Terms & Conditions
To follow are Great Canadian Heli-Skiing Ltd (GCH) Booking Terms and Conditions which each GCH Guest agrees to, where a Guest is defined as any person which has a booking, and where a Booking is defined as a specific set of dates for which all required deposits have been made.
Upon making a booking each guest acknowledges having had the opportunity and time to ask questions and/or consult legal counsel regarding the following GCH Terms and Conditions. The guest understands and agrees to each and all of the following terms and conditions, on behalf of him/her self and any other person for which making an application for booking.
The terms and conditions, set out within shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the english language version, laws of the Province of British Columbia and the federal laws of Canada applicable therein and each of the parties, the guest and GCH, hereto agrees irrevocably to conform to the jurisdiction of the Courts of such Province.
These Terms and Conditions, constitute the entire understanding and agreement of the parties, the guest and GCH, with respect to the subject matter covered by them, and supersede all prior and contemporaneous understandings and agreements, whether written or oral, with respect to such subject matter.
PRE-TRIP ADMINISTRATION/RELEASE OF LIABILITY WAIVER
GCH requires a unique personal email address for each guest booking. It is understood, that this email will be used to deliver pre-trip administration requiring an electronic signature, including an electronic signature on a Release of Liability Waiver. All heli-ski operators are required by the Province of British Columbia to have all guests complete and sign this waiver. This waiver will affect the guests legal rights and therefore the guest must ensure that it is read and understood, and that they personally sign it in a language that they comprehend the content and how it impacts their legal rights (including electronic signature). Paper copy is available for those guests without online access and signature must be witnessed by a GCH staff member. Guests will be required to sign a copy of this waiver, electronically or physically, before being allowed to ski/ride with GCH. Guest participation will not be permitted if the Release of Liability Waiver is not completed and signed either electronically or in person.
DEPOSITS
To secure a booking for specific booking dates, GCH requires an initial deposit of $1500 for 2, 3, 4-day bookings, or $2500 for each booking greater than 4 days, or 20% for Privates and Semi-Private bookings. This initial deposit is non-refundable, and transferable only under specific terms and conditions.
The remaining balance of the booking cost, the “Final Deposit”, will be due 14 weeks before the arrival date of the booking, or November 1st whichever comes first, the “Final Deposit Date”. The Final Deposit is non-refundable, and transferable only under specific terms and conditions.
Unless a Final Deposit Date has been changed with confirmation in writing by GCH, a booking held by an initial deposit will be canceled, without refund, if the full final deposit balance is not received by the final deposit date.
When the booking is made after November 1st, the final deposit will be necessary upon the booking date.
STANDARD PACKAGE
GCH’s standard package and pricing is based on two booked guests sharing a room (double occupancy). If a guest prefers to have a single room (and there are available rooms), or if a guest is travelling on their own, the guest will be charged a single room supplement.
CURRENCY & RATES
All rates and deposits are in Canadian funds and are subject to change at the sole discretion of GCH. Any payment made in currency other than Canadian Dollars, will be exchanged to Canadian Dollars at the exchange rate provided by GCH’s bank, and credited to the booking account accordingly. The guest will be notified of any deficit or surplus via the deposit confirmation. Any applicable refunds will be issued in Canadian Dollars. GCH is not responsible for the exchange rate received for any payments or refunds.
GUEST CANCELLATION, INTERRUPTION & REFUNDS
Cancellations must be confirmed in writing. The date GCH receives this confirmed cancellation is the “CANCELLATION DATE.” If the Cancellation Date is prior “Final Deposit Date”, GCH will refund the balance on account less the amount of the initial deposit. There is no refund for any deposits, (up to the booking cost) for any cancellations made after the “Final Deposit Date”. It is the guest responsibility to arrive at Heather Mountain Lodge before 7:00 pm on the arrival date of their booking. If a guest, without notice in writing, does not arrive on the “arrival date” of their booking, the booking will be considered a “no show” and cancelled without refund of any deposits.
If a guests heli-skiing holiday is interrupted, by injury, or any other reason, and they are unable to continue their heli-skiing holiday, no part of their holiday, deposits, or payments is refundable or creditable.
In summary, there are no refunds or credits offered by the company, for any reason after the final deposit date. For this reason, third party trip cancellation and interruption insurance are highly recommended.
Based on the guest commitment and due to the nature of the business, GCH will make significant commitments to stock food, staff the lodge, secure highly-trained personnel and very expensive equipment well in advance of the booking. GCH does so to ensure the best holiday possible. Based on the guest commitment GCH will hold the booking and as a result may have also turned other potential guests away from the dates secured.
TRANSFER OF DEPOSITS/REPLACEMENT
Deposits are transferable only under the following conditions:
An available new booking, not associated to any existing booking, is made within the same heli-skiing season or calendar year, December 15th to April 15th. GCH has the unilateral right to determine whether the new booking is available and decline or accept the transfer accordingly.
A replacement guest for the same booking (name change) is given to GCH in writing. The guest with the cancelled booking is responsible to find this replacement guest.
The guest acknowledges that an administration fee of $250.00 (plus applicable taxes) will be deducted from the deposit paid previously for any completed transfer request.
INSURANCE
GCH STRONGLY recommends purchase of Cancellation/Interruption Insurance and Medical/Evacuation Insurance by the guest as all deposits and payments are non-refundable. Heli-Skiing is a physical activity and there is the risk of being injured in a remote wilderness area requiring helicopter evacuations. In addition, the lodge location is 55 kilometres distance from the small Golden hospital, and the lodge does not have commercial transportation licensing or insurance to transfer injured or sick guests to the hospital, therefore guests will require an ambulance or taxi for hospital transfers. Insurance is strongly recommended.
GCH recommends Uniglobe Specialty Travel as they have arranged for travel insurance coverage especially for bookings with GCH.
Contact: Robin or Wanetta, Uniglobe Specialty Travel Ltd, Revelstoke BC Canada
Phone: +1.250.837.2544
GCH is not responsible for the costs associated with any cancellation, interruption, medical treatment, evacuation, or hospital transfers, required during a booking, or pre and post a booking, and assumes no liability regarding provision of medical care or lack thereof associated.
THE GUEST IS RESPONSIBLE FOR RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH, AND COSTS, OF ANY AND ALL MEDICAL TREATMENTS, EVACUATIONS, HOSPITAL TRANSFERS REQUIRED OR RECEIVED.
The guest releases GCH from any liability relating to any such cancellation, interruption, medical treatment, evacuation, or hospital transfers, whether secured by GCH or a Service provider on the guest behalf or otherwise, and agrees to be responsible for any and all expenses incurred. The guest acknowledges that it is their responsibility to understand the limitations of insurance coverage and purchase additional insurance as needed. It is the sole responsibility of the guest to research, evaluate and purchase appropriate coverage. The guest agrees that GCH is not responsible for any insured, or uninsured losses.
GCH CANCELLATION
Great Canadian Heli-Skiing reserves the right to cancel any package, at any time, for any reason. GCH will then be responsible for a full refund of all deposits paid, but for no other costs.
In the event that GCH cancels a booking, GCH will refund all monies paid to the payor of the booking. GCH is not liable for, and will not pay for any additional expenses incurred by the payor or guest, including but not limited to, travel arrangements, holiday costs at other resorts, loss of holiday time from work, exchange rate differences between payment and refunds.
GCH OPERATIONS
All guests must attend a GCH helicopter briefing and GCH safety orientation during the current season prior to departing the lodge.
GCH operates with groups of 4 guests and a guide. GCH guarantees that any bookings with 4 guests, will be grouped together. GCH will endeavour to keep all other groups together, but may have to, on rare occasions, separate these groups as a last resort when it is mathematically impossible to keep all guests in a group together.
Should a guest choose to a take a day off, or is not present at 8:30 am for briefings on the first day, or 9:00 am subsequent days, there are no guarantees, and low probability, that a guest will be able to join their group later that day, or at lunch time. Therefore it is the guest’s responsibility to be on time, if not early.
A guest must advise their guide in advance if they wish to only ski a partial day, or return to the lodge during the heli-skiing day. The lead guide will strive to arrange for the guest to sit out each additional run at a designated pick-up, until the first opportunity presents to take a fueling flight back to the lodge. If a guest requires a return flight to the lodge when there is no fuel flight available, and the lead guide is able to organize a non-fuel flight to the lodge, the guest will be required to pay for the cost of the flight (based on the duration of the flight) and the dead-head return to the field.
Heli-skiing is a physically demanding activity requiring good physical conditioning and strong skiing/snowboarding skills. GCH guides will endeavour to assist each guest as is reasonable, however GCH reserves the right, without compensation, to require a guest to sit out a run or a day if, in the professional opinion of the guides, he/she is unable to safely participate in the activity of heliskiing due to fatigue, injury, illness, impairment, lack of fitness or ski/boarding ability, or the refusal or inability to follow the instructions of the guides and pilots.
Should a guest forfeit any portion of their booking for any reason, GCH reserves the right to use any part of this non-utilized booking for the benefit of the company including, but not limited to, guide training, employee skiing, or for other cost saving or revenue generating purposes, without compensation.
VERTICAL GUARANTEES & REFUNDS
GCH guarantees a specific amount of vertical metres of skiing according to the days booked, hereinafter referred to as Guaranteed Vertical. If the guaranteed vertical is not reached due to inability to fly, or poor weather, refunds of $100 per 1,000 vertical metres (vm) not skied based on the following guarantees:
- 7 days – 35,500 vm
- 6 days – 30,500 vm
- 5 days – 22,000 vm
- 4 days – 17,500 vm
- 3 days – 13,000 vm
- 2 days – 8,800 vm
There will be no refund for vertical not skied as a result of returning to the lodge early, guest ability, or physical condition. The vertical assigned to each run will be based on standard helicopter drop off and pick up. The assigned vertical for each run will be used even if the guide or pilot choose alternate landings or pick ups on the run. The minimum vertical assigned to a single run will be 500 vertical metres.
UNLIMITED VERTICAL
There is a guaranteed vertical but there is no limit to how much vertical is included in a booking and therefore no extra vertical charges. GCH hours of operation in the field is similar to that of a ski resort, with the first group typically departing at 9:00 am and the last group typically returning by 3:30 pm.
TRAVEL/IMMIGRATION
The guest accepts responsibility to arrive at the required time and location to commence the booking.
It is the guest’s responsibility to ensure proper entry through Canadian Customs and Immigration if entering from outside Canada.
COMMUNICATIONS
GCH’s basecamp, Heather Mountain Lodge, is accessible by road, but is totally off the grid. The lodge generates its own power, water and manages its own waste, at such a high standard that the guest is unlikely to notice. There is not a single wire coming into the lodge, all communications are achieved through satellite, and cellular coverage supplied by third parties. Some guest’s mobile providers will be able to access these third parties, some will not due to provider affiliations. GCH has invested significantly to boost and distribute connectivity with general success and will continue to do so. It should be noted, however, that due to weather, or with the general practice of streaming, connectivity can be interrupted and throttled back by the third party providers, of which GCH has no control. Slow data transfer speeds, capable of handling email needs, but not capable of providing streaming or large file uploading/downloading may be experienced.
PRIVACY
Guest Privacy Matters. This information is collected with regard to the Personal Information Protection Acts of British Columbia. Guest information is required by GCH to accept a booking. It will be used to contact the guest regarding the booking, payments, services and programs offered by GCH or through organizations associated with GCH. Financial information will only be used to process payment.
MINORS
Guests under the age of 19 must have their Release of Liability Waiver completed by their parent or guardian in person, in paper copy upon arrival for the booking. Guests under the age of 19 must ski with their parent or guardian at all times.