Terms and Conditions for mountaineering trips with First Light Guiding
General Guidelines:
– Cancellation or curtailment of your trip due to illness, injury, weather, uncontrollable events, unforeseen circumstances or lack of fitness will not entitle you to any refund.
– A date change to your trip, for any reason, constitutes cancellation and rebooking subject to availability, for which the full cancellation policy applies.
– For trips requiring minimum numbers (e.g. Antarctica or Self Mastery through Mountaineering), if the minimum numbers are not met a full refund of monies paid, less credit card or banking fees will be made within 30 days of normal departure. The option to pay a surcharge to ensure the trip departure may be offered.
– Taking out comprehensive travel and mountaineering insurance is compulsory for international expeditions. We recommend you do this as soon as you have made payment to FLG.
– Your insurance provider, provided the reason for cancellation falls within the terms of the policy, may cover these charges. It is wise to protect your investment with this kind of cancellation insurance as well as adequate medical cover in the unlikely event of needing other medical services.
– All references to dates are based on NZST
Peru, Bolivia and Nepal Payment Schedule:
A non-refundable 50% deposit is required to secure your booking. Deposits received at any time will secure your space on a first-in-first-served basis. Expressions of interest are not treated as bookings without payment.
Full Payment must be made no later than 4 months (120 days) before departure.
If you cancel between 120 and 61 days before departure, based on 12 noon NZST of the first day of the itinerary, you will be refunded 20% of the total sum paid.
If you cancel 60 days or less before departure no refund is due.
Making a bank transfer in NZD or USD:
Payment for trips quoted in NZD should be made by transfer to the following account:
Bank: ANZ
Account Name: FIRST LIGHT GUIDING LIMITED
Account number: 06-0949-0335181-02
Account Type: NZD
If you are making an international transfer you will need the following:
Account number: 06-0949-0335181-02
SWIFT code: ANZBNZ22
First Light Guiding Address: 3 Turnbull Crescent, Wanaka 9305, New Zealand
Bank Address: 34 Grant Road, Frankton, Queenstown, New Zealand
NB: You won’t need an IBAN number as these are only used for European accounts.
Payment for trips quoted in USD should be made by transfer to the following account:
Bank: ANZ
Account Name: FIRST LIGHT GUIDING LIMITED
Account number: 238938USD00001
Account Type: USD
Bad weather Policy
Bad weather or unfavourable conditions during the trip may affect your goals but will not prevent the opportunity to develop other mountaineering skills or objectives. Alternative instruction or guiding will be diverted to an alternative venue, a suitable sub-alpine or indoor environment.
There is no refund for these situations even if the alpine environment is not reached at any point.
If you or your party is unable to egress from the mountains at the end of your trip for any reason, the normal daily rate will apply for each extra day beyond the normal scheduled trip completion.
Liability Release and Waiver
I realize that the activities of mountaineering and trekking provided by First Light Guiding and associates (hereinafter known as FLG) inherently involve risks that may result in property damage or loss, serious or fatal injury. I understand that FLG trips involve intrinsic hazards, not all of which can be listed here. Among the more obvious and
frequent are:
1. Steep terrain where a fall, whether roped or unroped, may cause injury or death.
2. Falling rock, ice or other objects, which may cause injury or death.
3. Violent and unpredictable weather, which may cause injury due to extremes of heat or cold, and which may prevent travel to, from or within an area.
4. Unfamiliar country, where the participants may get lost, off route or be separated from the rest of the party.
5. Avalanches, which are highly dangerous and may be triggered by the activities of climbers or skiers (external or within our party) or by natural forces.
6. Remoteness of location with poor communications and inability to get rescue or medical assistance quickly or easily.
7. Medical problems arising from climbing at high altitudes or in areas where adequate supplies of clean food or water may be unavailable.
8. Transport by public or private motor vehicle, helicopter and fixed wing aircraft or through the use of animals.
9. Scrapes, bruises, fractures and other injuries sustained in physical activity indoors and outdoors.
10. NEGLIGENCE ON THE PART OF FLG, INCLUDING THE FAILURE BY FLG TO TAKE REASONABLE STEPS TO SAFEGUARD OR PROTECT ME FROM THE RISKS, DANGERS AND HAZARDS OF WILDERNESS ACTIVITIES.
I hereby assume all risks and release FLG, all persons, entities or contractors connected with FLG from all liability for any injuries or damages and from any claim by me, my family, estate, agents, heirs or assigns arising in any way from my participation in all, and any activities connected with FLG. FLG also accepts no responsibility for the actions of persons and/or companies supplying goods and/or services as part of guiding arrangements, or any extra costs incurred due to delays or complications beyond its control. In entering into this agreement I am not relying on any oral, visual or written representations or statement from FLG with respect to the safety of the organised trip other than as set out in this agreement. FLG reserves the right to cancel any trip at any point in time without any penalty to FLG. Whilst my comfort and enjoyment is a priority of the guides at all times, my safety is of paramount importance and no negotiations will be entered into regarding this (safety) decision making. My participation on this trip is continually subject to the discretion of the trip leader and FLG. My GP/ Physician must clear any health problems that may affect my participation on any trip. It is imperative that I disclose any medical condition that could put my guide, others or myself at risk. In the unlikely event of an emergency, I may, depending on trip location be liable for any rescue or evacuation costs incurred either on my behalf or as a result of my actions. I HAVE READ AND UNDERSTOOD THIS AGREEMENT PRIOR TO SIGNING IT AND I AM AWARE THAT BY SIGNING THIS AGREEMENT I AM WAIVING CERTAIN LEGAL RIGHTS WHICH I OR MY HEIRS, NEXT OF KIN, EXECUTORS, ADMINISTRATORS, ASSIGNS AND REPRESENTATIVES MAY HAVE AGAINST THE RELEASEES (First Light Guiding)
For expeditions originating in any country except New Zealand, a separate medical questionnaire must be completed in the presence of your doctor. These are best tended to at the time of booking.
Additional liability release for ‘Self Mastery through Mountaineering’:
In addition to the conditions outlined, the ‘Self Mastery through Mountaineering’, ‘Self Mastery’, ‘Self Development’ and ‘Self Alignment’ programmes are not intended to ‘cure’, ‘fix’, ‘alleviate’ or ‘remedy and psychological, emotional or cognitive related issues. FLG and its guides/coaches make no claims or guarantees to any outcomes associated with this mentorship or coaching program. The techniques, approaches, perspectives, exercises, suggestions, guidance and tools provided in each session are suggestive only – it is the responsibility of each participant to determine suitability and appropriateness of these suggestions and whether or not it rightly applies to their lives.
Each participant is responsible for his / her choices around which direction to take in relation to life circumstances. These programmes are not intended, claimed or provided as counselling, psychiatric or psychological services. The coaching provided here is suggestive and provided as guidance only. The coaching is considered to be mindset coaching and transformative coaching allowing each participant to engage in the possibility of framing different perspectives regarding life circumstances. One should always seek the advice of a medical and registered practitioner prior to engaging in any health-related services.
There are no expectations, promises or guarantees around transformation being achieved of any kind. Participants of these retreats should not have expectations around being ‘fixed’ or ‘cured’ of any problems or experiential pain through the participation of this programme and should not be under the assumption that the programmes are a ‘quick-fix’ of any kind to alleviate perceived problems of any kind within the participant.
Life transformation often is a life-long process and can take years to realise in any capacity