These booking conditions, together with our Covid Booking Policy (for bookings for the 2020/21 season), our website privacy policy, the course information and any other written information we have brought to your attention before we confirmed your booking, set out the details of your booking with Snowsports Unlimited, (“we”, “us”, “our”). Please read them carefully as they set out our respective rights and obligations. In these Booking Conditions, “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.

By making a booking, the first named person on the booking (the lead name) agrees on their own behalf and on behalf of any additional persons detailed on the booking that:

1. He/she has read these terms and conditions and has the authority to and does agree to be bound by them;
2. He/she consents to our use of information in accordance with our Privacy Policy;
3. He/she is over 18 years of age and resident in Canada (if you are not a resident of the Canada, you must advise us prior to booking) and where placing an order for services with age restrictions declares that he/she and all members of the party are of the appropriate age to purchase those services;
4. He/she accepts financial responsibility for payment of the booking on behalf of all persons detailed on the booking.

Our obligations to you will vary depending upon whether we act as a Package Organiser in the sale of a package holiday, as a Principal in the sale of single-element bookings (such as accommodation only bookings) or as an agent to help you to arrange activity and holiday products; our differing obligations are set out below, in four separate sections: Section A contains the conditions which will apply to all bookings. Section B contains the conditions which will apply when you make a booking with us where we act as the package organiser. Section C contains the conditions which will apply where you make a single-element booking with us, where we are acting as Principal. Section D contains the conditions which apply to agency bookings.

SECTION A – APPLICABLE TO ALL BOOKINGS

1. Making A Booking

Once we have received your booking and all appropriate payments (usually the booking deposit), we will, subject to availability, confirm your booking by issuing a confirmation invoice.

Please check this confirmation carefully as soon as you receive it. You must contact us immediately if any information which appears on the confirmation or any other document appears to be incorrect or incomplete as it may not be possible to make changes later.

Please check that all names, dates and timings are correct on receipt of all documents and advise us of any errors immediately, as changes cannot be made later and it may harm your rights if we are not notified of any inaccuracies in any document immediately. 

Once booked, if any lessons are cancelled adjusting the booking to less than the minimum required, it may not be possible to retain the original dates and prices on booking. Normal cancellation conditions apply.

2. Payment

Prices, and the related payment schedules, for the courses that we operate and sell on behalf of other suppliers are shown on our website: www.snowsportsunlimited.com. The prices, (unless otherwise stated) are usually inclusive of any local sales taxes (e.g. Canadian GST) although this is dependent on your country of residence.

The price applicable to a booking is the price for the relevant course shown on our website on the date on which the booking form is received in our office together with the non-refundable booking deposit (or full payment, if required at the time of booking). In the event that the price quoted on your booking form is out of date or otherwise incorrect, we will not issue you with a booking confirmation until you have specifically agreed the new price.

You will be required to pay a deposit or make full payment for your booking at the time of booking. Where you only pay a deposit you must pay the full balance by the balance due date notified to you. If full payment is not received by the balance due date, we will notify the supplier who may cancel your booking and charge the cancellation fees set out in their Terms and Conditions. Alternatively, where you have booked a package or accommodation only arrangement with us, you will be subject to our cancellation charges as set out in Sections B and C below.

Any discounts or offers advertised on our website cannot be used in conjunction with other discounts or offers.

3. Accuracy

We endeavour to ensure that all of the information and prices both on our website and in any advertising material that we issue are accurate; however, occasionally changes and errors occur and we reserve the right to correct prices and other details in such circumstances. You must check the current price and all other details relating to the course or arrangements that you wish to book before your booking is confirmed.

4. Special Requests

If you have any special requests, please let us know at the time of booking. We will pass on all such requests to the supplier but we do not guarantee that they will be met and we will have no liability to you if they are not.

5. Insurance

Adequate travel insurance is a condition of your contract with either us or the supplier in question, as applicable. You must take out a policy of insurance in order to cover you and your party against the cost of cancellation by you; the cost of assistance (including but not limited to: medical and repatriation costs) in the event of accident or illness; loss of baggage and money; and other expenses. Failure to disclose relevant information may affect your insurance. If you fail to travel with adequate insurance cover we will not be liable for any losses in respect of which insurance cover would otherwise have been available.

6. Ski & Snowboard Lessons

Minimum Ability Levels

On each course there is a minimum acceptable ski or snowboard ability level. This is shown on the website page for each course. It can sometimes be difficult to judge your level and you may find that your ski level is below the minimum level for the course you have booked. Usually we are able to cater for this eventuality; however, on some occasions we may need to transfer you into another appropriate ski course with a ski school or arrange private instruction with another instructor in the resort. These alternative lessons may vary in duration and may not be equivalent to the original course booked. Any additional costs incurred for these additional lessons will be payable by you directly to the ski school.

In the event that due to your absence from the course (due to injury or otherwise) your ski or snowboarding ability becomes incompatible with the other participants of the group and it proves impractical to include you in any of the classes arranged by us or our suppliers, we undertake to discuss the situation with you but reserve the right to exclude you from any booked course classes and to transfer you into another appropriate course with a ski school or arrange private instruction with another instructor in the resort. These alternative lessons may vary in duration and may not be equivalent to the original course booked. Any additional costs incurred for these additional lessons will be payable by you directly to the ski school.

Groups and Ability Level

On the first ski day of your course, participants will be divided into groups based on the information you provide us before you arrive relating to your previous ski experience and ability. Usually there are some movements between ski groups from the second day onwards in order to make sure groups are compatible. Our instructors will consider your technique, speed of travel and the appropriate terrain difficulty when deciding groups. They will be placing you in a group that will allow you and the group to best improve your skill, not necessarily the hardest group you could manage. The instructors will have the final decision about which group you should ski in.

Mixed Level Ability Groups

Although we aim to keep the groups as homogenous as possible, any group lesson will contain a mixed level of ability. If the split is significant, your instructors will be using varied terrain and exercises to develop performance of all members of the group. Some of the group may need to wait for others to descend a slope. It is crucial that stronger members are supportive and that weaker members do not let this affect your confidence.  The coaches are very skilled at developing performance whilst catering for variations in levels of ability. By booking a Snowsports Unlimited course you must accept the possibility you may be in a group of a mixed level of ability and may have to adjust your aspirations accordingly.

Ski groups are considered to be compatible if participants in that group can ski the same terrain 90% of the time with less than a two-minute wait at each re-group based on a normal re-group frequency for the majority of the group’s clients. Non-compatible groups will be rearranged.

Group Sizes

On our instructor training courses the maximum group size is a ratio of eight participants to one instructor. On our improvement and off-piste camps we currently have a historical average ratio of 4.5 participants to each instructor but the maximum overall ratio is six participants to one instructor. In the event of an ‘ability split’ a maximum of seven participants to one instructor will be permitted as this enables us to move a participant to another group without requiring another client to transfer groups to accommodate the new arrival.

Poor Snow and/or Weather Conditions

In the event of there being poor or no snow in your booked resort, we’ll try our best to get you on the slopes as near to your chosen resort as possible. We cannot, however, guarantee there will be an available slope within reach from your resort and also we cannot always guarantee that we’ll be able to make the necessary arrangements where alternative slopes are open. Where we do make alternative arrangements, we’ll only pass on additional costs incurred by us to get you to the snow. We will not profit from these additional arrangements and we’ll do our best to make it as cost effective as possible for customers. Poor snow conditions may also affect the availability of other activities and excursions which are dependent on snow, and we advise you to check with us or the activity provider as to their availability.

Occasionally due to extreme weather conditions all the ski lifts in the resort may be closed. If we are unable to run our on-snow training, we will supplement this with other off-snow activities. The off-snow activities may not be the equivalent duration that the ski coaching is advertised. We cannot give refunds for any on-snow time missed due to lift closure. Check your insurance policy as it may cover you for lift closure.

Being Asked to Leave the Course

If the instructor feels that you are skiing or behaving in a manner that either endangers yourself, other members of the group or public or causes disruption within the group from either your skiing or your personal behavior, the instructor will ask you to adjust your skiing and/or behavior accordingly. Failure to do so could result in being asked to leave the course. In this situation no refunds will be given.

If you have been absent from a significant number of lessons you may not be able to return to the course.

Drugs

You will not be able to participate in a ski lesson if you are under the influence of recreational drugs

You will not be able to participate in a ski lesson if you are taking over-the-counter or prescription drugs that limit your ability to safely ski.

Alcohol

You will not be able to participate in lessons if you are drunk. We discourage drinking before lessons or at lunch as any amount will negatively affect your performance on snow. The limit for returning to lessons is one serving of alcohol.

Alcohol may not be consumed while in lessons

Helmets

Helmets are highly recommended on all our courses and almost all local skiers and snowboarders wear helmets. Life-changing head injuries can be prevented in many cases with the use of a helmet.

Helmets are mandatory in terrain parks, on race courses and during instructor and ski patrol examinations.

Time Keeping

You are responsible for turning up on time for lessons.

7. Risk

By booking a Snowsports Unlimited course you will be taking advantage of a huge amount of experience and expertise. The instructors who work on behalf of Snowsports Unlimited are very skilled at developing performance as described on the Snowsports Unlimited website. The instructors and mountain guides are well trained in the safety aspects of skiing or snowboarding in the mountains. They can advise, help and lead you. However skiing involves an element of risk, which you must accept as inherent to the sport. You must take responsibility over your own actions and decisions when skiing on the mountain either by yourself or within a Snowsports Unlimited lesson group. It is known that accidents do happen as part of skiing. By booking on a Snowsports Unlimited ski or snowboard course you will be accepting the risk involved and accepting that an accident may happen. You will also be responsible for deciding to take part in any activity whether an exercise, a particular technique, skiing a particular slope, skiing a particular speed or skiing particular snow textures. In race training you will also be accepting whether to ski a particular ‘course’ and what speed to ski at. We or the instructors and mountain guides working on behalf of Snowsports Unlimited cannot be held responsible for accidents and your actions. If at any point you wish not to take part in an activity for any reason then you must let the instructor or mountain guide know immediately.

Snowsports Unlimited declines all liability in the case of an accident that occurs during any lesson or company run event. Snowsports Unlimited reserves the right to cancel any session if payment is not settled in full before the lesson.

8. Waiver Forms

Some activities carry inherent risks and you will be required to sign an additional waiver form before your participation in lessons or guided activities provided by the company and for those activities (such as, but not limited to, cat-skiing, heli-skiing, snowmobiling, snow-biking, dog sledding) organised by local suppliers. In the event that you are not prepared to sign these waiver forms, we (or the supplier of your arrangements) reserve the right to exclude you from that activity without compensation. Suppliers’ forms can be provided upon request; please contact our office. A copy of the Snowsports Unlimited Waiver Form which we will require you to sign before or upon arrival in resort can be emailed.

9. Cancellation Policy

Any bookings that are cancelled within 1 week will incur a charge of 50%. In the case of lesson cancellation due to lift closure, injury or sickness, adverse weather conditions, breakdowns of mechanical installations or other incidents beyond the company’s control Snowsports Unlimited will not be liable to provide the client with a refund. We advise our clients to take out adequate insurance to cover them in the case of cancellation.