02 8319 2266 from Australia
416-628-3473 from Canada
04 889 4515 from New Zealand
646-757-1102 from the USA
You are here: Alpine Exploratory
> Booking
> Terms and Conditions
Alpine Exploratory
Terms and Conditions
Here are Alpine Exploratory's Terms and Conditions for our hiking holidays, into which people enter when they sign up for one of our holidays.
As with any aspect of what we do, we invite people to send any questions to [email protected]. Thank you.
Last updated 16th December 2025
About Alpine Exploratory
About
People
History
The Exploratory system
Calendar
Photo of the week
20 years of hiking with Alpine Exploratory
AE Store
Our growing mix of AE kit lets you show your AE pride!
AE Store
All holidays are operated by Alpine Exploratory Limited (hereinafter 'Alpine Exploratory' or 'us' or 'we') with business names UK Exploratory and Exploratory, registered in England & Wales with Company No. 5521173. In the unlikely event of Alpine Exploratory becoming insolvent before your trip is completed, a full refund is available to you through ABTOT.
2. About these Terms and Conditions
All holidays are sold subject to these Terms and Conditions (hereinafter 'T&Cs'). If you would like to change anything in the T&Cs, please contact us. Any changes must be agreed to in writing by a Director of Alpine Exploratory. This agreement is made subject to the law of England. Any claim or dispute arising from this contract will be settled in the jurisdiction of the UK courts.
3. Booking
By submitting the Booking Form you agree to accept these T&Cs contingent on our acceptance of your booking. When we send you the 'Booking confirmation' email we accept your booking and we agree to carry out our obligations to you as defined by the holiday information given on Alpine Exploratory's website and in further information sent to you. We will then invite you to pay your deposit and we will reserve your schedule. (If you book within 4 weeks of your trip start date then we will ask for payment of your full price before we reserve your schedule, and we will add GBP 60 to your trip price in order to send you your trip materials, navigational materials and maps, by express courier.) If for any reason we are unable to reserve a schedule that satisfies both you and us then we will let you know as soon as possible and the booking will be cancelled with any monies paid refunded (less any expenses already incurred by us in securing accommodation) and with no monies owing.
4. Balance
Payment of your trip balance is due 8 weeks before your holiday; we will send you a reminder. If booking within 8 weeks of the holiday then the full price is payable on confirmation of your schedule, unless you have already paid your full price as per section 3 above. If you do not pay the balance by the due date, we will make reasonable efforts to contact you via phone and email to remind you of your payment. If, despite this, we have not received your trip balance by 4 weeks before your trip start date, we will sadly have to cancel your booking without a refund of any monies paid to us.
5. Cancellation by you
If you have to cancel your booking, please tell us immediately by email. We will refund all monies paid, less cancellation charges according to the time before your holiday on which we receive your written notice:
a) more than 8 weeks: we keep your deposit;
b) between 6 and 8 weeks: we keep 40% of your total price;
c) between 4 and 6 weeks: we keep 60% of your total price;
d) between 2 and 4 weeks: we keep 80% of your total price; or
e) 2 weeks or less or if you fail to join: we keep 100% of your total price.
6. Transferring bookings
Bookings may be transferred to different dates, to another holiday or to another person at the discretion of Alpine Exploratory. We will raise or lower your price by any difference in cost of your old and new trips. We may ask for an administration fee. Within 10 weeks of your trip, we are unlikely to be able to transfer your trip. Please let us know of your request as early as possible.
7. Alterations and cancellations by us
We will tell you as soon as reasonably possible if we must make any alteration to your holiday. Most alterations are minor but very occasionally we might have to make a major alteration: a change of location or to a lower standard of accommodation for a substantial part of your holiday, or a change in start or finish dates. You may then choose to accept these alterations or:
a) to withdraw from the holiday, in which case we will repay all monies paid to us including your deposit and this is the sum of our liability to you; or
b) to accept an alternative holiday or postponement that we may propose, in which case we will raise or lower your price by any difference in cost.
You must inform us of your choice as soon as possible after we contact you.
We may cancel a scheduled Guided holiday because it has not reached its stated minimum group size, in which case we will give you notice not less than 4 weeks before the holiday; your options are as (a) and (b) above.
8. Force Majeure
Force Majeure events include, but are not limited to, war, natural disaster, civil unrest, epidemics and pandemics, and all similar events outside our control. In the event of Force Majeure in the destination of your booked holiday that makes us cancel your trip or suggest a major alteration, we will offer an alternative trip or a refund as per 7(a) and 7(b) above. If despite Force Majeure we do not cancel your holiday or propose a major alteration, we will run your trip as normal and if you no longer wish to travel then you may cancel according to our normal conditions in section 5 above.
9. Changes in price
We will not increase the price of your holiday after sending the Booking confirmation email, irrespective of increases in our costs, except where you and we agree to changes in accommodation, numbers of nights, or services.
10. Your additional costs
We are not responsible for any incidental costs (flights, transfers, accommodation, visas and other incidental costs) incurred by you before, during or after your holiday or in any circumstances. We advise you not to incur any incidental costs until we have confirmed your schedule of accommodation.
11a. Travel insurance (self-guided trips)
For self-guided holidays we strongly recommend that you take out travel insurance to cover yourself for helicopter rescue and medical care, repatriation, personal liability, baggage loss and cancellation.
11b. Travel insurance (guided trips)
For guided holidays it is compulsory for all participants to take out travel insurance, to cover yourself for helicopter rescue and medical care, repatriation and personal liability. Insurance for baggage loss and cancellation is strongly recommended but not compulsory. This insurance must be for the duration of the holiday and must be appropriate for the nature of the holiday. It is your responsibility to check that your travel insurance policy is suitable for you and your trip. Before your trip you must tell us the insurer’s name and the policy number for each member of your group. We will send you a reminder. If you do not have adequate insurance then your leader must refuse your participation in the walks and you will have no right to a refund.
12. Our responsibilities
We will take all reasonable care to ensure that the information we give to you is accurate, including information on our website, in your schedule, in the trip materials we give to you. We will do all we reasonably can to provide the service as described in the information we give to you. We are not liable to you if any failure is: (a) attributable to anyone other than us (b) attributable to a third party unconnected to us, and unforeseeable or unavoidable; (c) due to unusual and unforeseeable circumstances beyond our control and could not have been avoided even if all due care had been taken; or (d) due to an event which even with all due care we could not foresee or forestall.
13. Your responsibilities
These holidays are by their very nature adventurous and potentially dangerous. You accept that walking, hiking and trekking carry a danger of death or serious injury and that any travel can bring delays, alterations and other annoyances.
In particular you and other group members must:
a) have a level of fitness appropriate to the holiday;
b) have a level of walking skill appropriate to the holiday including balance on rough ground and experience in poor weather in the mountains, and for self-guided trips at least one person able to navigate in the mountains;
c) arrange to have suitable travel insurance for your trip;
d) bring a working mobile phone on your trip which can carry outgoing and incoming international calls when overseas;
e) on self-guided trips, in the case of a group split, be self-reliant in making plans to re-group with your walking party each day;
f) on guided trips, accept the leader’s authority (section 14 below);
g) act courteously to our staff and leaders, to hotels and to fellow participants;
h) come suitably equipped (we send you information about equipment);
i) accept liability to your accommodation for any damage;
j) as lead booker, be responsible for ensuring that all party members read all pre-holiday information provided by Alpine Exploratory.
14. Your leader's authority
On a guided holiday your leader is responsible for the safety and enjoyment of the group and has sole discretion on behalf of Alpine Exploratory to exclude temporarily a participant from the group or to terminate the participant's holiday without the possibility of a refund if the leader thinks the participant is likely to endanger their own or the group's safety or spoil its enjoyment.
15. Solo walkers
Alpine Exploratory does not accept any bookings from solo hikers on any of our self-guided trips. In the event that a booking should turn into a one-person booking due to a last minute withdrawal, we will let the now-solo person continue with the holiday on the condition that they send us a check-in email or call each evening. We will send you more information about this if this situation occurs.
16. Minors (children or under-18s)
Alpine Exploratory regrets that it is unable to take minors on scheduled guided trips. As long as they are accompanied by a parent or guardian, minors are welcome on self-guided and private guided trips. If a minor books on a self-guided or private guided trip then we will ask the lead booker to confirm that all minors are accompanied by a parent or guardian. If needed, we will give parents/guardians and temporary guardians a form to sign to pass on parental responsibility.
17. Split groups
Clients in a self-guided walking group may decide to carry out some of their daily walking separately from each other, perhaps resulting in one person walking on their own for a portion of the hiking stage, and then regrouping at a specific point on the trail, or at their accommodation. In this situation, we ask self-guided clients to have the appropriate level of walking skill to make and to carry out this split, and to be self-reliant in making plans to re-group by the end of each walking day, as per their Itinerary. As this is a self-guided trip, Alpine Exploratory cannot be responsible for how the group decides to carry out its daily walking once on the trip.
18. Diets and medical conditions
Before your trip start date, you must tell us of any medical conditions or dietary requirements that might affect your or other participants’ safety and enjoyment. We will pass on these details to your guide and accommodations.
19. Independent activities
You are free to pursue your own walks and activities in place of the Routecards or guided walks provided. Any such independent activities are not part of your holiday with us and are undertaken at your own risk.
20. Complaints
If you have a complaint, please let the office staff or your leader know as soon as possible. We will do all we reasonably can to resolve your complaint. You must tell us in writing within 4 weeks after your holiday of any complaints that you feel have not been dealt with properly.
21. Your details
Alpine Exploratory may pass your contact and other personal details to any third party where this is necessary for the operation of your holiday. We will not use, pass on or sell your details to any third party for any other purpose.
16th December 2025
Simon Stevens
Director
Alpine Exploratory Limited
Guided and Self-Guided Holidays - see them all
In the village of Dolonne outside Courmayeur, TMB, Italy
Alpine Exploratory
