OUR Terms & conditions

PLEASE READ OUR TRAVEL CONDITIONS

Please note that the following conditions form part of your agreement with Ousland Colliard Explorers (OCE) when you apply to join the expedition. So please read through them before booking.

Please be aware that many of our trips venture into very remote areas, where lack of logistics, unforeseen obstacles, and weather may cause delays of days and even, in some cases, weeks.

We will do our utmost to stick to the program, but we must all be flexible.

We can fully relate to the disappointment when a trip is changed or cancelled or you have to drop out for personal reasons. But please understand that all our adventures are planned, organized, agreed upon, and paid for long before we meet. Thus, we need strict deposit, cancellation, and refund rules.

Safety will always be at the centre of our attention and actions, even at the risk of halting progress or even calling off an expedition at a late stage. OCE must insist on having the last word on this matter - your well-being is our primary concern.

01.CONCLUSION OF CONTRACT

1.01 To fully comply with our Terms & Conditions, you must fill in, sign, and return all forms provided by OCE. These forms will / could include Waiver with Terms & Conditions, Medical Form (called Thumbs Up), Nuts & Bolts (additional information), Experience Form, and The Deal (the small print highlighted). Please also pay attention to the document Hidden Cost of Everything, where we outline possible costs that may arise due to unforeseen circumstances that would be unfair for you to pay in advance.

1.02 The Agreement between the parties shall be deemed to have been concluded upon receipt of the customer’s deposit for the actual trip. This payment shall be made with the application or on an agreed-upon due date. Where payment is not made by the due date, OCE shall not be bound by the agreement.

1.03 The contract between the parties is completed when the deposit is paid and all forms are read, understood, signed, and returned to OCE no later than 120 days before the designated start of the adventure.

2. What is included in the contract

The contract covers the trips as described on the website www.ousland.no, the travel conditions, and additional forms. OCE reserves the right to make alterations to the program, provided the customer is informed of these.

3. Price changes

OCE retains the right to adjust prices in the event of fluctuations in government laws, rules, taxes and / or transport costs, and / or the relevant currencies. Any price alterations shall be announced no later than 14 days prior to departure. Where price increases exceed 10% before the trip starts, the customer shall have the right to terminate the agreement at no cost to him / herself. The customer shall have a minimum of 3 days to terminate the contract after notice of such a price increase.

OCE strives to price all trips accurately. However, delays, weather, obstacles, and unforeseen circumstances may result in delays and increased costs. These costs outside of OCE’s control will be split between the participants with total transparency (see the document Hidden Cost of Everything).

4. Deposit

The deposit is set to 25-30% of the total cost and vary from trip to trip.

On some of our adventures, forms from OCE’s partners / local logistic providers must be expected. Waivers, Medical & Personal Information / CV, and all other forms, must also be filled in and signed together with OCE’s mandatory Forms.

On the adventures where OCE’s partners / local logistic providers operate with their own deposits and rules, these will be included in OCE’s prices and guidelines.

5. Payment terms

The expeditions require long-term planning. Aircraft rental & fuel, the making of runway and camp, food, equipment, cargo, permits, insurance, SAR insurance, bank guarantees etc must be paid for long in advance. For this reason, the following terms of payment have been stipulated:

The deposit, to be paid on application.

The balance to be paid and received well within 90 to180 days before departure (depending on trip and rate). In all cases, if the application to join the trip is made less than 90 days before departure, the full sum shall be due with the application.

6. The customer’s right to cancel or assign the tour

6.1 Cancellation due to force majeure: The customer shall have the right to cancel the trip before the start and get a refund of money paid if, at the destination or in its immediate vicinity, acts of war, natural catastrophes, dangerous communicable disease, or other occurrences comparable with these, have taken place within 14 days before departure, and there are reasonable grounds for assuming that such states shall also obtain during the tour period. The same applies if comparable problems arise on or along the tour route and these pose a material risk to the customer.

The right to cancel shall not apply if the customer knew or should have known of such circumstances when he /she entered the tour purchase agreement.

6.2 Cancellation charges: The deposit fee paid for our adventures is non-refundable.
Private airline tickets and lodging already paid by the participant are not refundable through OCE.

The full program cost is non-refundable if cancellation is made less than 90-180 days (depending on trip and rate) prior to departure.

If cancellation occurs within the 90-180 days period, and full payment has not been received, the full fee will still apply, and unpaid money is due immediately.

If payments are not received by the dates specified in the ‘Payment Schedule’, OCE reserves the right to cancel your booking and withhold return of all payments received unless a change in your payment schedule has been agreed in writing.

6.3 Cancellation protection: We strongly recommend that insurance be taken out for trip cancellation and interruption costs related to your agreement. All insurance shall be paid for by the customer. A personal travel & medical evacuation insurance is mandatory on most adventures.

6.4 Travel and accident insurance: OCE will not be liable for any illness, injury, or death sustained during an expedition adventure, nor will OCE be liable for any uninsured losses of your property.

OCE shall not be responsible for any injury to a person (whether or not resulting in death) or damage to property arising from any act of war, terrorism, insurrection, revolt, or other civil or military uprising occurring in the countries of origin, destination, or passage.

Everyone must take out a personal, extended travel insurance to cover the entire trip from home to home. It must include medical evacuation if an injury or illness should occur at any part of the trip.

Please note that standard travel insurance does not always cover the regions, altitude, means of transport / activity (e.g., skiing), or the risk / difficulty we shall encounter. Participants are responsible for ensuring they have adequate travel insurance for the entire adventure, from when you leave home to when you return to your home.

6.5 Assignation of tour: The customer shall have the right to assign the tour to a third party who fulfils all the criteria for participation. The conditions are that OCE has been informed in good time and that OCE is not restricted by regulations, i.e., permits, visa- and medical requirements, or that the logistic provider will not accept alterations in their flight plans.

7. Right to cancel or alter the tour

7.1. Too few participants: OCE retains the right to cancel the trip / adventure for any reason whatsoever prior to departure, like too few participants, logistical reasons, or safety reasons.

Even if there is not the necessary number of participants in relation to the program, OCE will still attempt to run the tour. In this case, the tour may be combined with others, or the price may be increased. Such changes shall be made in consultation with the participants. If it proves impossible to run the trip due to a lack of demand, all moneys paid shall be refunded apart from an administrative part (<30%) of the deposit.

7.2 Force majeure: Force majeure, circumstances beyond the operator’s control: OCE reserves the right to cancel the tour without liability for compensation if the tour cannot be completed because of circumstances beyond OCE’s control, circumstances which could not reasonably have been expected to be foreseen when the agreement was entered into, and the consequences of which OCE could not avoid or prevent.

In such cases, OCE will refund all money for the actual trip except those which are impossible to refund, such as permits, prepaid logistics, used aircraft fuel, hire of aircraft, travel and accommodation, expenses incurred since the start of the journey, and goods already used and paid for.

OCE shall not, under any circumstances, be liable for any expenses incurred by you in preparation for the trip, including non-refundable or penalty-carrying airline tickets, special clothing, visa or passport fees, or other trip-related expenses.

Likewise, OCE will not be liable for compensation if the circumstances mentioned above affect the quality of the trip.

OCE will strive to inform and keep you informed on any relevant issues, internally and externally, that may impact your adventure before, during, and after (like changing costs, logistic challenges, weather, possible and actual delays, changes to local regulations, etc).

7.3 Declined participation: OCE reserves the right to decline your participation if we determine it would not be safe or prudent for you to participate.

You may also be asked to participate in a smaller adventure, or 1:1 training for evaluation, or to put in place special training / preparation for your participation.

Should your application for participation in your planned adventure be justifiably declined by OCE / our logistic partners prior to the scheduled date of departure, OCE will refund all payments received from you, less a processing / administrative fee (depending on adventure). This will be the limit of OCE liability.

7.4 Altering the trinary: OCE reserves the right to alter the itinerary if deemed necessary. This may mean changing the time, place, route etc for safety, logistical and logical reasons. It must be realized that this type of adventurous travel to inhospitable regions impacted by severe and unpredictable weather, logistic and local necessities.

7.5 Refund when cancellations or alterations: Should you be unable to accept any changes or modifications to the travel schedule and/or itinerary and decide to cancel, then notification of cancellation must be received in writing by OCE. At the time we receive your written cancellation, the following apply:

• More than 90 days prior to departure payments are refundable, minus a processing fee (depending on adventure).

• Less than 90 days prior to departure the full experience cost is non-refundable.

• If cancellation occurs within the 90-day period and full payment has not been received, the full payment will still apply, and unpaid monies are due immediately.

7.6 Medical or personal problem: In case of a medical problem / injury arising during the adventure, which results in costs for evacuation, including, but not limited to the use of aircraft, responsibility for payment of these costs belongs solely with you.

You must provide proof of adequate travel / medical evacuation insurance or other arrangements to cover the costs associated with medical care and evacuation.

Please update yourself on the amount of coverage that you will need.

Should you want to abandon your adventure for personal, and not medical reasons, you must carry all such costs yourself.

7.7 Illness / Covid / injury: If you are feeling any illness symptoms (e.g. fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, diarrheal, loss of taste or smell, etc.) within 14 days prior to the beginning of an experience, you must alert OCE immediately and appropriate precautions will be put in place. Illness in remote places can be both complicated and dangerous, and impact those around you as we live in very close quarters.

Furthermore, if you are positively tested for COVID-19 / disease / illness within 14 days before or after participation, you will inform OCE immediately so that appropriate measures may be taken, including notifying other participants of your positive test result.

The same goes for injuries sustained the last month before the planned start. Report it immediately to OCE.

Illness / related to COVID-19 may result in you not participating. So, stay very cautious in the buildup to your adventure (stay away from sick people and crowds, and use a face mask etc – don’t over-train)

8. Defects and claims

Should the customer wish to make a claim for defects, he / she undertakes to inform OCE within a reasonable period. Where the defect is discovered after the start of the trip, the customer shall, as far as is practicable, make a claim on the spot. Notwithstanding, the complaint must reach OCE no later than 2 weeks after the end of the adventure unless exceptional circumstances justify an extension of the time limit.

9. Dispute resolution

All disputes shall be tried under Norwegian law. The place of jurisdiction shall be Trondheim, Norway.

10. Signing waiver

It is important to emphasize that your trip cannot be compared with normal organized travel, that there are certain known and unknown hazards involved, and that special conditions apply. It is also important to make clear that accidents and injuries can occur and that all parties join at their own risk and participate in full knowledge of these facts. All participants must sign a waiver stating that they fully understand this and participate on this trip at their own risk.

11. Use of photographs

OCE reserves the right to advertise our tours online and in the media. This will often include photographs and videos of participants whose first names may be mentioned. Participants who do not wish to have their photo or name used this way should inform OCE before the adventure.

12. And last but not least:

Expedition staff, pilots, and guides will do their utmost to ensure that any problems arising are solved for the benefit of the group and the expedition as a whole.

You have a responsibility to follow the instructions and directions given to you by the expedition leaders during the trip.

If you grossly neglect your responsibilities and cause risk, embarrassment, or prejudice to our partner’s employees, fellow expedition members, or staff, you may not be allowed to participate in, or be barred from the start or reminder of the tour and lose any right to refund from OCE.

If you are barred after the start of the tour, you will be charged the cost of your return journey, which could be renting a plane to bring you out of the whereabouts / ice. You may become liable to claims for compensation if you wilfully or negligently cause the operator loss by, for instance, not abiding by the above-mentioned provisions.

You are personally responsible for the required insurance (travel, cancellation, accident, medical and evacuation insurance, etc). You undertake to keep abreast of departure times and comply with instructions that the operator, carrier, airport etc may give with regard to these. If you fail to obtain valid insurance or if the insurance for some reason does not have adequate coverage, the operator cannot assume responsibility for any injury or illness you may suffer during the journey, however, caused.

A general word about air tickets and weather: The tour will take place in a region highly affected by weather, and these trips are based on logistics that are easily affected by poor weather or technical problems. No end date/time can be guaranteed. This might mean that you might not be able to connect with your scheduled flight home. In all such cases, you will have to bear the extra costs. An open or changeable return ticket is therefore strongly recommended.

I agree to be bound by all of the terms hereof;
I confirm that these Terms and Conditions will be binding on my heirs, next of kin, executors, administrators, and successors.