Terms and Conditions | Mountain Coach

Key points

Paying: 25% of the Adventure Pathway cost when you book, then five equal instalments of 15%, with the last due 65 days before your alpine adventure.
Minimum numbers: every pathway needs a minimum number of bookings by its published booking deadline. If that isn’t reached, we refund everything you’ve paid.
If you cancel: before your first Alpine Conditioning Day, the charge is your first instalment only. After that, it steps up as your instalments fall due, rising to 100% within 65 days of the alpine adventure. You may be able to transfer your place to another member of your gym up to 30 days before.
Insurance: you must have travel insurance covering mountain walking at your adventure’s altitude, including rescue, evacuation and cancellation.
Your guide: has the final say on all safety decisions on the mountain, including changing the route or turning back.
Your money is protected: payments are protected by ABTOT (number 5716) if we become insolvent.

This is a summary only. The full Booking Conditions below form your contract.

These Booking Conditions, together with our Privacy Policy and any other written information you receive from us before your booking is confirmed, will form the basis of your contract with Mountain Coach Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales with company number 16430275 and registered address at Rose Cottage, Stoke Charity, Winchester, SO21 3PF (“Mountain Coach”, “we”, “us”, “our”). Please read them carefully as they set out our respective rights and obligations. In these Booking Conditions, references to “you” and “your” include the first named person on the booking and all persons on whose behalf a booking is made or any other person to whom a booking is added or transferred.

Mountain Coach offers structured Adventure Pathways: a 6-9-month engagement comprising three Alpine Conditioning Days (UK), preparation and support throughout, and a guided alpine adventure in Switzerland. Adventure Pathways include accommodation on the alpine adventure (typically mountain huts, refuges, hotels or guesthouses), the services of qualified International Mountain Leaders (IMLs) or equivalently qualified guides, and the activity itinerary itself. Adventure Pathways do not include travel to or from the trip start point, airport or rail transfers, travel insurance, equipment hire, or meals other than as expressly stated in your itinerary.

In these Booking Conditions:

“Adventure Pathway” means the complete package you book with us, comprising the Alpine Conditioning Days (UK), our preparation and support, and the guided alpine adventure; and
“Alpine Adventure” means the guided trip in Switzerland which forms part of, and is the principal element of, your Adventure Pathway.

Where these Booking Conditions refer to the price or cost “of the Adventure Pathway”, they mean the total price of the whole package. Where they refer to dates or events relative to the “alpine adventure” (for example, days before departure), they mean the guided trip itself.

Your money is protected

The Association of Bonded Travel Organisers Trust Limited (ABTOT) provides financial protection under The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 for Mountain Coach Ltd, ABTOT number 5716, and in the event of their insolvency, protection is provided for:

Non-flight packages

ABTOT cover provides for a refund in the event you have not yet travelled or repatriation if transportation was included in your package. Please note that bookings made outside the UK are only protected by ABTOT when purchased directly with Mountain Coach Ltd.

In the unlikely event that you require assistance whilst abroad due to our financial failure, please call our 24/7 helpline on 01702 811397 and advise you are a customer of an ABTOT protected travel company.

You can access The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 here:

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2018/634/contents/made

You can find out more about ABTOT here: https://www.abtot.com/

By making a booking, the first named person on the booking agrees on behalf of all persons detailed on the booking that:

He/she has read these Booking Conditions and has the authority to and does agree to be bound by them;
He/she consents to our use of personal data in accordance with our Privacy Policy and is authorised on behalf of all persons named on the booking to disclose their personal details to us, including where applicable special categories of data (such as information on health conditions, medical history, dietary requirements and emergency contact details);
He/she is over 18 years of age and confirms that all persons on the booking are over 18 (Mountain Coach Adventure Pathways are not offered to under-18s);
He/she accepts financial responsibility for payment of the booking on behalf of all persons detailed on the booking; and
He/she has read and understood the section below headed “Acknowledgement of Risk” and accepts those risks on behalf of all persons on the booking.

When booking:

You are aware that cancellations or amendments to bookings may be subject to additional charges, as set out in clauses 7 and 8 below.
You check carefully all the paperwork provided and read the Mountain Coach Booking Conditions.
You complete and return our Medical Declaration honestly and in full.
You arrange travel insurance that covers mountain walking and trekking at the altitudes and grades of your alpine adventure, including mountain rescue, medical evacuation and repatriation.

Before the alpine adventure:

You hold a valid passport with at least 6 months’ validity still remaining beyond the duration of your alpine adventure, and any necessary visas for the countries on your itinerary.
You have arranged your own travel to and from the published alpine adventure start and end points, and have shared your arrival plan with us where requested.
You have the equipment and clothing specified in your kit list, in good condition and broken in for use.

On the alpine adventure:

You meet your Mountain Coach guide(s) at the published meeting point at the published time.
You follow the reasonable instructions of your guide(s) at all times, particularly in relation to safety, route choice, pace and group management.
You enjoy the adventure of a lifetime.

1. Booking, minimum numbers and paying

How the contract is formed

When you request to book an Adventure Pathway with us, we will ask you to accept these Booking Conditions and pay the first instalment set out below. Once we have received your accepted Booking Conditions, your completed Medical Declaration, and your first instalment, we will send you your booking confirmation. A contract will come into existence between you and us at that point, on the terms set out in these Booking Conditions.

Important: every Mountain Coach Adventure Pathway requires a minimum number of bookings before it can run. Your booking and our contract with you are accepted subject to the condition that the minimum number of bookings for your Adventure Pathway is met by the published booking deadline. The booking deadline for each pathway is published before you book; for example, a September alpine adventure in Switzerland will typically have a booking deadline at the end of the preceding March.

Once the published booking deadline has passed, if you have not heard from us, your Adventure Pathway is proceeding and the cancellation provisions in clause 7 apply in full from that point onward.

If the minimum number of bookings has not been met by the published booking deadline, we will let you know that the Adventure Pathway will not run. In that case:

we will refund in full all monies you have paid to us in respect of that Adventure Pathway, including the first instalment; and
neither party has any further obligation to the other in respect of the cancelled Adventure Pathway. We will not be liable for any other costs you may have incurred (including travel, equipment, time off work, or insurance), and you are strongly advised not to commit to non-refundable travel arrangements until after the booking deadline has passed.

Checking your booking confirmation

Upon receipt, if you believe that any details on the booking confirmation or any other document are wrong, you must advise us immediately, as changes cannot easily be made later. It may harm your rights if we are not notified of any inaccuracies in any document within ten days of our sending it out.

Payment schedule

Mountain Coach Adventure Pathways are paid in six instalments between booking and the final payment date, via our booking and payments platform (currently WeTravel). The standard schedule is:

A first instalment of 25% of the Adventure Pathway cost is payable to confirm your booking and reserve your place.
The balance is paid in five further instalments of 15% each via the booking and payments platform. The second instalment falls due on the first day of the month before the Alpine Conditioning Days for your pathway begin, the third, fourth and fifth at monthly intervals after that, and the final instalment 65 days before the start of your alpine adventure (the "final payment date"). For a September alpine adventure, this typically means 1 March, 1 April, 1 May, 1 June and early July. Please note that your payments continue after the booking deadline. The booking deadline confirms that your Adventure Pathway will run, and your remaining instalments are then due as scheduled, up to the final payment date.
If you book after one or more instalment dates have passed, the instalments already due are added to your first instalment and payable at booking. Your remaining instalments then follow the standard dates.
Specific instalment dates will be set out in your payment plan and confirmed to you in writing on or shortly after booking, and form part of your contract with us.

Payment deadlines are set so that we can in turn meet our own commitments to accommodation providers, guides and other suppliers ahead of your arrival. If a scheduled instalment is missed and is not paid within 14 days of a reminder being sent, we reserve the right to treat your booking as cancelled by you and to apply the cancellation charges set out in clause 7.

How to pay

All payments are made via our booking and payments platform, currently WeTravel. The platform supports debit and credit card payments and (where available) local bank transfer methods. The platform sets up your instalment plan automatically and sends payment reminders.

2. Accuracy and pricing

We endeavour to ensure that all the information and prices on our website and in our printed and emailed materials are accurate. However, occasionally changes and errors occur, and we reserve the right to correct errors in the prices of confirmed Adventure Pathways and other details in such circumstances. We also reserve the right to amend the price of Adventure Pathways that have not yet been booked at any time, so you must check the current price and all other details relating to the arrangements you wish to book before you make your booking. Once your Adventure Pathway has been confirmed, the price is guaranteed and will not change unless there has been a demonstrable error in the price.

3. Insurance

Adequate travel and activity insurance is a condition of your contract with us. You must be satisfied that your insurance fully covers:

Cancellation and curtailment charges;
Medical expenses, including treatment overseas where applicable;
Mountain rescue and medical evacuation;
The specific activities of your alpine adventure, including walking and trekking up to the maximum altitude reached on your itinerary. Standard travel insurance often excludes mountain walking and trekking by default, and many policies impose altitude limits; you must check that yours covers both the activity and the maximum altitude of your adventure;
Any pre-existing medical conditions you have disclosed to your insurer.
If you choose to travel without adequate insurance cover, we will not be liable for any losses howsoever arising in respect of which insurance cover would otherwise have been available, and we reserve the right to refuse to allow you to participate in the alpine adventure.

4. Acknowledgement of Risk

Mountain Coach Adventure Pathways take place in mountain environments. These environments contain hazards which cannot be entirely eliminated by any operator, however skilled or careful. By making a booking you confirm that you understand and accept the following:

Mountain hiking carries inherent risks including (but not limited to) slips, trips, falls, falling rock, rapid changes in weather, lightning, extreme cold or heat, exhaustion, dehydration, exposure, and the consequences of personal medical conditions.
Accidents in mountain environments can result in serious injury or, in rare cases, death. Rescue may be delayed by weather, terrain or daylight.
Your guide will take all reasonable steps to manage these risks, but you remain responsible for participating attentively, following instructions, and making honest assessments of your own capability on the day.
Mountain weather and conditions can require last-minute changes to the itinerary, including changing route, descending early, postponing a summit attempt, or abandoning an objective. These are normal operational decisions, not failures of the Adventure Pathway.

Nothing in this clause limits the liability we owe to you under clause 14 (Our Responsibilities) or which cannot lawfully be excluded or limited.

5. Fitness and medical declaration

Every Mountain Coach Adventure Pathway has published minimum fitness and experience requirements. You confirm at the point of booking that you meet, or will meet by the time of departure for the alpine adventure, those requirements.

You must complete our Medical Declaration honestly and in full at the point of booking, and update us in writing as soon as possible if anything material changes between booking and departure (for example, a new diagnosis, a new prescription, surgery, pregnancy, or an injury).

We may, acting reasonably:

Require you to provide a doctor’s letter confirming you are fit to participate;
Decline a booking, or cancel a confirmed booking, where in our reasonable opinion the Adventure Pathway is not suitable for you on medical or fitness grounds; or
Vary the level of activity offered to you in the interest of your safety or the safety of the group.

Where we decline or cancel a booking under this clause because of information that was withheld or inaccurate at the time of booking, the cancellation charges in clause 7 will apply. Where we decline a booking on the basis of information you provided honestly at the time of booking, we will refund all sums paid to us in respect of the Adventure Pathway.

Your Adventure Pathway includes optional Alpine Conditioning Days as preparation for the alpine adventure. Attendance is strongly recommended but is not a contractual requirement. Attending the Alpine Conditioning Days helps both you and your guides to assess your readiness for the alpine adventure and to identify any matters that should be raised with us under this clause.

6. Jurisdiction and applicable law

These Booking Conditions and any agreement to which they apply are governed in all respects by English law. We both agree that any dispute, claim or other matter which arises between us out of or in connection with your contract or booking will be dealt with by the Courts of England and Wales only. You may, however, choose the law and jurisdiction of Scotland or Northern Ireland if you live in those places and if you wish to do so.

7. If you need to change or cancel your booking

Transferring your booking to another person

If you are prevented from travelling, you may transfer your place to someone else, subject to:

that person being a member of the same partner gym through which you booked your Adventure Pathway;
that person being introduced by you and satisfying all the conditions applicable to the Adventure Pathway, including fitness and medical requirements;
us being notified in writing not less than 30 days before the start of the alpine adventure;
you paying any outstanding instalments, together with any costs arising from the transfer; and
the transferee agreeing in writing to these Booking Conditions.

You and the transferee remain jointly and severally liable for payment of all sums. If you are unable to find a replacement, cancellation charges as set out below will apply.

Because each Mountain Coach Adventure Pathway is run for a specific gym cohort, transferring your booking to a different Adventure Pathway with a different cohort is not possible.

If you cancel your booking before departure

Cancellation must be notified to us in writing by the first named person on the booking. Your notice of cancellation will only take effect when it is received by email by us.

The cancellation charges below reflect the structure of a Mountain Coach Adventure Pathway. Your pathway begins when you book: from that point we provide preparation and support, and we plan and size your cohort’s guiding, accommodation and logistics around the confirmed bookings. Our costs then build progressively: we run the Alpine Conditioning Days associated with your pathway (typically across April, May and July preceding a September alpine adventure), and accommodation, guide and operational commitments become increasingly non-refundable to us as the alpine adventure approaches, and fully non-refundable in the final 65 days. A vacated place on a gym-cohort Adventure Pathway cannot be resold to another participant. The charges below step up as your pathway progresses from the first Alpine Conditioning Day onward, and are intended to be a fair reflection of unrecoverable cost, not a penalty.

Before the first Alpine Conditioning Day for your pathway has begun: Your first instalment (25% of total Adventure Pathway cost). Any further instalments you have paid will be refunded.
On or after the date the first Alpine Conditioning Day for your pathway begins, but before your fourth instalment falls due: Your first three instalments (55% of total Adventure Pathway cost)
On or after the date your fourth instalment falls due, but before your fifth instalment falls due: Your first four instalments (70% of total Adventure Pathway cost)
On or after the date your fifth instalment falls due, but more than 65 days before the alpine adventure: Your first five instalments (85% of total Adventure Pathway cost)
65 days or fewer before the alpine adventure: 100% of total Adventure Pathway cost

If you have paid more than the cancellation charge when we receive your notice, we will refund the difference. If you have paid less, the balance up to the amount of the cancellation charge remains payable.

Your travel insurance policy’s cancellation cover should cover these losses in the event of illness, injury or other insured causes.

Cancellation by you due to Unavoidable & Extraordinary Circumstances

You have the right to cancel your confirmed Adventure Pathway before departure without paying a cancellation charge in the event of “unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances” occurring at your alpine adventure destination or its immediate vicinity and significantly affecting the performance of the alpine adventure. In these circumstances we will provide you with a full refund of monies paid to us, but we will not be liable to pay you any additional compensation.

For the purposes of this clause, “unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances” means events such as warfare, acts of terrorism, significant risks to human health such as the outbreak of serious disease at the destination, or natural disasters such as floods, earthquakes or wildfire. The right to cancel without charge under this clause will apply only where the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) advises against all but essential travel to the destination, or where the alpine adventure itself cannot safely be operated.

Routine variability in mountain weather (including the need to alter routes, postpone summit attempts or substitute objectives) is a normal feature of mountain activities and does not by itself amount to an unavoidable and extraordinary circumstance.

8. If we change or cancel

We plan our Adventure Pathways many months in advance and may occasionally have to make changes or cancel an Adventure Pathway after it has been confirmed under clause 1.

Minor changes

If we make a minor change to your Adventure Pathway we will make reasonable efforts to inform you as soon as reasonably possible if there is time before departure, but we will have no liability to you. Examples of minor changes include:

Changes to the daily itinerary that do not affect the overall character or grade of the pathway;
Substitution of one mountain hut, refuge, hotel or guesthouse for another of comparable standard;
Changes to the route required by weather, ground conditions, glacial conditions or other operational factors at the discretion of the guide.

Significant changes

Occasionally we may have to make a significant change to a confirmed Adventure Pathway. Examples of “significant changes” include:

A change of alpine adventure location for the whole or a significant part of the trip;
A change of accommodation standard to a materially lower category for the whole or a significant part of the alpine adventure;
A change of alpine adventure start or end date by more than 24 hours;
A reduction in the overall grade or character of the Adventure Pathway such that it is materially different from what was sold.

Cancellation by us

We will not cancel a confirmed Adventure Pathway except for reasons of Force Majeure (see clause 9), failure by you to pay an instalment on time, or where in our reasonable judgement the Adventure Pathway cannot be operated safely. (Cancellation for failure to meet minimum numbers by the published booking deadline is dealt with under clause 1, not under this clause.)

If we have to make a significant change to, or cancel, a confirmed Adventure Pathway, we will tell you as soon as possible and, if there is time to do so before departure, we will offer you the choice of:

(for significant changes) accepting the changed arrangements; or
a refund of all monies paid; or
if available, accepting an offer of an alternative Adventure Pathway (we will refund any price difference if the alternative is of a lower value).

You must notify us of your choice within 14 days of our offer. If we do not hear from you within that time, we will contact you again. If you fail to respond again, we will assume that you have chosen to accept the change or alternative.

Compensation

Where we cancel a confirmed Adventure Pathway, or make a significant change which you do not accept and you therefore cancel your booking, we will refund all monies you have paid us. You will not be entitled to compensation where:

we make a minor change;
you accept the changed arrangements or an offer of an alternative Adventure Pathway;
we cancel an Adventure Pathway under clause 1 because the published minimum number of bookings was not met (in which case you receive a full refund only, as described in clause 1);
we cancel your booking due to your failure to pay an instalment on time;
the change or cancellation arises from your own requested alterations; or
we are forced to cancel or change due to Force Majeure (see clause 9).

9. Force Majeure

“Force Majeure” means any event beyond our or our suppliers’ control, the consequences of which could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken. Examples include warfare and acts of terrorism (and threat thereof), civil strife, significant risks to human health such as the outbreak of serious disease at the destination or in the country of departure, natural disasters such as floods, earthquakes, volcanic eruption or wildfire, weather conditions which make it impossible to operate the alpine adventure safely (including sustained avalanche risk, prolonged storms or unseasonal snow conditions), the act of any government or other national or local authority including mountain rescue or national park authorities, industrial dispute, strike, and all similar events outside our or the supplier(s)’ control.

Except where otherwise expressly stated in these Booking Conditions, we will not be liable to pay you compensation if our contractual obligations to you are affected by Force Majeure. Where, as a result of Force Majeure, a confirmed Adventure Pathway cannot proceed, you will be entitled to a refund of monies paid to us in respect of that Adventure Pathway in accordance with the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018.

This clause does not affect costs you may have incurred separately (such as travel to and from the alpine adventure start point or insurance), which are not refundable by us. Your travel insurance policy may cover such losses.

10. Special requests

Any special requests must be advised to us at the time of booking (for example, dietary requirements). Whilst every effort will be made by us to arrange your reasonable special requests, we cannot guarantee that they will be fulfilled. The fact that a special request has been noted on your booking confirmation or any other documentation or that it has been passed on to a supplier is not confirmation that the request will be met. Failure to meet any special request will not be a breach of contract on our part unless the request has been specifically confirmed by us in writing. We do not accept bookings that are conditional upon any special request being met.

11. Disabilities and medical conditions

We are not a specialist disabled-adventure provider, but we will do our utmost to accommodate any special requirements you may have where the nature of the activity allows. If you or any member of your party has any medical condition or disability which may affect your booking, please provide us with full details before you make your booking so that we can advise on the suitability of the chosen Adventure Pathway. We may require you to produce a doctor’s certificate certifying that you are fit to participate. Acting reasonably, if we are unable properly to accommodate the needs of the person(s) concerned, we will not confirm your booking; or, if you did not give us full details at the time of booking, we will cancel it when we become aware and the cancellation charges in clause 7 may apply.

12. Complaints

We make every effort to ensure that your Adventure Pathway runs smoothly, but if you do have a problem during your trip, please inform your guide immediately so that they can endeavour to put things right at the time. If your concern is not resolved on the mountain, please contact us by email at team@mountaincoach.co.uk.

If the problem cannot be resolved during the trip and you wish to complain further, you must send formal written notice of your complaint to us at our office, ideally within 28 days of the end of your alpine adventure, giving your booking reference and all other relevant information. Please keep your letter concise and to the point so that we can identify your concerns and respond quickly. Failure to follow the procedure set out in this clause may affect our ability to investigate your complaint and will affect your rights under this contract.

13. Your behaviour and the authority of your guide

You must strictly comply with all laws and regulations of the country in which you are participating in your Adventure Pathway at the relevant time, and with all reasonable instructions of your guide relating to the safety and organisation of the Adventure Pathway.

Your guide has absolute authority over decisions affecting the safety of the group. This includes (but is not limited to) the authority to alter the route, descend early, abandon a summit attempt, require an individual to turn back or descend with a member of the team, exclude an individual from a particular section of the Adventure Pathway, or in serious cases terminate an individual’s participation in the Adventure Pathway altogether. You agree to comply with such decisions. The cost consequences of any individual exclusion are not refundable, save where they arise from our negligence.

All our customers are expected to conduct themselves in an orderly and considerate manner and not to disrupt the enjoyment of others. If in our opinion or that of any guide, accommodation manager or other person in authority, your behaviour or that of any member of your party is causing or is likely to cause distress, danger or annoyance to any other customers or any third party, damage to property, or delay or diversion to transportation, we reserve the right to terminate your booking with us immediately.

In the event of such termination, our liability to you will cease and you will be required to leave the Adventure Pathway immediately at your own expense. No refunds for lost accommodation, guide services, or other aspects of the Adventure Pathway will be made and we will not pay any expenses or costs incurred as a result of termination. You will also be responsible for any loss or damage caused by your actions, and any payment for such loss or damage must be made directly to the supplier prior to your departure. If you fail to make payment, you will be responsible for meeting any claims subsequently made against us as a result of your actions, together with all costs we incur in pursuing any claim against you.

We cannot be held responsible for the actions or behaviour of other guests or individuals who have no connection with your booking arrangements or with us.

14. Our responsibilities

We accept responsibility for the arrangements we agree to provide or arrange for you as an “organiser” under the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018, as set out below, and as such we are responsible for the proper provision of all travel services included in your package, as set out in your booking confirmation. Subject to these Booking Conditions, if we or our suppliers negligently perform or arrange those services and we do not remedy or resolve your complaint within a reasonable period of time, and this has affected the enjoyment of your Adventure Pathway, you may be entitled to an appropriate price reduction. You must inform us without undue delay of any failure to perform or improper performance of the services included in your package. The level of any such price reduction will be calculated taking into consideration all relevant factors, including following the complaints procedure described in these Booking Conditions and the extent to which our, our employees’ or our suppliers’ negligence affected the overall enjoyment of your Adventure Pathway. It is your responsibility to show that we or our supplier(s) have been negligent if you wish to make a claim against us.
We will not be responsible or pay you compensation for any injury, illness, death, loss, damage, expense, cost or other claim of any description if it results from:

(a) the acts and/or omissions of the person affected; or

(b) the acts and/or omissions of a third party unconnected with the provision of the services contracted for and which were unforeseeable or unavoidable; or

(d) the inherent risks of mountain activity which are referred to in clause 4 and which are accepted by you as part of your booking, save where they have been materially aggravated by our negligence.

Where we are found liable to you under this clause, the following caps apply to the maximum amount of compensation we may have to pay. These are limits on our potential exposure, not an admission or assumption of liability:

(a) Loss of or damage to luggage, personal possessions or money: our liability is in the first instance excluded because adequate travel insurance is a condition of your contract with us under clause 3, and such losses are properly the concern of your insurer. To the extent that we may nevertheless be found liable, our maximum payment to you will be limited to the amount of the excess on your insurance policy applicable to this type of loss, per person.

(b) Claims not falling under (a) above and which do not involve personal injury, illness or death: our maximum liability is limited to three times the price paid by or on behalf of the person(s) affected in total, as permitted by the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018. This maximum amount will only be payable where everything has gone wrong and you or your party have not received any benefit at all from your booking.

(c) Claims in respect of any stay in accommodation arranged by us: our liability will be limited to the same extent that the relevant accommodation provider’s liability would be limited under the international Paris Convention on the Liability of Hotelkeepers concerning the Property of their Guests (1962), or any equivalent national legislation. You can ask for a copy of this Convention from our offices. You acknowledge that the terms and conditions of any third-party accommodation provider or local supplier form part of your contract with us, as well as with that supplier.

It is a condition of our acceptance of liability under this clause that you notify any claim to us and our supplier(s) strictly in accordance with the complaints procedure set out in clause 12.
Where any payment is made, the person(s) receiving it must assign to us or our insurers any rights they may have to pursue any third party and must provide ourselves and our insurers with all assistance we may reasonably require.
We cannot accept any liability for any damage, loss, expense or other sum(s) of any description: (a) which on the basis of the information given to us by you concerning your booking prior to our accepting it we could not have foreseen you would suffer or incur if we breached our contract with you; (b) which relate to any business; or (c) indirect or consequential loss of any kind.
We will not accept responsibility for services or facilities which do not form part of our agreement or where they are not specified in your booking. For example, any activity, excursion or service you book or pay for whilst away which is not part of the published Mountain Coach itinerary, or any service or facility which your accommodation or any other supplier agrees to provide for you.

15. Activities outside the guided programme

Your Adventure Pathway is fully guided. The published itinerary covers the activity programme from the point at which you meet your guide on the alpine adventure to the point at which the guided programme ends.

Any activity you choose to undertake outside the guided programme is not part of your contracted arrangements with us. This includes (but is not limited to) any activity you arrange or undertake before the guided programme starts, after the guided programme ends, in the evenings or early mornings during the alpine adventure, or in any other free time outside the guided activity schedule. For any such activity your contract is with the operator (if any) and not with us. We are not responsible for the provision of, or anything that happens in the course of, such activity, and you undertake it at your own risk.

16. Financial Protection

The monies you pay us are protected by ABTOT, as set out under “Your money is protected” at the start of these Booking Conditions.

Mountain Coach does not hold an ATOL licence because we do not sell flights or flight-inclusive packages. If you arrange flights or other travel to and from your alpine adventure, those arrangements are not covered by our financial protection and you should satisfy yourself that they are protected appropriately by the supplier from whom you buy them.

17. Passport, visa and health formalities

It is your responsibility to check and fulfil the passport, visa, health and immigration requirements applicable to your alpine adventure. We can only provide general information. You must check requirements for your own circumstances with the relevant Embassies and/or Consulates, and your own doctor as applicable. Requirements do change and you must check the up-to-date position in good time before departure.

Most countries require passports to have a minimum period of validity after your return date, typically six months for travel to Switzerland and many other destinations. If your passport is in its final year of validity you should check with the Embassy of the country you are visiting.

Up to date travel advice can be obtained from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) at gov.uk/travelaware.

Non-British passport holders should obtain up-to-date advice on passport and visa requirements from the Embassy, High Commission or Consulate of the country/countries through which you are travelling.

We do not accept any responsibility if you cannot travel, or incur any other loss, because you have not complied with any passport, visa, immigration or health requirements. You agree to reimburse us in relation to any fines or other losses which we incur as a result of your failure to comply.

18. Conditions of suppliers

Many of the services that make up your Adventure Pathway are provided by independent suppliers: mountain hut wardens, hoteliers, transport providers within the alpine adventure itinerary, freelance guides operating to recognised qualifications, and others. Those suppliers provide their services in accordance with their own terms and conditions, which will form part of your contract with us. Some of these terms and conditions may limit or exclude the supplier’s liability to you. Copies of the relevant parts of these terms and conditions are available on request from us or the supplier concerned.

At the time of booking, some of our partner providers (such as accommodation operators) may require us to provide your personal contact details in order to confirm the booking. We keep the sharing of this information to an absolute minimum and it is never shared for marketing purposes.

19. Prompt assistance

If, whilst you are on a Mountain Coach Adventure Pathway, you find yourself in difficulty for any reason, we will offer you such prompt assistance as is appropriate in the circumstances. In particular, we will provide you with appropriate information on health services, local authorities and consular assistance, and assistance with distance communications and finding alternative travel arrangements where reasonably possible from the trip location.

Where you require assistance which is not owing to any failure by us, our employees or sub-contractors, we will not be liable for the costs of any alternative travel arrangements or other such assistance you require. Subject to the other terms of these Booking Conditions, we will not be liable for any costs, fees or charges you incur in such circumstances if you fail to obtain our prior authorisation before making your own arrangements. We reserve the right to charge you a fee for our assistance in the event that the difficulty is caused intentionally by you or a member of your party, or otherwise through your or your party’s negligence.

20. Photography and footage

Mountain Coach may take photographs and video footage on Adventure Pathways for use in marketing, social media and partner gym content. By making a booking you agree to such use, including for content shared with the partner gym (if any) through which you booked, on the understanding that:

you may at any time, before or after a trip, ask us in writing not to use a specific image or piece of footage that features you, and we will remove it from active circulation within a reasonable time;
we will not use imagery in a way that is reasonably likely to embarrass or misrepresent you; and
any imagery you take and share yourself on your own channels is yours to manage; we do not claim ownership of it.

21. Foreign Office advice

You are responsible for making yourself aware of Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) advice in regard to the safety of the countries and areas in which you will be travelling and to make your decisions accordingly. Advice from the FCDO to avoid or leave a particular country may constitute Force Majeure (see clause 9).

Key points​

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Key points