Japan Ski Tours, also known as JST
Japan Guides Group, 株式会社
Terms of Agreement & Policies/ Booking Information
Please carefully read the policies below before you make a reservation.
Payments
A 50% deposit will secure your reservation. Once the deposit is received, the remainingbalance must be paid within two months of the trip departure date. Once we receive your full
payment, we will email you a copy of the receipt. Credit card payments may be made throughour secure website via Visa, MasterCard and American Express.
Cancellation
Once we receive written notification that you are canceling your trip the following fees willapply. Of the total price of the reservation, a fee of 25% will be charged for all cancellations
made more than 4 months before the start of your trip. Cancellations made between 2 and 4
months prior to the start of your program will be charged a 50% fee. Cancellations made withless than two months of advanced notice will not be refunded. Unfortunately, due to the timesensitive nature of our business, and the difficulty in re-booking a trip close to the departure
date, we cannot make exceptions to this policy.
Japan Ski Tours cannot be held responsible for snow conditions. Trips cannot be cancelled oramended on the basis of snow conditions. No refunds will be made if you voluntarily leave atrip for any reason after the trip has begun. Refunds will be at the discretion of JST if you are
involuntarily forced to leave a trip for any reason. No refunds will be given for any
accommodation, transport, sightseeing, meals, services, lift tickets or any component of thetrip not utilized.
Responsibility and dependence on suppliers
JST acts only as an agent for the other companies providing or offering accommodation, lifttickets and other services and as such has no control over any services or products provided
by these supplying companies. All bookings made are subject to the booking terms andconditions under which these services are provided. JST and its suppliers reserve the right,
without liability or right of compensation, to prohibit or restrict any activity, or cancel or alter
any service or itinerary component, without notice. JST will not be held responsible for theinability of the suppliers to comply with any special request relating to age, medicalconditions, physical ability or disability, dietary requirements, allergic conditions, smoking ornon-smoking accommodation.
Cancellation by JST
JST reserves the right to cancel any trip prior to departure, including a confirmed trip, due tocircumstances beyond our control. If this occurs you will be given the option of changing toanother trip or receiving a full refund. JST is not responsible for any incidental expense you
have incurred as a result of your booking (i.e., airline tickets, equipment purchase or thirdparty equipment rentals, hotel reservations, etc). If you choose an alternative trip and it is at alower value than your original trip you will be refunded the difference. If the alternative trip
is of a higher value then you will pay the difference in price.
If Japan Ski Tours cancels a trip due to an act of God such as a natural disaster, volcaniceruption, or other unforeseeable naturally occurring event which impedes the safety of ourprogram, the terms under the section, “In the event of an act of God such as a natural disaster,or any other unforeseeable naturally occurring event that destabilizes or otherwise makes
skiing unsafe” will apply.
What Storm Chasing means
While we do "storm chase" as much as possible, we are constrained by the limitations of ouritinerary and hotel reservations. There may be instances where we have to leave our baseaccommodation and move to the next area as soon as a storm is coming in. If you're notwilling to run the risk that the timing of the itinerary might not work with the storm systems
during your trip, your best bet is to rent a Camper Van and travel around in real-time with thestorms. Since our trips aren't Camper Van based, we'll be following our itinerary as describedon our website and storm chasing within those limitations.
Change of Date
Date changes are subject to availability. Date changes may be requested at anytime up to 2months prior to your departure date. Date changes made between 2-3 months prior to the trip
will be charged a ¥15,000 fee per person. A ¥10,000 fee will be charged per person for all
date changes made more than 3 months prior to the trip.
Medical and Emergency Evacuation Insurance
Due to the inherent risk involved in alpine pursuits, and in the interest of your safety, JapanSki Tours strongly recommends all participants to bring insurance that provides full medical
and emergency evacuation coverage. Japan Ski Tours will NOT provide insurance forparticipants on any JST trip. If a participant does not have proper insurance documentation
he/she will be liable for her own medical and emergency evacuation expenses and will
receive no refund, date change, or any kind of compensation from Japan Ski Tours. Pleasetake this seriously and lean on the side of caution.
Hazard Management and Skier Responsibilities
Managing risk is JST’s number one priority. Our guides manage significant hazards inherent
to sidecountry pursuits (e.g. avalanche, inclement weather, tee-accidents, rock fall, and highwinds) but they cannot eliminate them.
Please clearly understand that skiing in bounds and out of bounds is an inherently hazardous
sport and both actions are only undertaken with the full knowledge and consent from theparticipant that these are inherently dangerous activities. You are choosing to engage in anactivity in which skiers have been injured and worse. While these accidents are indeed
infrequent, they may occur at any time and be out of our control. We ask that participants
acknowledge that risk, and make their own choices about whether or not to engage in thisactivity. We ask that each participant is physically and mentally fit, is properly attired andequipped, and continues to assess him/her-self throughout the trip to ensure as safe a time aspossible. We ask that participants honestly and accurately describe themselves, in terms offitness, health and skills, and their equipment to their guides, and that they adhere to theadvice of their guide.
In the event of an act of God such as a natural disaster, or any other unforeseeable
naturally occurring event that destabilizes or otherwise makes skiing unsafe
Other natural disasters or naturally occurring disruptive events:
In the event of any other natural disaster or unforeseeable act of God which makes skiing inJapan unsafe, impedes or cancels transportation or route infrastructure on, to, or from partner
ski resorts or Japan, all cancelled clients will receive a 50% refund or a 75% credit towards afuture trip when skiing in Japan is made safe again.