Esprit Montagne
Adventure Travel Agency Terms and Conditions

Our Terms and Conditions

Registration:

The registration, which is made via our registration form on www.espritmontagne.com, is used to make a contract agreement of the travel package between Esprit des Guides SA and the participants.
The contract is reached with the acceptance of the reservation by Esprit des Guides SA and with the payment of the trip total price.
Every person registered in the form accepts the Esprit des Guides SA Terms and Conditions.

The Client has the possibility to check the details of his reservation and its total price, and if necessary to correct any errors before confirming it, thus expressing his acceptance. In order for the order to become firm, the client must read the mandatory pre-contractual information and the GTC, accept them by ticking the box provided for this purpose and proceed with payment in accordance with the terms and conditions set out below entitled "Method of payment".

All persons registered in the form accept the Terms and Conditions of Esprit des Guides SA.

We inform you that the person who makes the registration in the name and on behalf of the different participants in the trip engages to provide each participant with the information given by Esprit des Guides SA concerning the trip.

In order to quickly respond to the requests for booking and to organize the groups, we need to receive your registration forms and payment promptly. We will not be able to maintain your registration without these elements.

Availability

The services offered on the website are available and bookable. However, some services are managed in real time. Consequently, a service presented as available may become unavailable if several customers on the Web site order it at the same time. This unavailability is caused by the exceptional and unavoidable circumstances due to the technical and practical management of online and telephone reservations simultaneously. The first customer to complete a booking will have priority. If an order cannot be fulfilled by Esprit des Guides SA due to the unavailability of the service, the customer will be informed by email or telephone within 48 hours following the order.

For Trekking / Trail programs:

• The Trek/Trail departure is guaranteed from 4 participants;
• If the minimum number of participants is not reached 30 days before the departure, Esprit des Guides SA will cancel the reservation and will reimburse the payment received. If you wish and if you agree, Esprit des Guides can still offer you to move on a guaranteed alternative Trekking / Trail program (in this case the price may be adjusted).

For group mountaineering programmes:

• The climbing or mountaineering course is guaranteed from 2 / 3 / 4 participants, depending on the trip;
• If the number of participants is not reached 12 days before departure, Esprit des Guides SA will cancel the booking and refund the payment received (only 3% will be retained for bank charges). If you wish and if you agree, Esprit des Guides SA can still offer you to pay the remaining balance on the basis of the number of participants reached and thus guarantee the departure.

N.B. Advice:

Do not book your Transport until the trip is not confirmed by Esprit des Guides SA.

Payment method 

• in order to confirm the booking, the full payment is required (see below, cancellation conditions);
• payment is to be made online, by credit card.

Cancellation policy

In case of cancellation from your side, for whatever reason, the refunds are as follows:

• Until 60 days before the departure: 35% of the price of the trip
• From 60 to 31 days before the departure: 45% of the price of the trip
• From 30 to 21 days before the departure: 55% of the price of the trip
• From 20 to 16 days before the departure: 50% of the price of the trip
• From 15 to 7 days before the departure: 10% of the price of the trip
• From 6 days before the departure: 0% of the price of the trip

If you have purchased an insurance with Esprit des Guides SA, in case of cancellation it will not be refunded.

Any delay or drop out of the group during the stay does not give right to any refund from Esprit des Guides SA.

Possible cancellation by Esprit des Guides SA

Esprit des Guides SA reserves the right to modify or cancel the trip if the group safety cannot be guaranteed, or because of different organization problems or because of any unpredictable event such as: war, epidemic, natural disaster, strike or other ...

In the event of cancellation by Esprit des Guides SA, the payments received will be fully refunded, except for administrative fees and bank charges (3% of the purchase price), and Esprit des Guides SA is not required to pay additional compensation:

• If the participants' minimum number required for the departure is not reached and Esprit des Guides SA cancels the stay within the time limit set by the Terms and Conditions:
  • 21 days before the beginning of the trip for stays of more than 6 days;
  • 12 days before the beginning of the trip for stays of less than 6 days.
• If the agency cannot accomplish the contract due to exceptional and unpredictable events (war, natural disaster, pandemic, strike, country status change by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, earthquake, etc.) and it notifies the client with the contract dissolution as soon as possible before the start of the trip.

In such cases, the payments received will then be fully reimbursed, except for administration fees and bank charges (3%), without the purchaser being able to claim any other additional compensation.

In the event of cancellation by Esprit des Guides along the stay due to exceptional reasons, you will be reimbursed in proportion to the days that will not be done.

COVID 19

If the departure of your trip is not possible because of travel restrictions due to Swiss, French and European government measures in relation to COVID 19: all trips can be postponed, modified or refunded by Esprit des Guides SA.
Payments received may be fully reimbursed, except for administration fees and bank charges (3% of the purchase amount), without the purchaser being able to claim any other additional compensation.

MINORS

A minor must be registered on the same file as an authorised accompanying adult. Entries for minors must be signed by the parent(s) exercising parental authority and/or the guardian with the words "agreement of father, mother...". For the journey, the minor must be in possession of all the documents required to leave the country. The customs authorities may require a document proving that the accompanying person is the parent or legal guardian (family record book, birth certificate, court decision, etc.).

The minor remains under the responsibility of the parent or guardian during the whole trip, whatever the activities undertaken and despite the presence of a guide. Esprit des Guides SA cannot be held responsible for any lack of supervision. If the minor travels without his or her parents, the details of a contact in France must be communicated to Esprit des Guides SA before departure.

Mountaineering

• if the group does not reach the summit for different reasons (bad weather, bad mountain conditions, fatigue or illness of one of the participants ...), no reimbursement or compensation can be expected;
• in the event of bad weather forecasts, in consultation with the Mountain Guide, Esprit des Guides SA may propose an alternative date for the climb (s), after checking the client's, the guide's and the hut's availability (s) .
• if you complete a group: if you are alone and we gather people, each participant must understand that in case of physical problem of a member of the group the guide will be obliged to go down with the whole group. We ask people not to overestimate themselves and to communicate their physical and mental state to the guide.Each participant must be aware that it is possible that people do not all have the same level and the same shape. As a result, if there is any problem during the ascent or trek, each participant will have to accept the decisions that the guide will make for the safety of all participants.In the case you cannot reach the summit for whatever reason (bad weather conditions, sickness of a participant, wind, cold, fatigue etc.) nobody can ask to be reimbursed.

Insurance

Esprit des Guides SA advises a cancellation and repatriation insurance as well as another insurance that guarantees you in case of research and rescue in case of accident during your experience in the mountains (approximately 10000 euros of guarantee). 

If you wish, Esprit des Guides SA offers the possibility to buy an insurance covering cancellation fees and travel assistance and repatriation as well as search and rescue in the mountains.
Not compulsory, this insurance covers risks for which it is advisable to be covered, and in particular in assistance, repatriation and research, mountain rescue.

See the insurance contract

Without insurance/s, in case of a rescue operation, you will have to assume all costs related to the rescue and the repatriation.

Public liability

Esprit des Guides SA cannot replace your individual responsibility. Check with your insurer that you have a valid contract. Each participant must respect the laws and police formalities, customs and health of the visited countries (identity card, permit, visa, vaccines, etc.) check the clauses, sometimes very restrictive, before leaving. See the website of the Foreign Affairs Ministry of your country.

The price and your budget

The program description on the website specifies what is included or not in the trip price and summarized in the PDF that each participant will receive by email at the time of the booking payment and confirmation.

Photos and videos

I agree to appear on photos or videos taken during a heli trip and I authorize Esprit des Guides SA to operate and use them on www.espritmontagne.com and on other selling platforms that it uses.

I certify that I am in good health and able to practice trekking, trail or mountaineering, sport that require physical effort, for which I must be trained. I have no known problem that could lead me to believe that I cannot participate in this sporting activity, such as cardiac dysfunction, inadequate blood pressure, sensitivity to altitude and cold or breathing problems ... I am at my knowledge in general good health and I do not take medicines or drugs, which could unable my capacities to participate to the activities proposed by Esprit des Guides SA.

I will inform Esprit des Guides SA about all medical problems I have, as well as those of the participants I am registering.

All participants engage to respect the rules and instructions of the guide.

Jurisdiction

The court of jurisdiction is located in CH-1920 Martigny, Switzerland.The relationship between you and Esprit des Guides SA are exclusively governed by Swiss law. Esprit des Guides SA can only be assigned to headquarters CH-1920 Martigny.

Ombudsman

Before submitting a dispute to a tribunal, we suggest you to contact the ombudsman indipendent travel sector. The ombudsman will try to find a fair solution to solve any dispute that could take place between yourself and Esprit des Guides SA or the travel agent with who you have placed the reservation.

Ombudsman's address

Ombudsman for the Swiss branch of the travel agencies Case postale - 8800 Thalwil.