Terms & Conditions

Booking and payment

All events are booked directly with Hills and Skills via email, telephone or online booking system. Full balance is due at the time of booking. Payment may be made by bank transfer or PayPal.

Cancellation by the customer

All cancellations must be in writing and sent to Hills and Skills via email. We are unable to accept cancellations via Facebook messenger or post comments. Hills and Skills will acknowledge a cancellation as soon as possible but until the customer has received confirmation the original booking remains valid.

Payments are non-refundable for all walks and courses if the cancelation was within 7 days of the event. 

If cancellation takes place 8 days or more before the commencement date of the event, a full refund can be given.

We are unable to move your booking to another date unless we can re-sell the original place. For this we require as much notice as possible and we unable to guarantee that your date can be changed. A voucher may be offered in special circumstances.

We strongly advise you to take out cancellation insurance for your event in case you need to cancel due to medical reasons (including Covid), weather or unforeseen circumstances.

We are a small business, when a walk or course is cancelled, and we are unable to fill the places, then it does have a financial impact. If you book a place you are stopping someone else booking. Walks are not unlimited places, so please ensure you fully understand the cancellation policy before booking. 

Cancellation by Hills and Skills (Due to weather and extreme circumstances)

If we need to cancel an event due to unforeseen circumstances or events, we will notify you as soon as possible. This may be due to circumstances out of our control such as extreme-weather, health advisory issues or environmental issues which we feel are too dangerous or against guidelines issued by the Government for the activity to take place. 

If the event is cancelled due to weather or other unforeseen circumstances then you will be offered:

-Move the booking to another date

-Voucher to be used for another event at the same price paid

-Full refund

Cancellation/Holiday Insurance

We highly recommend taking out trip/holiday/cancellation insurance for your event. Hills and Skills will not be held liable for costs related to travel, food or accommodation if an event is cancelled for any reason. 

Insurance

All our qualified mountain guides have the required qualifications and insurance to lead a group into the mountains. 

Participants are not insured by Hills and Skills against personal accidents.

Hills and Skills accepts no responsibility for accidents or injury to participants or for loss of or damage to personal effects.

Furthermore, we strongly advise you to take out insurance for the duration of your trip in respect of cancellation and curtailment, injury, death, lost baggage and money, liability, medical expenses and repatriation.

Liability

The liability of Hills and Skills, as an event operator, is strictly limited. Hills and Skills purchases transport, accommodation and other services from independent suppliers not under our control. We carefully select our suppliers, but we serve only as an agent for them in securing tour arrangements. Therefore, we will not accept responsibility for wrongful, negligent, or arbitrary acts or omissions of these independent contractors, their employees, agents, servants or representatives. Hills and Skills will only be liable for loss or damage caused by our negligence or by that of someone employed by us.

Hills and Skills will not be liable for any injury, loss, damage or expense resulting from force majeure or any unforeseen circumstance beyond our control.

Safety

Being on foot in remote and / or rugged country is potentially hazardous by its nature and participants must accept a certain element of risk. In the interest of safety, you must agree to abide by the decisions of your guide. As we have no control over weather conditions, we reserve the right to alter the itinerary accordingly. People whose fitness or ability is clearly at variance with that required for the grade of the event may be asked to make alternative arrangements (at their own expense) in order to allow the event to proceed as planned.

Medical Conditions

Please let us know, in confidence, of any conditions from which you suffer which may affect your safety in remote areas. Please consult your doctor if in any doubt. Filling in, signing and returning the medical questionnaire provided before the event is very important and compulsory. The medical questionnaire should be completed honestly so to ensure we can keep you safe in the mountain environment. 

British Mountaineering Council Participation Statement

The BMC recognises the climbing and mountaineering are activities with a danger of personal injury or death. Participants in these activities should be aware of and accept these risks and be responsible for their own actions and involvement. All participants must be aware of this and accept the risks associated with these activities.

Acknowledgement of Risk

I agree that I will undertake the activities in accordance with the safety rules & advice that I have received with this document together with the oral instructions and advice to be given to me before and during the activities I am undertaking. In addition I agree to wear the safety equipment as instructed, supplied and checked by the instructor/mountain leader.

I understand that the activities include obstacles of a substantial and physically testing nature. I accept that there is a risk of injury when undertaking such activities.

I will at all times comply with the instructors’/mountain leaders’ directions and that I am responsible for my own safety before, during and after participating in the activities

In the unlikely event of an accident, or loss or damage to my personal effects, I acknowledge that the company will not be liable for any direct or indirect loss, damage or injury arising from or in connection with the activities (except for death or personal injury caused by the company’s negligence).

I certify that to the best of my knowledge I do not have a medical condition which might have the effect of making it more likely that I be involved in an incident which could result in injury to myself or to others.

Email list

When you place a booking with Hills and Skills, we will ask you to provide an email address. Occasionally, we will send you emails about our guided walks, events and courses that we think you may be interested in. You can unsubscribe to these emails at any time and we will not pass your email onto any third parties. If you prefer not to receive these emails, simply email us at hello@hillsandskills.com and we’ll update your preferences.

Photography

During our events we would like to take photos/videos of participants for marketing reasons. Those images could be used and published on our website and social media pages. We will always ask for your permission first before we proceed. You will be given a photography permission slip on the day of the event where you can show your preferences: give or don’t give permission. The images will be stored in a secure location and only authorized staff will have access to them. We will never share your images with the third parties.

Complaints

In the unlikely event that you have a concern or complaint during your event, this should be brought to our attention immediately so we can try to resolve the situation straight away. Should it not be possible to settle the matter instantly, you should write to us as soon as possible after your holiday/event. Delay in so doing may lead to an inability to substantiate your claim.