Japan Ski Tours (also known as JST) Terms & Conditions
Updated for 24/25 Season
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 remaining balance 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 through our secure website via Visa, MasterCard and American Express.
Cancellation
Once we receive written notification that you are canceling your trip the following fees will apply.
- 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 with less than two months of advanced notice will not be refunded.
Unfortunately, due to the time sensitive nature of our business, and the difficulty in re-booking a trip close to the departure date, we cannot make exceptions to this policy.
Responsibility and dependence on suppliers
Japan Ski Tours cannot be held responsible for snow conditions. Trips cannot be cancelled or amended on the basis of snow conditions. No refunds will be made if you voluntarily leave a trip 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 the trip not utilized. JST acts only as an agent for the other companies providing or offering accommodation, lift tickets 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 and conditions 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 the inability of the suppliers to comply with any special request relating to age, medical conditions, physical ability or disability, dietary requirements, allergic conditions, smoking or non-smoking accommodation.
Cancellation by JST
JST reserves the right to cancel any trip prior to departure, including a confirmed trip, due to circumstances beyond our control. If this occurs you will be given the option of changing to another 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 a lower 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, volcanic eruption, or other unforeseeable naturally occurring event which impedes the safety of our program, 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 our itinerary and hotel reservations. There may be instances where we have to leave our base accommodation and move to the next area as soon as a storm is coming in. If you're not willing 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 the storms. Since our trips aren't Camper Van based, we'll be following our itinerary as described on 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 2 months 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, Japan Ski Tours strongly recommends all participants to bring insurance that provides full medical and emergency evacuation coverage. Japan Ski Tours will NOT provide insurance for participants 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. Please take 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 high winds) 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 the participant that these are inherently dangerous activities. You are choosing to engage in an activity 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 this activity. 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 as possible. We ask that participants honestly and accurately describe themselves, in terms of fitness, health and skills, and their equipment to their guides, and that they adhere to the advice 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 in Japan 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 a future trip when skiing in Japan is made safe again.
