Booking Terms and Conditions

Yeti Trip – Travel Booking Terms & Conditions

These Booking Terms and Conditions apply to all school group bookings made with Yeti Trip, a business owned and operated by Hiking Trails Pty Ltd (ABN: 31 635 598 033) (hereafter referred to as "Yeti Trip", "we", "us", or "our"). By paying a deposit or confirming a booking, the school, educational institution, or booking coordinator (hereafter referred to as "the Client", "you", or "your") agrees to be legally bound by these terms.


1. Bookings, Deposits, and Payment Schedule
  • Deposit: A non-refundable deposit of $500 per person is required at the time of booking to secure and confirm your group reservation.
  • Balance Payment: The final balance of the total booking invoice must be paid in full no later than 12 weeks prior to the scheduled date of travel.
  • Late Payments: Failure to pay the final balance by the due date may result in the immediate cancellation of your booking and the forfeiture of all deposits paid.
  • Contractual Parties: Yeti Trip contracts directly with the educational institution (the Client), not individual parents. If individual families fail to pay the school on time, the school remains legally liable to pay the full Yeti Trip balance invoice by the 12-week deadline.
  • No Partial Balance Reductions: Reductions in group numbers close to the deadline due to internal parent payment failures will be handled strictly under the cancellation terms outlined in Section 2.

2. Cancellation and Refund Policy
  • Deposits: All deposits ($500 per person) are strictly non-refundable under any circumstances from the time of booking.
  • Cancellations Greater Than 12 Weeks: If the Client cancels the entire booking, or if an individual participant withdraws from the trip, and the cancellation is received by Yeti Trip in writing greater than 12 weeks (84 days) prior to the scheduled start date of the trip, the Client will receive a refund of any balance payments made, less the non-refundable deposit of $500 per person.
  • Refund Method: Any eligible refund under this section will be paid via electronic funds transfer to an Australian bank account as defined by the school. Yeti Trip will not issue refunds directly to individual parents or guardians, nor to international bank accounts.
  • Cancellations within 12 Weeks: If the Client cancels the booking, or any individual participant withdraws from the trip, less than 12 weeks (84 days) prior to travel, the full balance payment is strictly non-refundable.
  • No Refunds for Unused Services: No refunds, partial refunds, or credits will be issued for any unused components of the itinerary, including accommodation, lift passes, rentals, lessons, meals, or transport.
  • Destination Specific Variances to our Cancellation and Refund Policy: Where specific resorts or destination cancellation policies differ materially from our Yeti Trip policy, the destination specific cancellation policy will be included as an FAQ on the relevant destination package landing page of our site. Where destination specific cancellation policies are shown in this way they apply to your booking. 
3. Goods and Services Tax (GST)
  • Domestic Travel: Australian Goods and Services Tax (GST) applies to all components of domestic Australian snow trips and will be included in your invoice.
  • International Travel: GST is not applicable to international travel packages (e.g., trips to New Zealand, Japan, Canada, or Europe).

4. Teacher/Chaperone Concessions
  • Yeti Trip provides one (1) complimentary teacher/chaperone place for every ten (10) fully paying students (1:10 ratio).
  • Any additional teachers or adult chaperones above this ratio will be charged at the standard student package rate.

5. Finalization of Trip Details (12-Week Cut-Off)
The following details must be finalized and submitted to Yeti Trip no later than 12 weeks prior to the travel date:
  • Final participant numbers, names, and rooming lists.
  • Dietary requirements and medical alerts.
  • Disciplinary, behavioral, or special needs selections.
Changes post cut-off: Any requests to alter participant numbers, dietary needs, or student details less than 12 weeks prior to travel are subject to availability, are not guaranteed, and will incur additional administrative fees and third-party supplier charges.

6. Itinerary Changes, Weather, and Force Majeure
  • Right to Adapt: Yeti Trip operates trips in alpine environments where conditions change rapidly. We reserve the absolute right to alter, re-schedule, or re-route transport, accommodation, or mountain itineraries to ensure safety or adapt to operational realities.
  • No Liability for Disruptions: Yeti Trip and Hiking Trails Pty Ltd accept no liability, and will provide no refunds, compensation, or credits, for trip disruptions, delays, or cancellations caused by:
    • Poor snow conditions, lack of snow, or resort lift closures.
    • Severe weather, wind, blizzards, avalanches, or environmental hazards.
    • Road closures, mandatory snow chain delays, parking or resort access closures or delays, or local transport blockades.
    • Airline delays, flight cancellations, or airport closures.
    • Events of Force Majeure (including but not limited to natural disasters, acts of God, war, terrorism, government travel restrictions, strikes, pandemics, or public health orders).

7. Mandatory Travel Insurance
Because all payments are non-refundable within 12 weeks of travel, comprehensive travel insurance is strictly mandatory for all school groups and individual participants.
  • It is the Client’s responsibility to ensure that their chosen policy covers snow sports, unexpected trip interruptions, resort closures, medical evacuation, and flight/transport cancellations.
  • Yeti Trip will provide the necessary booking documentation to assist the Client or participants with lodging insurance claims, but Yeti Trip will not act as an insurer.

8. Student Supervision, Duty of Care, and Behavior
  • Primary Duty of Care: The Client acknowledges and agrees that the sole responsibility for student supervision, safety, discipline, and duty of care rests entirely with the attending teachers, school staff, and chaperones at all times throughout the duration of the trip.
  • Continuous Supervision: Teachers must maintain active supervision of students across all trip environments. This includes transit (flights, coaches, trains, shuttles), accommodation venues, dining halls, and during free time or non-ski activities.
  • On-Mountain Safety: While professional instructors manage students during designated ski/snowboard lessons, the responsibility for student behavior, welfare, and safety reverts immediately back to the attending teachers outside of formal lesson times.
  • Supervision Boundaries: Yeti Trip coordinates logistics, transport, and bookings, but does not provide direct student supervision, care, or chaperoning services on or off the mountain.
  • Disciplinary Action and Early Dismissal: The Client and its staff are responsible for enforcing appropriate behavioral standards. If a participant engages in misconduct, breaks school policy, or breaches local laws, the attending teachers must manage the disciplinary action.
  • Expenses for Early Return: If a student is sent home early due to disciplinary reasons or behavioral issues, the Client and/or the student's parents/guardians are solely responsible for all costs associated with early repatriation, including last-minute transport, flights, and chaperone travel expenses. Yeti Trip will provide no refunds or credits for the remaining portion of that participant's trip.

9. Mandatory Signed Consents and Authorisations
  • Institutional Consent: The school principal, head of institution, or an authorised legal representative of the Client must sign the official Yeti Trip Booking Agreement to legally bind the school to these Terms and Conditions.
  • Parental / Guardian Consent: A fully completed and signed Parental/Guardian Consent and Liability Waiver Form is strictly mandatory for every individual student participant under the age of 18.
  • Submission Deadline: All signed parent/guardian consent forms, along with the signed principal authorization, must be collected by the school and submitted to Yeti Trip no later than 12 weeks prior to the scheduled date of travel.
  • Consequences of Non-Submission: Any student or participant who does not have a fully executed consent form on file by the 12-week deadline will have their booking cancelled. In line with Section 2, their $500 deposit will be forfeited, and the balance remains non-refundable.

10. Respect for Cultural Differences and Local Customs
  • Behavioral Standards: For all international itineraries (including but not limited to Japan, New Zealand, Canada, and Europe), participants and attending teachers must show respect for local cultures, traditions, and community standards at all times.
  • Cultural Compliance: The Client is responsible for ensuring that all participants understand and comply with destination-specific customs, rules, and etiquette. This includes, but is not limited to, noise regulations at accommodation venues, traditional bathing rules (such as Japanese onsen etiquette), waste separation laws, and respectful behavior at historical or religious sites.
  • Right to Terminate for Cultural Misconduct: Yeti Trip reserves the right to request the immediate removal of any participant from an activity, venue, or the tour entirely if their behavior is deemed highly offensive, disruptive, or deeply disrespectful to the local community or host culture.
  • Financial Liability: Any costs resulting from cultural misconduct, local law violations, or early dismissal under this clause are the sole responsibility of the Client, with no refunds or compensation provided by Yeti Trip.

11. Rooming, Bedding Configurations, and Single Supplements
  • Multi-Share Standard: School package pricing is strictly calculated based on multi-share student rooms (typically 3 to 6 students per room using bunk beds or twin configurations).
  • Shared Bathrooms: Accommodation packages often utilize traditional alpine lodge designs. Depending on the venue, rooming layouts may include shared communal or corridor bathroom facilities rather than private ensuite bathrooms.
  • Teacher Allocations: Teacher pricing assumes twin-share accommodation. If a school requests single rooms for staff, or if gender ratios dictate uneven room splits that require additional rooms, single supplements will apply and will be added to the final invoice.

12. Dietary Requests, Severe Allergies, and Supplier Indemnity
  • Best Effort Service: While Yeti Trip and its third-party catering partners will make reasonable, best-effort attempts to accommodate dietary preferences and medical alerts submitted by the 12-week deadline, it may not be operationally possible to cater to all dietary requests, preferences, or severe allergies.
  • Remote Environment Realities: Alpine resorts and international destinations (such as traditional Japanese lodges) often operate with fixed menus, communal kitchens, and limited ingredient sourcing.
  • Complete Exclusion of Liability for Supplier Failure: Yeti Trip acts strictly as a booking agent and coordinates meal requests with third-party suppliers (such as hotels, lodges, restaurants, and mountain caterers). Yeti Trip and Hiking Trails Pty Ltd accept zero liability for any failures, omissions, errors, or negligence by third-party caterers to accurately prepare, track, or deliver specialized dietary or allergy-safe meals.
  • Cross-Contamination Disclaimer: Yeti Trip cannot guarantee, and accepts no responsibility for, the absolute absence of cross-contamination (including allergens like nuts, gluten, dairy, or shellfish) within third-party kitchens and dining facilities.
  • Self-Management and Parental Responsibility: In cases of severe, life-threatening allergies (such as anaphylaxis), the participant and the attending teachers must take ultimate, final responsibility for checking meal ingredients on-site before consumption. The participant may be required to supplement resort catering with their own pre-packaged, safe food supplies. The Client agrees to indemnify Yeti Trip against any medical complications, illness, anaphylactic shock, or legal claims arising from meals provided during the trip.

13. Nominated Group Leader for In-Resort Decisions
  • Single Point of Contact: The Client must designate one (1) nominated Lead Teacher or Booking Contact to act as the sole representative for the school group during the trip.
  • On-Mountain Decision Authority: In the event of resort closures, weather disruptions, itinerary changes, or operational emergencies, all official discussions, negotiations, and final decisions will be conducted exclusively between Yeti Trip (or its field staff) and this single nominated Lead Teacher.
  • Consent and Hierarchy: To maintain efficient operations and group safety, Yeti Trip will not take individual directives, complaints, or requests from other teachers, individual parents, or students. The decisions made by the nominated Lead Teacher are final and binding on the entire school group.

14. Equipment and Property Damage
  • Liability for Hire Gear: The Client accepts full financial responsibility for any loss, theft, or malicious/negligent damage to equipment rented through Yeti Trip (including skis, snowboards, boots, helmets, and poles) by any participant.
  • Accommodation Damages: Any damage caused by students to hotel rooms, lodges, transport vehicles, or common areas will be billed directly to the Client. The Client must settle these costs with the provider or Yeti Trip immediately.

15. Medical Emergencies and Emergency Authority
  • Authority to Act: In the event of an acute injury or medical emergency where parents or legal guardians cannot be contacted instantly, the attending teachers hold the authority to sanction emergency medical treatment.
  • Cost Responsibility: Any costs incurred for medical treatment, ambulance transport, or professional alpine search and rescue/evacuation that are not covered instantly by travel insurance are the sole financial responsibility of the Client or the participant’s legal guardians. Yeti Trip will not advance funds for medical expenses.

16. Price Variations, Supplier Tariffs, and Extreme Currency Fluctuations
  • Pricing Basis: All international tour prices quoted or invoiced by Yeti Trip are calculated using a specific base exchange rate relative to the Australian Dollar (AUD) and third-party supplier tariffs applicable at the time of your initial booking quote.
  • Extreme FX Fluctuation Surcharges: Yeti Trip reserves the right to adjust the final balance payment or issue an FX surcharge invoice up until 30 days prior to departure if the AUD devalues against the destination's local currency (e.g., JPY, NZD, USD, EUR) by more than 3% from the original base rate used at the time of booking.
  • Calculation of Surcharge: Any currency surcharge applied will represent the exact additional cost incurred by Yeti Trip to purchase the foreign currency required to fulfill your booking components.
  • Client Obligations: The Client agrees to pay any extreme currency fluctuation surcharge within seven (7) days of receiving the updated invoice. Failure to pay the surcharge by the specified due date will be treated as a breach of contract, resulting in the cancellation of the trip, forfeiture of all deposits paid, and non-refundable balance penalties as outlined in Section 2.
  • Exclusion of Grounds for Cancellation: An increase in trip costs caused by currency fluctuations or supplier surcharges does not constitute grounds for trip cancellation by the Client, nor does it entitle the Client to any refund or compensation.

17. Limitation of Liability and Assumption of Risk
  • Assumption of Alpine Risks: The Client acknowledges that snow sports (skiing, snowboarding, tobogganing) and alpine travel involve inherent risks of personal injury, illness, death, and property damage. Participants voluntarily assume all such risks.
  • Exclusion of Liability: To the maximum extent permitted by Australian law (including the Competition and Consumer Act 2010), Yeti Trip and Hiking Trails Pty Ltd, its directors, employees, and agents, accept no liability for any personal injury, illness, medical expenses, permanent disability, death, property loss, or damage sustained by any student, teacher, or participant during, or in connection with, the trip.
  • Third-Party Suppliers: Yeti Trip acts as an agent for third-party suppliers (airlines, coach companies, ski resorts, hotels, rental shops). We are not responsible for the acts, omissions, negligence, or bankruptcy of these independent third parties.

18. Governing Law
These terms and conditions are governed by the laws of the State of Victoria, Australia. The Client and Yeti Trip agree to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Victoria.


WARNING UNDER THE AUSTRALIAN CONSUMER LAW AND FAIR TRADING ACT 2012

Under the Australian Consumer Law (Victoria), several statutory guarantees apply to the supply of certain goods and services. These guarantees mean that the supplier named on this form is required to ensure that the recreational services it supplies to you-

  • are rendered with due care and skill; and
  • are reasonably fit for any purpose which you, either expressly or by implication, make known to the supplier; and
  • might reasonably be expected to achieve any result you have made known to the supplier.

Under section 22 of the Australian Consumer Law and Fair Trading Act 2012, the supplier is entitled to ask you to agree that these statutory guarantees do not apply to you. If you sign this form, you will be agreeing that your rights to sue the supplier under the Australian Consumer Law and Fair Trading Act 2012 if you are killed or injured because the services provided were not in accordance with these guarantees, are excluded, restricted or modified in the way set out in this form.

NOTE: The change to your rights, as set out in this form, does not apply if your death or injury is due to gross negligence on the supplier's part. Gross negligence, in relation to an act or omission, means doing the act or omitting to do an act with reckless disregard, with or without consciousness, for the consequences of the act or omission. See regulation 5 of the Australian Consumer Law and Fair Trading Regulations 2012 and section 22(3)(b) of the Australian Consumer Law and Fair Trading Act 2012.