Japan Ski Tours Terms & Conditions

22/23 Season Updated Booking Policy

Updated February 20th, 2022:

We understand that due to the ongoing Coronavirus (COVID-19) situation, you may be experiencing some concern and uncertainty with regards to your `22-23 winter travel plans. JST will continue to offer flexible booking options so you can book your ski trip with confidence. The following COVID-19 terms and conditions will apply to bookings for the ’22-23 winter season.

Booking policy for the '22/23 winter season:

A ¥40,000 refundable deposit will secure a reservation on any of the JST products. This deposit is fully refundable until August 31, 2022 for any reason, and may be further extended.

On September 1, the card on file will be charged 50% of the remaining balance due, with the final balance charged on November 1.

Failure to receive balance payments by September 10 and November 10 respectively, will result in cancellation of the reservation which will then be subject to our standard cancellation policy (see below).

From September 1st, all bookings are to be subject to our standard terms and conditions or by our COVID-19 exclusive policy (see below).

COVID-19 exclusive policy:

If a COVID-19 travel ban is in effect, prohibiting international travel to and from Japan or to and from your home country, or if a mandatory quarantine is required after arrival into Japan or upon return to your home country:

Up to 30 days prior to your ski trip start date the following applies:

You may cancel and receive a refund minus the service fee of ¥10,000 per person;

or you may receive a 100% trip credit towards a future JST trip, with no service fee applied.

Less than 30 days before your JST trip start date the following applies:

You may cancel and receive a 50% refund with a 50% cancellation fee.

or you may receive a 75% trip credit towards a future JST trip, with a 25% cancellation fee.

Due to the substantial time and financial investment required in getting our trips prepped for winter, sudden cancellations even under Covid related circumstances will incur the above mentioned cancellation fees.

Terms of Agreement & Policies/ Booking Information

Please carefully read the policies below before you make a reservation.

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.

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 tour for any reason after the tour has begun. Refunds will be at the discretion of JST if you are involuntarily forced to leave a tour for any reason. No refunds will be given for any accommodation, transport, sightseeing, meals, services, lift tickets or any component of the tour not utilized.

Responsibility and dependence on suppliers

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 tour prior to departure, including a confirmed tour, due to circumstances beyond our control. If this occurs you will be given the option of changing to another tour or receive a full refund. JST is not responsible for any incidental expense you have incurred as a result of your booking. If you choose and alternative tour and it is at a lower value than your original tour you will be refunded the difference. If the alternative tour is of a higher value then you will pay the difference in price.

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 tour 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 tour.

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 tour. 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 tour 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.