip reserves the right to cancel an expedition prior to the departure date for any reason. In such an event, all monies collected by Mountain Trip from team members for that expedition shall be promptly refunded. This is the extent of our financial liability.
Amended Cancellation Policy for Expeditions Meeting before July 1, 2021
The Covid-19 pandemic has taught us all that we need to remain optimistic, yet do our best to be as flexible as possible. We are therefore amending our cancellation policies for our expeditions to provide our climbers with added flexibility against unforeseen circumstances that might affect an expedition. It’s difficult to find trip cancellation insurance that will protect your expedition investment from cancellation due to the pandemic, so we have tailored our policy to try to help “mimic” trip insurance in some ways.
*** For all expeditions with a scheduled Team Meeting date prior to July 1, 2021***
The following applies only if all expedition fees are paid by the date they are due.
If Mountain Trip cancels your expedition due to External Cancellation factors resulting from the novel coronavirus more than 90 days prior to the Team Meeting date, Mountain Trip will credit 100% of your paid expedition fees toward a future program with Mountain Trip or refund all monies paid except for the non-refundable administrative fee.
If Mountain Trip cancels your expedition due to External Cancellation factors resulting from the novel coronavirus 90 days or less prior to the Team Meeting date, Mountain Trip will credit 100% of your paid expedition fees toward a future program with Mountain Trip or refund 50% of your expedition fee.
General Agreement Concerning Services to be Provided And Responsibilities of Team Members
When registering for a ski expedition with Mountain Trip we want to help make sure you understand the services we are providing and the services you are responsible for.
Transportation is incidental
The main purpose of becoming a team member is to join us on an expedition in the mountains. As such any transportation we provide or that you may contract for on your own is incidental to the trip. We suggest that you make sure you have time built into your itinerary for delays.
Transportation to and from your destination
We will designate a specific Team Meeting Day for your ski expedition. Transportation to the meeting point on your Team Meeting Day is to be provided by you. You must arrive in time to be ready to participate in a team meeting at the appointed time on the Team Meeting Day for your expedition. This probably means you will need to arrive the day before, as our Team Meetings for Alaska trips are held in the morning. Expedition skiing is very dynamic and we will provide you with a recommendation as to when you should book your flights to and from your destination. We suggest you book a ticket that allows you to change your flight with little effort or cost.
Lodging off the mountain
Mountain Trip will provide lodging per the Inclusions and Exclusions section above. Any additional lodging is your responsibility. Don’t worry about booking a room after your expedition. Occasionally weather dictates how long we’ll be in the mountains, and we can help arrange lodging when we return to “civilization.”
Responsibilities of Team Members
You are ultimately responsible for your own well-being, including making all necessary preparations to ensure good health and physical conditioning. You are responsible for understanding the conditions that may exist on the trip and choosing an expedition that is appropriate for your abilities and interests. You are responsible for providing Mountain Trip staff and guides with an accurate representation of your fitness level, climbing and skiing ability and the condition of your personal equipment. You are responsible for having knowledge of all pre-departure information and for assembling the appropriate clothing and equipment for your expedition. Skiers joining scheduled expeditions are expected to contribute to camp construction and the day to day teamwork.
While on the expedition, team members are responsible to maintain basic levels of hygiene and to conduct themselves respectfully with other team members and members of the local population. If a guide feels that a team member is putting other members’ health or safety at risk, the guide has the discretion to remove a team member from an expedition.
Use our office staff and your lead guide as pre-trip resources to ensure that all your questions are answered. Travel insurance may help recoup expenses if you need to leave an expedition due to an illness.
Airline Responsibility Passenger/Airline contracts are in effect while team members are on board any aircraft contracted for use in the expedition.
No Guaranteed Outcomes
We all hope for endless powder and spectacular weather however as we all know, we don’t always have perfect conditions. Any number of factors, including weather, the snow conditions encountered on the glacier, your personal level of fitness or ability, the abilities of your teammate(s) or any number of other circumstances might affect the quality and time spent skiing. Occasionally we encounter delays flying into the range due weather and the air taxis inability to fly under such conditions. Sub-optimal experiences due to any reason associated with expedition skiing, such as weather, team dynamics, snow conditions, avalanche hazard, rockfall hazard, etc, or due to your lack of fitness or preparation are not the responsibility of Mountain Trip and will not result in a refund or a rescheduling of your ski expedition.
