General Terms and Conditions
All the information you need regarding bookings, payments, cancellations, and participation.
Booking Policy
To ensure optimal seasonal planning and due to the limited number of participants on our tours, a non refundable 40% is required to confirm any booking.
– Day tours/overnight trips: The 60% balance is due 7 days prior to the activity date.
– Multi-day tours: The 60% balance is due 30 days prior to the activity date.
Once we receive your first deposit, you will receive our release agreement form which needs to be read, filled out and signed individually by all participants.
Payment Methods
Rugged North Expeditions accepts payments via direct bank transfers to our Canadian account ($CAD) via interac or wire transfer and Stripe (Visa, Mastercard, American Express)
Note: Payments via Stripe may result in additional fees which Rugged North Expeditions is not responsible for (currency exchanges fees etc).
Cancellation and Modification Fees
For events such as sickness, death of the participant or a relative etc., cancellation must be covered by a cancellation insurance purchased by the participant. For its part, Rugged North Expeditions will refund as described below:
Day tours:
– Up to 7 days before the date of activity: 40% of total tour cost is non-refundable. (Corresponding to the deposit)
– 7 days or less before the date of activity: 100% non-refundable of total tour cost is non-refundable. (We ask for a full payment 1 week before the tour)
Multi-day tours:
– 30 days or more prior to start of the tour: 40% of total tour cost is non-refundable (=the deposit)
– After 29 days prior: 100% non refundable (we ask for a full payment 30 days prior before the start of the tour)
Travel Insurance
Rugged North Expeditions is a fully insured company.
However, we strongly recommend that our clients purchase personal travel insurance, including coverage for:
-Medical expenses,
-Evacuation,
-Repatriation.
These costs are not covered by our insurance in the event of an incident during the trip.
We also recommend extending coverage to include trip cancellation, trip interruption, and any other unforeseen circumstances (loss, damage, injury, delay, or inconvenience).
Travel insurance is not included in our packages and remains the responsibility of participants, who must provide their insurer with all necessary information regarding the nature of the trip and planned activities.
Cold weather policy
The weather forecast for Whitehorse is usually accurate not more than 2 days before the day of your activity.
We have about 10°C difference below or above (in case of temperature inversion) compared to Whitehorse city.
Day tours:
We can make the decision to cancel or postpone* the tour depending on the temperatures in the morning at our place or at the earliest the day before. In case of cancellation from us, you’ll get a full refund of your deposit, or of the full amount, if applicable.
*if possible for each part.
Multi-day tours:
We never cancel a multi-day tour, there is always a way to adapt to the weather condition or to adapt the activity.
Unexpected events
As adventure travel involves unexpected events (extreme weather, wildlife encounters, natures obstacles), trip itineraries may be modified to ensure the safety of the participants. Modifying the itinerary may cause changes to the time of day the tour ends. Participants are strongly encouraged to book at least one additional night in Whitehorse the day prior to their departure flight.
On all our trips, guides have the right to change the itinerary if the group security is threatened (weather, snow conditions etc).
In case of an itinerary change, guides will redirect the group onto another one, with similar value, difficulty and contents.
Equipment policy
Participants are responsible for any damage or loss to any equipment provided by Rugged North Expeditions as part of the trips (skis, camping gear, clothing, boots, tents…).
Any lost or damaged beyond normal wear will be charged to the participants.
If the remaining balance is not paid on time and if we don’t hear from you, your reservation will be cancelled.