Private Ski Programs • Booking Information

Booking Information for private Alps ski programs

Booking other trips

Non-private ski trips
Alps summer climbing
US climbing & skiing
Canada climbing & skiing
Expeditions

This page is for booking private ski trips in the Alps for you and your group.

For booking non-private trips (where you sign up for a tour on the fixed itinerary we present) click here.

Step 1	The first step in booking a private ski trip with us is to contact us and find out if the dates you seek are available. You can also check our availability page to get a general idea, but you'll still need to check with us personally to confirm. Also, this is the time to ask any questions about the trip. We're happy to answer whatever questions you might have. For suggestions on the best time of year of various tours, have a look here. The rate at which our ski programs book up varies from year to year. In order to be sure to get the dates you would prefer, for private trips you should contact us at least 8 months in advance, or earlier if you can. Once we have received registrations for our non-private trips, we can no longer be available for private tours that overlap with those dates. So the sooner you reserve your dates the more likely we can accommodate you. If we are unable to accommodate you, we suggest you contact one of the guides on our Recommended Guides in the Alps page.
Step 2	Second, we need to confirm that your goals and skills are a good match for the trip. You'll need to look at the description of skills appropriate for the trip, and then we'll discuss how you match this description. There is lots of latitude in private programs, and we can make adjustments as needed. However, there are minimum ski skills and fitness levels for any of the hut-to-hut tours in the Alps.
Step 3	Registration forms and payment. Last, you'll need to fill out our private ski trip registration form and return it to us, either by mail or electronically. You can download this form from the link below, or by clicking here. Also, please fill out our online emergency contact and evacuation insurance form. You can find that here. Calculating trip fees: For private hut to hut ski tours we price them either on a "cost plus" method, where we quote a guides wage, and you cover all expenses, or on an "all-inclusive" basis, where we quote a cost for the entire trip, including expenses. Please discuss with us which of these methods works best for both of us. Deposits and payments important dates: Once we have determined method and amounts of the fees, please follow the payment schedule below. At registration 25% of the total fees is due to confirm your booking. 180 days before the start of the trip 50% of the total fees is due. 90 days before the start of the trip, the balance of fees is due. If you are booking within the balance due date, full fees are required. See our cancellation and refund policies lower on this page. We can accept payment by check, credit card or bank transfer. See our page on Payment Options to select the best payment method. Please do not make payments until you have contacted us and confirmed that: We can accommodate you on our schedule, and We have agreed that the trip you are signing up for is a good match with your skills. This concern is especially important with the ski trips.
Step 4	We'll confirm your booking and discuss with you what additional trip information or advice you might need.

Download Registration Form for Private Ski Trips

If you would like to download our PDF registration form, click on the link below. You will need to view this download with Adobe Acrobat Reader, also a free download.

2012 Private Ski Registration Form

Fill in our online Emergency Contact Form

Please take a moment to fill in this online form. There is no hurry with this, but we'd like to have it before the start of your trip.

Emergency Contact and Evacuation Form

Payment and Cancellation Policies

Deposit & Payment Schedule

In order to secure your place in a program a deposit of 25% of the trip fees (or of our wages for a "cost plus" trip) is due at the time of registration. We cannot hold your place without this deposit. Phone reservations can be held for 6 days while we await your payment.

50% of the total fees is due 180 days before the start of your trip.

The balance of the trip fees is due 90 days prior to the starting day of the trip. This is the balance due date. For registration after the balance due date, full payment is due at the time of registration.

If full payment is not received by the balance due date and other arrangements are not made with us, we reserve the right to consider your registration canceled.

Cancellation & Refund Policy

If you cancel your enrollment for any reason the following policy applies:

Cancellation occurring after the 180-day 50% due date, but before the 90-day balance due date, will result in a complete forfeiture of 50% of the total fees.
Cancellation occurring after the 90-day balance due date will result in a complete forfeiture of the total fees.
If you cancel your enrollment before the 180-day 50% due date you will receive a refund of all payments and deposit less a cancellation fee of $100.

Trip cancellation, Interruption & Emergency Evacuation Insurance

In order to protect yourself from the loss of non-refundable fees we strongly recommend you purchase trip cancellation insurance. This type of insurance will allow you to recover fees resulting from cancellation due to personal or family illness occurring before or during your program. Most types also allow you to recover non-refundable travel expenses in the event that we are forced to cancel due to inadequate registration.

Emergency evacuation insurance, often included with trip cancellation, covers the normally very high cost of evacuation from remote mountainous areas. We strongly recommend that participants on trips to South America and Asia purchase emergency evacuation insurance. Policies are available through your insurance or travel agents.

Conditions of Participation

There are a number of conditions required for participation in our programs. These include, but are not limited to agreement with and understanding of the cancellation and refund policy.