Sawback Alpine Adventures Terms and Conditions

BOOKING TERMS & CONDITIONS

By making a reservation with Cloudraker Expeditions Ltd. (o/a Sawback Alpine Adventures) and/or Burnie Glacier Chalet Ltd. (o/a Burnie Glacier Chalet), (collectively referred to as Sawback, us, our, we or similar in these T&Cs), you are agreeing, on behalf of yourself and all other individuals that you book for, to be bound by these Booking Terms & Conditions (these “T&Cs”). These T&Cs will govern your reservation with us. Please read them carefully.

TRIP INFORMATION & REQUIREMENTS

Each trip we offer has a detailed trip information page (available on our website) with the trip details, experience required, equipment list, proposed itinerary and logistics, etc. Read through this carefully before completing your reservation.

RESERVATION & NON-REFUNDABLE DEPOSIT

A deposit of 50% of the total price or private guiding fee is due with your booking unless otherwise indicated. You are required to complete our Reservation Form and Waiver during the booking process. Deposits are non-refundable except as expressly set out in these T&Cs. You will be sent an invoice via our invoicing system, Flywire which provides all payment options available except Interac e-transfers. Flywire also provides foreign currency rates for the various payment options so you can pay in your local currency. If you wish to pay in CAD by E-transfer send funds to billing@sawback.com.

FINAL PAYMENT

Final payments are due 90 days before your trip starts. Payments are non-refundable once paid expect as expressly set out in these T&Cs.

PRICE INCREASES

We make every attempt to honour the price quoted on booking. However, for trip bookings made more than 6 months in advance of the trip start date we reserve the right to increase your invoice up to 5% to cover unexpected increases in our expenses (e.g. fuel, exchange rate, labour cost increases, etc.)

ACCEPTANCE OF RESERVATION FOR A TRIP

Your requested reservation is subject to acceptance and confirmation by us. Upon receipt of your Reservation Form and completed Waiver, we will review your Reservation Form, including your physical fitness, skill level and experience, to determine whether the trip is the right fit for you. If we determine, at our sole discretion, that the trip is not the right fit for you, we will contact you to discuss and will provide a full refund of your deposit. Confirmation of acceptance of your reservation will be provided within 72 hours. Refer to the PERSONAL FITNESS AND GROUP TRAVEL section of these T&Cs for more details.

RESERVING SPOTS FOR OTHERS

You may reserve and hold spots on a trip for multiple people. However, each individual must complete their own Reservation Form and Waiver before the deposit for their spot is paid. We reserve the right to cancel any held spot where the individual does not complete their Reservation Form and Waiver and pay the related deposit within seven (7) days of the initial reservation. Contact us if you have any questions about this process or if the individuals you are booking for are not identified or there is some other reason they cannot complete Reservation Form and Waiver prior to this seven (7) day deadline.

If you are reserving a spot on the trip for others, you should bring these T&C’s and the terms of the Waiver to their attention prior to reserving their spot.

TRIP (CANCELLATION / MEDICAL / EVACUATION / THEFT) INSURANCE:

Once you complete your reservation, we enter into financial obligations on our side and we cannot refund payments or release you from your contractual obligations. Therefore, we highly recommend you purchase cancellation insurance to cover your losses for the case that you can’t participate or have to interrupt your trip “for any reason”. Also, all participants need to have internationally accepted health insurance for all activities pertaining to the trip, including coverage for emergency rescue and evacuation. If you already have insurance, please make sure that you will be covered for “roped travel” if booking a technical trip including “Via Ferrata” trips. We will gladly refer you to a travel insurance provider who offers “adventure travel insurance packages” and with whom our clients have had positive claims experiences in the past. Generally, you will receive the best benefits if you buy your insurance within 10 days of our booking confirmation. We strongly urge you to read our Insurance Information Page carefully before booking your trip.

CANCELLATIONS BY YOU AND OVERDUE PAYMENTS

If you need to make a late payment or cancel a booking, please do so in writing by e-mail at info@sawback.com. Please note carefully the payment schedule for your trip. If you are overdue on a payment, we reserve the right to cancel your booking without notice and without refund. If you fail to make a payment when do or if you cancel your trip for any reason, at our sole discretion, we may offer to credit you any amount paid, less an administrative fee, towards a future trip. Refunds will not be provided.

RIGHT TO ALTER PROGRAMS

We reserve the right to change guides, particular lodging or the itinerary or venue, should unforeseen circumstances or circumstance beyond our control, including guide sickness, hut or route closing, force us to do so or should the physical condition of the participants (see PERSONAL FITNESS AND GROUP TRAVEL below), weather or mountain conditions, or other circumstances make a continuation as planned not possible, not commercially reasonable, or too risky.

CANCELLATION BY US

If events beyond our reasonable control, including but not limited to Acts of God, the elements, terrorism and threats of terrorisms, natural disasters, inclement weather, war, acts of government, civil or military authorities, natural calamities, failure of a supplier to provide their services, catastrophe, fire, flood, earthquake, epidemics, pandemics, shortage or unavailability of transportation, labour disputes, strikes, or any other events beyond our reasonable control (a “Force Majeure Event”), making offering your trip commercially unreasonable, illegal or not possible to perform, we may cancel your trip and terminate your booking upon written notice. In such case we will offer you a credit for another trip with us. We will not be liable to compensate you for any costs or expenses, including any airfare, car rentals, accommodations, cancellation fees, rental charges, service charges, or for any direct, consequential, compensatory, incidental damage or any other damages or amounts of any nature resulting from or caused by such cancellation.

RELEASE OF LIABILITY (WAIVER) REQUIREMENT

All guests are required to read and agree to our Release of Liability, Waiver of Claims, Assumption of Risk and Indemnity Agreement (the “Waiver”) as a condition of participating in any trip or activity with us. If the Waiver is not completed, the individual will not be permitted to participate. The Waiver can be reviewed here and must be agreed to and signed as part of the reservation process.

By signing the Waiver, you waive your legal rights to sue or claim compensation following an accident. PLEASE READ THE WAIVER CAREFULLY!
The Waiver will apply to all your trips and activities with us for a period of 24 months from the date you sign it. If your trip gets rescheduled outside this period, you will be required to do our current waiver in order to participate in the rescheduled trip.
The Waiver will be made available for completion at the time of booking.
By booking the trip and agreeing to the terms of the Waiver you recognize and agree that the allocation of risk set out in the Waiver, including the release of us from all legal liability, is reflected in the fees paid by you for the trip.
Each adult must complete their own waiver.
Parent/legal guardian must complete the waiver for any guest under 18 years old.
This waiver requirement applies to all participants, regardless of when they are added to the reservation.
If you are booking for others, it is your responsibility to notify them of this waiver requirement and the terms of the waiver. Please refer to the BOOKING FOR OTHERS section of these T&Cs.
If you do not agree with the terms of the Waiver applying to your trip, do not proceed with booking the trip.

THIRD PARTY BOOKINGS

All reservations made by us with third party service providers, including helicopter, seaplane, and other transportation providers and accommodation providers, are subject to the service provider’s terms and conditions, including any requirement to complete their waiver. You may be required to complete such third-party service provider’s wavier to participate in that part of the trip.

ACKNOWELDGMENT & ACCEPTANCE OF RISK

We strive to provide an exceptional experience while prioritizing safety and satisfaction of our guests. However, it is important to recognize that our trips, which involve adventure, exploration and unpredictability, and involve many risks, dangers and hazards. All guests must be aware of and willing assume the risks, dangers and hazards associated with participating in the trip. For a list of risks, dangers and hazards, review our Waiver

You acknowledge that participating in the trip involves significant risks, dangers and hazards. By participating, you agree to participate fully aware of these risks, dangers and hazards and accept responsibility for your own safety and well-being. You are responsible for maintaining the necessary physical fitness and skills required to participate in the trip. You will stay alert to hazards, danger and risks, act prudently throughout the trip, and bring any concerns to our attention immediately.

DRUGS AND ALCOHOL

Participating in activities organized by Sawback while under the influence of drugs or alcohol is strictly prohibited. You acknowledge and agree that whenever participating in an activity organized by Sawback, you and the members of your party will not be impaired by or use any substance, including, but not limited to, alcohol, cannabis, illegal drugs and other controlled substances. We reserve the right to deny participation by anyone that appears to be in contravention of this policy. This includes helicopter and floatplane transfers.

WEATHER DISCLAIMER

We operate in environments that are subject to unpredictable weather conditions. While we strive to provide the best possible experience, we cannot control or guarantee the weather conditions. We are not responsible for, and do not provide any refund for, any disruptions, cancellations, delays, changes or inconvenience caused by adverse weather conditions.

PERSONAL FITNESS AND GROUP TRAVEL

Our programs rely heavily on the integrity of each individual to assess their skill level and physical condition accurately. It is the responsibility of each participant to be aware of the necessary skill and fitness level for a particular trip. When in doubt, please call and discuss this with us! For the protection of yourself and other group members, we reserve the right to deny participation to any unprepared participant at any time of the trip, in which case we cannot offer a refund! In order to accommodate diverse levels of ability and ambition as well as diverse personalities, the decision making of the guide has to be geared towards risk management and finding a consensus within the whole group, which may not please each individual participant at all times. Clients who are not willing to fit in with a diverse group and/or have less flexible goals are urged to make a private booking.

ARRIVAL ON TIME

It is your responsibility to arrive at the departure site at the required time and you are responsible for any extra costs incurred if a scheduled departure time is missed for any reason.

CURRENCY

All pricing and payments are in Canadian funds, and an allowance will be made for the exchange rate if payment is made in a foreign currency. Refunds will be processed in Canadian dollars. No adjustments will be made to the refund for the difference in the exchange rate between the time of payment and refund.

FORCE MAJEURE

We shall not be liable for delays in the performance of any obligation under your trip reservation that is caused by Force Majeure Event. If a force majeure event occurs, our performance of the affected obligations shall be excused for the period of delay resulting from the Force Majeure Event.

LIABILITY FOR DAMAGE

You will be liable for any property damage you cause while on any trip with us, whether such property is owned by us or a third party, including damage to any lodge, accommodation, facility, vehicle, aircraft, watercraft, or any other property. You will compensate us for any costs to repair or replace any such damaged property.

LIMITATION OF LIABILITY REGARDING TRIP RESERVATION

The terms of the Waiver signed by all guests takes precedents over these T&Cs, including the limitation of liability set out below. In the event the Waiver does not apply to a particular claim arising out of the reservation, the following shall apply: “In no event will we be liable for incidental, consequential, indirect, or special damages, including any interruption or loss of opportunity.”

RESPECTFUL BEHAVIOUR

We are committed to providing a welcoming, safe and respectful environment for all guests and staff. Any form of violence or harassment will not be tolerated and may result in immediate termination of services and expulsion from the premises/trip without refund or compensation.

GOVERNING LAW & JURISDCITION

The trip reservation and all disputes and controversies relating to or arising out of the trip reservation and these T&Cs are governed by and will be interpreted and construed in accordance with the laws of the Province of Alberta and the federal laws of Canada applicable therein without any reference to conflicts of law rules. By making a trip reservation, you attorn and submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Alberta courts.