Tour Regulations
We define mountainous areas as all outdoor sports destinations, including rivers, sea and sky, as well as mountains in general.
The plans and courses we organize are not travel products under the Travel Agency Law. The guided tours listed in the schedule are designed for mountainous areas in various regions. The guided mountain tours listed in the schedule are planned and organized after thorough research, consideration, and preparation. We will make every effort to support the safety of the participants, especially during the course, but the mountainous terrain means that various dangers, difficulties, and obstacles can be anticipated. Therefore, we cannot guarantee 100% safety of our clients even on guided mountain tours. Communication in mountainous areas is difficult, weather conditions are severe, and in the event of an accident, earthquake, volcanic eruption, landslide, avalanche, or other emergency, it may not be possible to provide immediate rescue or adequate medical care. We ask that all participants be fully aware of the risks associated with mountain climbing. We cannot be held responsible for any accidents that may occur during the trip.
Therefore, we recommend that you take sufficient precautions, such as purchasing insurance, before participating in the tour.
Dangers on the Route and Your Responsibility
The routes we use for our mountain hikes are all in nature and are not in safety controlled areas. Therefore, they are subject to the natural conditions of the moment and are at risk of rock fall, cliff fall, or even loss of the route. The guides will make every effort to ensure your safety to the greatest extent possible, but the climbing activity itself is a voluntary movement of the participants and any accidents during the activity are the responsibility of the participants. If you have any concerns about going through dangerous areas, please let the guide know and he or she will assist you. The guide will assist you. Please understand that the safety of each participant during the trip depends on his/her own skills and physical strength.
Guide’s Decision
Our mountain hikes are accompanied by a trained mountain guide to assist in your safety. The guide will make decisions and take responsibility for his/her actions in order to avoid deterioration of weather and climbing conditions. The guide will explain any changes in plans, but please refrain from making any complaints about the guide’s decisions in the mountains, as they may cause confusion in the guide’s judgment. If you need a specific explanation, please send a written request to our receptionist after the tour.
Cancellation of a mountain tour due to customer’s reason
While the guide will manage safety with the utmost care and will encourage all participants to stay aware of potential risks, please note that if the tour must be cancelled or interrupted due to reasons attributable to the participant (including injury, illness, or sudden health issues), the participant will be responsible for any actual costs incurred for rescue, as well as any fees related to the cancellation of the tour.
Cancellation or change of the traverse
When traversing a mountain or staying overnight in a tent, we may have to make a local decision on whether or not to proceed due to weather conditions, rising water levels, or other factors. In order to minimize risk and to ensure safety, we have set a reserve day for some of our trails. Regardless of whether or not the reserve day is used for mountain climbing, the tour will end on the last day of the itinerary.
Instructions for itinerary
After booking for the guided mountain tour, you will receive a participation guideline that includes a list of things to bring and the meeting time. Please be sure to observe the designated time and to bring your own belongings. Please do not bring rain gear or wear shoes that are unsuitable for mountain climbing.
Measures for Wildlife
All mountain areas in Hokkaido, with the exception of remote islands, must be on the lookout for brown bears. Our guides will do their best to ensure your safety in case of danger from brown bears. However, please understand that we are dealing with wild animals and cannot guarantee your safety. The guide cannot be held responsible for any damage to participants caused by brown bears.
In addition, the guides cannot be held responsible for damage caused by venomous snakes, wasps, or other wild animals on any of their trips, regardless of the region. Therefore, participants are advised to be aware of the possible dangers of wildlife and to be prepared to deal with them to the best of their ability.
About Toilets in the Mountains
In recent years, toilet pollution in mountainous areas by climbers has become an issue. Hokkaido is no exception, and in some overused mountain areas, contamination has been confirmed to be causing changes in the ecosystem. In response to this situation, we are requesting the use of portable toilets in some mountain areas.
Cancellation Policy
If you book your Tour more than 30 days in advance, you will have a 72-hour span after booking to cancel and receive a full refund without any deductions.
After that period of time, if you decide to cancel the tour, the following conditions will apply:
Any refund or payment due will be calculated based on the total amount paid, minus the deposit, which is non-refundable.
The applicable cancellation fees will depend on the date of cancellation, according to the defined indemnity schedule.
Please note that any non-refundable expenses already incurred by the guide (e.g. accommodation bookings, administrative fees, etc.) will also be deducted from the refundable amount.
100% refunded (or 0% paid) if the cancellation is notified in writing by email to the Guide up to 60 days before the first day of the Tour (minus fees as described below and the eventual non-reimbursable expenses the Guide paid to organize the Tour);
75% refunded (or 25% paid) if the cancellation is notified in writing by email to the Guide between 59 and 30 days before the first day of the Tour (minus fees as described below and the eventual non-reimbursable expenses the Guide paid to organize the Tour);
50% refunded (or 50% paid) if the cancellation is notified in writing by email to the Guide between 29 and 21 days before the first day of the Tour (minus fees as described below and the eventual non-reimbursable expenses the Guide paid to organize the Tour);
0% refunded (or 100% paid) if the cancellation is notified in writing by email to the Guide less than 21 days before the first day of the Tour.
Non-refundable fees that will be discounted from the refund include:
Administration fee: 3% of the total price of the Tour.
Credit Card fee, if applied: approximately 2.5% of the amount paid by credit card.
Deposit at the Time of Booking: Required to confirm the reservation.
The eventual non-reimbursable expenses the Guide paid to organize the Tour (accommodation, administration expenses, porters, food, etc.), to be defined by the guide at the moment of the client’s request for cancellation.
Any other fee that had been clearly mentioned to the client as non-refundable before the client booked.
・What happens if the guide cancels the trip because of bad weather/unsuitable conditions?
In case of exceptional circumstances that obliges the Guide to cancel the trip, such as bad weather conditions,
Propose an alternative Tour similar to the initial Tour on the same date; or
Propose to postpone the Tour until a later date or
Propose to cancel the Tour.
In the case where Guide proposes an alternative Tour similar to the initial Tour, the User will have to accept this alternative Tour or the Standard cancellation policy will apply. Please note, that the call to cancel a trip due to bad weather can only be made by the guide (not the client). Under exceptional circumstances, the guide could, however, decide at his sole discretion to refund the client.
We strongly advice to purchase an insurance policy that covers cancellations.
・What happens if the guide doesn’t show up or cancels for personal reasons?
If the guide cancels for reason of injury or other, you will get a 100% refund on your trip.