RACHA GEORGIA SPLITBOARD BACKCOUNTRY BASECAMP

  VISTAS TOURS require that guests have at least intermediate level powder skills. If you have any concerns or doubts about your ability give us a call and we can give you a better idea of what level we expect from guests.
 

- Guests will need to be in good physical condition. Consider following a conditioning program to prepare for your trip.
- If you are unable to keep up with the group you may be asked to sit out and will not be reimbursed for any missed time riding or skiing.
- Weather and snow conditions are impossible to predict so guests must be prepared to ski or ride anything.
- If you have never skied powder or shy away from it at your local resort, this is not the place to learn.
- If you have any questions or concerns about your ability please call us to discuss prior to booking.
- In order to prepare your body for maximum performance during your trip with VISTAS TOURS and reduce your chances of fatigue or injury, we recommend you undertake a stretch and strengthening program 4 to 6 weeks prior to your trip.

Booking Procedure

Registration is done via emails and/or our booking forms to collect your personal details, insurance information and medical history.

By completing the registration form and paying the deposit, you are entering into a legally-binding agreement with VISTAS TOURS.

*If you begin the booking process less than 90 days prior to the trip start date, payment in full is required to secure your spot. 

*All guests are required to read and sign a standard insurance waiver. The backcountry is exciting, exhilarating and can be unpredictable. We strongly urge our guests to listen carefully to their trained guides.
 

Reservations & Payment
Reservations are considered tentative until we receive a 50% deposit of the total trip cost. Full payment is required 90 days before your arrival at trip destination. Payment is due in full if your reservation is made within 90 days of your arrival at trip destination.
 

Cancellation
If you must cancel your reservation, we require written notice. If we receive cancellation notice more than two months(60 days) before the trip date, your balance will be refunded less a EUR 500 administration fee per person. Additionally, you will be responsible for any non-refundable travel insurance fees. If we receive cancellation notice less than two months before your trip date, the entire balance is non-refundable unless you can fill your spot.
 

COVID-19 Cancellation Terms & Conditions
If you cannot leave your home country or enter in to the country of your booked trip due to COVID-19 and decide to cancel between day of booking 60 days prior to the start of your tour date, the following terms and conditions will apply. If travel bans are lifted, the normal term and conditions will apply (see above).
Option 1: Receive a full refund minus 20% of your tour price (or up to a maximum of 300 EUR)
Option 2: Move your booking to the following season without any cancellation fees.
Cancellation between 60 days to your trip start date, the following conditions will apply (normal term and conditions).
– Cancellation between 60 and 30 days before the trip will result in a 50% cancellation fee.– Cancellation within 30 days of the trip will result in a 100% cancellation fee.

COVID-19 Terms & Conditions 

The following information on entry and re-entry requirements is from 2021/22 and represents a time of heightened travel restrictions. Most countries have since loosened restrictions and requirements. We are simply leaving this information here in case of a resurgence of the pandemic and a return to tighter restrictions.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

While entry requirements are country-specific, the overall trend is that proof of full vaccination is required for entry to most countries. For this reason, we are very strongly encouraging all clients to get vaccinated. Some countries are additionally/alternatively requiring proof of a negative PCR test result received within a specific timeframe (e.g. 72 hours or 3 calendar days) prior to your flight’s departure. There are obvious risks to relying only on a negative PCR test result, and in the event of related complications, your trip may be jeopardized.

RE-ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

Your home country may have re-entry requirements, such as a negative PCR test result received within a specific timeframe. It is your responsibility to research and understand these requirements, and to budget any additional time that may be required in-country to meet them. Increasingly, testing facilities are being set up in international airports, which may be a solution so long as you plan enough time to secure your result before or between flights. While we will not be able to schedule testing prior to your departure, we will work with our partners to obtain and distribute information on available testing options/facilities before you book your flights.

Regardless of your vaccination status, the following terms and conditions apply to ALL 2022/23 BOOKINGS

VISTAS TOURS IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR:

• Changing travel restrictions/sudden or last-minute border closures
• Changing airline regulations that may impact your travel
• Unforeseen issues that prevent any of our guides from successfully traveling to or entering the destination country
• Unforeseen instances of our guides contracting COVID-19 and therefore being unable to fulfill contractual obligations
• Failure of clients to meet or pass country-specific entry requirements
• All costs associated with testing, quarantine and adjusted travel itineraries, if required, are the responsibility of the client
• Failure of clients to meet or pass re-entry requirements into their home country
• Researching and understanding re-entry requirements is the responsibility of the client, as is ensuring enough extra time in-country or at the airport to fulfill testing requirements
• Making the necessary arrangements to obtain testing is the responsibility of the client
• All costs associated with testing for re-entry, if required, is the responsibility of the client
• Contraction of COVID-19 during travel or during the trip
• Clients may be asked to get tested and/or suspend their participation in the trip if showing signs and symptoms known to be associated with COVID-19, and must immediately wear masks and socially distance per known guidance
• All costs associated with early departures/testing/quarantine is the responsibility of the client

Travel Documents

It is your responsibility to make sure that your passport, visa (if required), and any other travel documents, such as proof of COVID-19 vaccination and/or negative PCR test result—as required by the destination country—are in order before departure.

Health Requirements

It is your responsibility to determine your own medical and physical health/capability or other qualifications or suitability for participating in a trip. Any medical problems or physical/mental concerns of note must be disclosed in our Booking Form In the case of any significant problems or concerns, we will require that a doctor formally clears your participation.

Insurance
We recommend that our guests carry trip cancellation/interruption insurance and emergency evacuation insurance as a precaution against unforeseen events including but not limited to adverse weather, flight delays/cancellation, injuries, illnesses, and other factors that may disrupt their adventures. Depending on the carrier, trip insurance is typically a fraction of the cost of your trip. Some homeowner insurance policies include travel or trip insurance.

Given that almost all of our trips occur in remote locations where there are  extremely limited emergency resources and substandard medical  facilities, medivac insurance is strongly recommended (and required by our partners in some cases). Your insurance should cover the costs of  your emergency medical care including search and rescue, onward  transportation between medical facilities, and ideally, repatriation  back to your home country for specialized care. It is also important  that you double check that the insurer covers “extreme sports”  activities such as backcountry skiing, snowboarding and ski mountaineering. 

Rights Reserved 

We reserve the right to cancel trips at any time due to unsettling political, social or environmental events, in which case the same transfer/refund options we’re offering for COVID will apply. We additionally reserve the right to cancel due to inadequate client registrations, at which time we will offer a refund in full.

Exclusions 

We cannot offer refunds for missed reservations, early departures, inclement weather/extreme avalanche danger, snow conditions, or force majeure events beyond the COVID-19 pandemic, and are not responsible for additional expenses incurred in preparing for the trip (e.g. airline tickets, visa application fees, equipment purchases, etc).

Force Majeure

Except where otherwise expressly stated in these terms and conditions, we cannot accept liability or pay any compensation where the performance or prompt performance of contractual obligations are prevented or affected by "Force Majeure" (that is: any event which VISTAS TOURS or partners could not, even with due care, foresee or avoid). Such events may include: war, threat of war, terrorist activity, civil unrest, natural or man-made disaster, pandemic, epidemic, adverse weather, avalanche, fire, and all similar events that fall under the legal term “Act of God.”

Photos & Video recordings

By booking a trip with us, you give our guides, volunteers and partners full permission to photograph and/or video record your participation, and further give VISTAS TOURS full permission to publish any photographs or video recordings taken of you for any promotional purpose.