General Terms

1. Whilst we ensure a high professional standard of instruction, care and safety, all our clients must be aware that participation in mountaineering activities involves an acceptance of risk and of responsibility for the consequences of one’s own actions.

2. Mountaineering, even when undertaken with Guides, Instructors and Leaders is an adventure pursuit with high levels of uncertainty and potential risk. No specific element of an advertised service can be guaranteed with certainty in these environments.

3. When engaging the services of Gritstone mountaineering, you are hiring a Guide, Instructor or Leader for their expertise and not for the guaranteed successful outcome with respect to a specific objective, route or summit. The Guide, Instructor or Leader will do their very best to ensure success with respect to those specific objectives, routes or summits, however this cannot be guaranteed as safety is always the overriding priority.

4. Our advertised courses and expeditions are open to anyone of appropriate and relevant experience. Students under the age of 18 years old must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.

5. Gritstone Mountaineering reserve the right to allocate each participant or booking a freelance Guide, Instructor or Leader, who will be fully insured and appropriately experienced.

6. Our Guides, Instructors and Leaders reserve the right to exclude any member from a participation on planned mountain activities if he or she might endanger the success or safety of the rest of the party through lack of fitness, ill-health, poor acclimatisation or dangerous technique or believed to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol. We can make no refunds of fees paid to members so excluded.

7. Any members of our courses or expeditions who act in contravention of the decisions or advice of their Guide, Instructor or Leader, or else undertake independent mountaineering activities during the course or expedition period forfeit all professional protection and duty of care from the Guide, Instructor or Leader.

8. The information on our web-site is for guidance. We make every effort to ensure it is correct but cannot be responsible for any inaccuracies or subsequent alterations of itineraries which are beyond our control either before or during any scheduled trip.

9. All terms and conditions between clients and Gritstone Mountaineering are to be governed by and held under the exclusive jurisdiction of Scottish Law and heard in a Scottish Court.

 

Course Fees

1. Bookings are only confirmed once a deposit of 30% of the course fee has been paid. Individual booking forms should be submitted as soon as possible after payment of deposit.

2. All balances must be paid six weeks prior to the commencement date of the course. If fees are not received by then we are under no obligation to hold your reservation.

3. If a booking is made within the six week period prior to commencement the whole fee must be submitted upon booking.

Cancellation

Cancellation by the client

1. Deposits will be refunded less a £50 booking charge if the booking is cancelled more than six weeks (42 calendar days) before the start of the course.

2. In event of later cancellation up to four weeks (28 calendar days) before commencement we will refund 50% of the total fee; thereafter no refunds can be made. Cancellation insurance cover is highly recommended to all clients.

Cancellation by Gritstone Mountaineering

1. Whilst every attempt is made to ensure that courses/activities run, the company will notify the customer of cancellation as soon as practicable where it believes on reasonable grounds that cancellation is necessary due to dangerous and/or unsuitable conditions for the course/activity.

2. In the event of cancellation by the Company for reasons listed in the previous term, customers will be offered the choice of the following options:

   • Full refund of the guiding or instructional fee paid; or

   • Another booking on a different date

3. We accept no liability for the consequences of strikes, riots, acts of war or terrorism, disease outbreaks, government intervention, natural disasters or adverse weather conditions. If such occurrences cause us to have to cancel a course or trip we will offer an alternative holiday if possible, but accept no liability for return of fees paid prior to cancellation or curtailment.

Please note that we are unable to refund any associated costs, such as accommodation or transport costs.

 

Covid-19

 

In the event your trip needs to be cancelled due to Covid-19 regulations and restrictions making it not possible, a full refund or a change of date will be offered.

We will make all possible efforts to ensure social distancing is adhered to, in any scenarios where the terrain makes this impossible, all participants and guides will wear face coverings.

If you have any concerns about Covid-19, please speak to us further.