terms and conditions

These General Terms and Conditions (GTC) apply subject to any contradictory written agreement and subject to any contradictory contractual terms and conditions according to the individual travel brochure for our offers.

2. Registration/Conclusion of Contract

Registrations must be made with the official registration form (electronically or with talon). With the registration these general terms and conditions become part of the contract between the participant and the organizer Switzerland Trekking GmbH. The registration is binding. A written confirmation will be sent after receipt of your registration.

3. Participants

With the registration the participant declares that he/she meets the requirements for the trip as well as for the tours. In the detailed program the physical requirements and the daily walking times are given. Should a participant not be in the required physical condition and should this cause additional costs during the trip, the participant must pay for these costs. Participants must be at least 18 years old. Young people over 16 years of age can only participate if accompanied by an adult.
Also required is equipment that complies with the CE standard.

4. Booking Errors and Customer Service

Should difficulties arise with the booking, the participants are obliged to contact Switzerland Trekking GmbH immediately so that remedial action can be taken and a proper booking process can be ensured.
If Switzerland Trekking GmbH cannot be reached outside of business hours in the event of an incorrect booking, the participant is obligated to keep any damages that may arise due to the incorrect booking as low as possible.
If the participant fails to inform Switzerland Trekking GmbH of an incorrect booking or similar, he/she has to bear the resulting damage himself/herself. Also for booking errors the limitation of liability specified in the section "Liability" applies.

5. Minimum Number of Participants

If a minimum number of participants is required for the trip to take place and if this number can be seen in the detailed program, the participant will be informed 5 days before the start of the trip if this number of participants is not reached for offers of 3 days or more, and at noon before the start of the trip for offers of less than 3 days. If possible, an alternative program will be proposed. If the participant does not accept this program, the already paid course fee will be refunded. Further claims do not exist.

6. Groups

Switzerland Trekking GmbH puts special attention on a good group experience. This requires tolerance, adaptability and understanding for the different abilities within a level of difficulty from each participant. Switzerland Trekking GmbH reserves the right to exclude participants who cannot fit into the group from the tour without any right to a refund.

7. Insurances

By registering for the trip, the participant declares that he/she has sufficient insurance coverage. In addition to comprehensive accident and health insurance, which is also fully valid for this trip, travel cancellation and individual return travel insurance is mandatory. Insurance is the responsibility of the participants. We recommend you to join the Swiss Air-Rescue as a sponsor.

8. Program/Program Changes

We will inform you as soon as possible of any program changes that become apparent prior to the trip. Program changes on site are not likely, but are reserved without obligation to pay compensation. This applies in particular to changes due to weather conditions and other unforeseeable events.
Our tours take place in all weather conditions. The participant is prepared to make extensive changes to the program and especially to the area. The hiking guide reserves the right to change the program. With the registration, the participants agree to rebooking in other areas and for other tours or daily programs. Any additional costs will be charged to the guest.

9. Price

The price calculation is based on the exchange rates and tariffs on the date of publication of the program. A price increase is not foreseen, but is expressly reserved.
The services which are included in our prices are contained in the corresponding descriptions. In the case of sales subject to VAT, the VAT is included in our prices.

10. Cancellation of the Tour by the Organizer

Basically every tour takes place with enough participants. The risk for weather or unfavorable tour conditions is carried by the participant. He/she must be prepared to make extensive changes to the program, area, arrival and accommodation. Any additional costs will be charged to the participant. If a tour is cancelled due to unfavorable conditions, a rebooking, voucher or refund will be made. In case of a refund, an administrative fee of CHF 60 will be deducted.

11. Single Room

A guarantee for booked single rooms cannot be given. For persons traveling alone, we must reserve the right to accommodate them in single rooms for an appropriate surcharge.

12. Rental Equipment

Orders for rental material must be placed at least two weeks before the start of the course. Otherwise, any packaging and postage costs will be charged.

13. Terms of Payment

After receipt of the registration confirmation and the invoice we expect the payments according to the information on the invoice. Invoices not paid on time entitle Switzerland Trekking GmbH to reject the participant and to charge him/her additional costs. In case of default of payment, Switzerland Trekking GmbH reserves the right to add a collection agency and to pass on the customer data to this agency.
If payment is made by credit card, the price will be automatically debited from this card. Should it not be possible to collect the payment from the named credit card account due to insufficient coverage, Switzerland Trekking GmbH is entitled to issue an invoice with a processing surcharge of CHF 20.

14. Cancellation and Discontinuation of the trip

14.1 Trip cancellation by Switzerland Trekking GmbH

If the minimum number of participants (paragraph 5 above) is not reached, Switzerland Trekking GmbH can cancel the trip at short notice and withdraw from the contract, or rebook the participants in other areas. Other assurances according to the detailed program remain reserved.

14.2 Cancellation of the Trip by the Participant

In case of cancellation of the trip by the participant, he/she must inform Switzerland Trekking GmbH by registered letter. The date of receipt of the letter is relevant for the calculation; for Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays the next working day is relevant. In the case of registrations and cancellations for any reason, whether due to fault or not, the following cancellation fees apply:

up to 40 days before the start of the course CHF 100
39 - 31 days before course start CHF 200
30 - 22 days before the course 50% of the invoice amount
21 - 10 days before the course 80% of the invoice amount
00 - 09 days before the start of the course 100% of the invoice amount

14.3 Discontinuation of the Trip by the Participant

If the participant discontinues the trip or leaves the trip early, no refund will be made. Any additional costs will be charged to the participant.

15. Complaints/Shortcomings

Depending on the trip, Swiss package travel regulations may apply. Complaints must be made no later than 5 days after the end of the trip.

16. Liability

By booking, participants acknowledge the dangers in the mountains. Even a qualified hiking guide is not infallible, because outside of secured paths he/she is confronted with limits that can never be fully controlled. His/her task can therefore only be to limit the risk to a minimum. The liability of Switzerland Trekking GmbH is excluded for slight negligence, fault of the participants, third party fault and force majeure.
Our liability is limited in all cases to twice the price of the course or package, except for damages caused intentionally or by gross negligence.

17. Photographs

Our guides often take pictures during the tour and from time to time guests send us pictures after the tour. The participant agrees to the use of these pictures for the photo gallery (incl. sending to the participants of the tour) and promotional material (e.g. catalog, website, flyer, social media) of Switzerland Trekking GmbH.

18. Data Protection

Switzerland Trekking GmbH uses customer data for the processing of registrations and, if the participant has consented to this, for the sending of its own catalogs and newsletters. The customer data will also be passed on to the respective tour leader, as well as third parties (e.g. hotels / huts, rental stations, transport companies, etc.) to ensure the fulfillment of the offer.

19. Applicable Law and Place of Jurisdiction

For the contractual relationship agreed between the participant and Switzerland Trekking GmbH, Swiss law is exclusively applicable. The place of jurisdiction is basically Aarau. For consumers, their place of residence is also the place of jurisdiction.