Payment and Booking Conditions
BOOKING, RESERVATION, DEPOSIT: A deposit of 50% of the total price or private guiding fee is due with your booking unless otherwise indicated. Please do a bank transfer (account information on demand), send an E-transfer to info@bearmountaineering.ca or mail a cheque payable to Bear Mountaineering, Box 4222, Smithers, B.C. V0J 2N0 Canada. Final payments are due 90 days before your trip starts. If you wish to pay in a currency other than what our trips are quoted in, please inquire with us for a quote in your preferred denomination. Euro payments are only accepted by bank transfers in Euro denomination. We also accept bookings from minors; however we do require the signature of BOTH parents or ALL legal guardians on both Application Form and Waiver. CONFIRMATION / TRIP INFORMATION: Upon receipt of this registration form we confirm your booking and you agree to pay your deposit within 7 days. Each trip we offer has a detailed trip information page (available on our website) with the trip details, equipment list, proposed itinerary and logistics, etc. Read through this carefully before completing your registration.
TRIP (CANCELLATION / MEDICAL / EVACUATION / THEFT) INSURANCE: Once we you complete your registration, we enter into financial obligations on our side and we cannot refund payments or release you from your contractual obligations unless it is specified in this section. Therefore, we highly recommend buying cancellation insurance to cover your losses for the case that you can’t participate or have to interrupt your trip “for any reason”. Also, all participants need to have internationally accepted health insurance for all activities pertaining to the trip, including coverage for emergency rescue and evacuation. If you already have insurance, please make sure that you will be covered for “roped travel” booking a technical trip including “Via Ferrata” trips. We gladly refer you to a travel insurance provider who offers “adventure travel insurance packages” and with whom our clients have had positive claims experiences in the past. Generally, you will receive the best benefits if you buy your insurance within 10 days of our booking confirmation. We strongly urge you to read our Insurance Information page carefully before booking your trip.
CANCELLATIONS: If you need to cancel a reservation, please do so in writing (best by e-mail).
CANCELLED PROGRAMS: Once we confirm your booking, we guarantee your trip departure. However, we do reserve the right to change guides, particular lodging or the itinerary should unforeseen circumstances (guide sickness, hut or route closing etc.) force us to do so or should the physical condition of the participants (see below), weather or mountain conditions make a continuation as planned too risky. We will not be deemed to be in default for any delay or failure to perform our obligations under this Agreement resulting from acts of God, the elements, war, acts of government, civil or military authorities, natural calamities, catastrophe, fire, flood, accidents, epidemics, shortage of transportation, or any other like events beyond our reasonable control.
Here are some changes that apply to cancellations due to Covid-19 or another epidemic:
If we cancel a program up to 30 days before the program start you will receive a full refund with the following exceptions: $300 plus tax per guest will be withheld.
If we cancel between 30 and 14 days before commencement, the 50% deposit will not be refunded.
If we cancel less than 14 days before commencement or during the trip there will be no refunds.
This applies only to cancellations that are caused by an epidemic. The cancellation may be due to an order by civic authority, by public medical advice, or by circumstances where accepting the guest or running the trip we would contravene best practices as defined by professional associations, government agencies, or credible medical sources.
PERSONAL FITNESS and GROUP TRAVEL: Our programs rely heavily on the integrity of each individual to assess his or her skill level and physical condition accurately. It is the responsibility of each participant to be aware of the necessary skill and fitness level for a particular trip. When in doubt, please call and discuss this with us! For the protection of yourself and other group members, we reserve the right to deny participation to any unprepared participant at any time of the trip, in which case we cannot offer a refund! In order to accommodate diverse levels of ability and ambition as well as diverse personalities, the decision making of the guide has to be geared towards safety and finding a consensus within the whole group, which may not please each individual participant at all times.