Alps Ski Programs • Booking Information

Booking Information for Alps Ski Programs

Booking other trips

Private ski trips
Alps summer climbing
US climbing & skiing
Canada climbing & skiing
Expeditions

We offer a number of different ski trips with open participation. That is, folks sign up until the trip is full, usually with 6 or 8 skiers and the two of us guiding. This page is for booking these "open" trips.

If you have a group of friends and think you might be interested in a private program go to our Private Ski Trips booking page

Step 1	The first step in booking a ski trip with us is to contact us and find out if there is room in the trip you would like. 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 that have not been addressed on the web site. We're happy to answer whatever questions you might have. The rate at which the trips book up vary from year to year. Some programs, particularly the Chamonix to Zermatt Haute Route, get completely booked more than 6 months in advance, but often there is space still available later. If you are looking for only 1 spot then this is easier to accommodate. If you have a group of friends with you, you should contact us as soon as you can. 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.
Step 3	Last, you'll need to fill out our 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. To reserve your spot, we'll need a deposit of 25% of the total fees for the trip. The balance due date is 60 days prior to the start of the trip. 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. If you are booking only a short time before your trip, please contact us to determine the best way to make a payment. Sometimes we are not at home to receive your payment by check. 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

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.

2013 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 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.

The balance of the trip fees is due 60 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 balance due date will result in a complete forfeiture of all payments and deposit. The only exception to this occurs when we have somebody waiting to take your place, in which case we will refund all payments and deposit, less a cancellation fee of $100.

If you cancel your enrollment before the balance due date you will receive a refund of all payments and deposit less a cancellation fee of $100.

If we cancel a trip due to inadequate registration you will receive a full refund of all payments and your deposit. With the exception of our trip fees, we are not responsible for other expenses you might incur (such as non-refundable airline tickets or other travel and work arrangements) in the event that we cancel a trip.

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.