General Terms and Conditions of Sale

Updated 11th October 2023

Bookings are made subject to the White Marmotte terms and conditions specified in this document.

The term ‘product’ refers to any bookable event sold by White Marmotte, including day hikes, multi-day hikes and courses. The terms ‘White Marmotte’, ‘we’, ‘our’, and ‘us refer to White Marmotte as a trading name of Ian Huyton. The terms ‘customer’ and ‘guest’ refer to any person booking onto or attending a White Marmotte product. The ‘website’ refers to the website at https://www.whitemarmotte.com and all sub-pages of that site.

Certain products are subject to specific terms and conditions. In particular this will occur to any products which fall under the scope of the package travel regulations for the EU and France. Where this is the case, the specific terms and conditions for the product will be clearly mentioned and linked to on the product page and on the online booking page for the product. Where there is any conflict between these terms and conditions and the specific terms and conditions for the product, the specific terms and conditions for the product will apply.

About White Marmotte

White Marmotte is a trading name of Ian Huyton, registered in France as an Individual Enterprise under SIRET number: 81746607100021. The White Marmotte name and logo are registered marques, protected in France by INPI under registration number 4538319.

Ian Huyton is a registered Tour Operator with the official French Tourism Development Agency, Atout France under Immatriculation Number IM038220006. We are covered by the following insurance policies:

Professional Public Liability Insurance
Provider: VHF Assurance France, 25 Rue Marbeuf, 75008 Paris
Policy number: FR11-RCE22P00010

Tour Operator Financial Guarantee
Provider: Groupama Assurance-Credit & Caution, 132 Rue des Trois Fontanot, 92000 Nanterre
Contract number: 4000717935/0.

Ski lessons

Ski lessons sold via the online booking form on this website are sold by Freedom Snowsports Ltd. White Marmotte acts solely in the role of a referrer and may make a small commission on lessons sold. Ski lessons sold under the Freedom Snowsports terms and conditions are not subject to the terms and conditions on this page.

Multi-day products including accommodation

All products with inclusive accommodation are sold subject to specific terms and conditions of sale which are available on the information page for that product. In the case of any difference between these general terms and conditions and the specific terms and conditions for a product, the latter will take precedence.

Risks

Trekking in the Alps is a potentially dangerous activity with a risk of serious injury or death. Participants in White Marmotte trips must be aware of and accept these risks, and must take responsibility for their own actions during the trip.

Booking Procedure

By booking with White Marmotte all guests agree to be bound by these terms and conditions. It is the responsibility of each guest to read and understand the terms and conditions, and to ask questions to clarify if necessary. Bookings can be made via email, by telephone, or by online form where this is offered. A booking is confirmed, and a contract entered into, once the ‘Booking Confirmation Email’ has been dispatched.

Payment

On booking with us, a non-refundable deposit is required to secure your place, this is generally 20% of the total cost of the product, but varies by product and will be explicitly stated prior to confirmation. The balance is due 8 weeks before the start date of your product. If bookings are made within 8 weeks of the start date, then the full balance is payable on confirmation. If we do not receive your full balance in time, we reserve the right to treat your booking as cancelled by you, and will be subject to the Cancellation Policy set out below.

Minimum numbers

We reserve the right to cancel a product if the minimum numbers required to run have not been reached. Once the minimum number has been reached, you will be informed that your booking is guaranteed to run. Please do not book flights or travel until you have received confirmation that the product is guaranteed to run.

Cancellation Policy

Cancellation by you

If you need to cancel your booking, you may do so at any time subject to the following cancellation charges:

  • More than 8 weeks: deposit will not be refunded, but all other monies will be returned to you.
  • 4-8 weeks: we will refund 50% of the cost of the product
  • Less than 4 weeks: no refund will be issued.

Cancellation by us

In the unlikely event that we have to cancel a product, we reserve the right to do so. However we will not cancel a confirmed product within 8 weeks of the product departure unless we have not received your payment in full, or because we are forced to do so due to unforeseeable circumstances beyond our control. Where the product is cancelled for a reason other than your default in payment, we will refund all monies paid including the deposit. The exception to this is where circumstances amounting to ‘Force Majeure’ – unavoidable, unforeseeable and unusual circumstances beyond our control, occur. In such circumstances we will refund any monies not already paid to our suppliers. This is the limit of our liability to you, so please ensure your travel insurance covers you for such events.

Modifications to your booking

If you wish to transfer the booking to another person, please notify us as soon as possible. Provided that the other person meets any prerequisites, we will be happy to transfer the booking without any charge.

If you wish to transfer to a different date or product after your booking has been confirmed, you must inform us as soon as possible. We will try to accommodate any requested changes, however we cannot guarantee that this will always be possible. In cases where we cannot make the transfer, you will have the choice of either continuing with the original product as scheduled, or cancelling subject to the cancellation policy listed above.

Alterations to the product

While we make every effort to deliver the products as advertised, products may be altered by us due to external factors such as (but not limited to) hazardous or extreme weather, safety considerations or other factors beyond the control of White Marmotte. In such cases, we reserve the right to alter the product schedule, activity or location, while staying as close as possible to the intended itinerary as safety allows.

If the alteration is significant, and is made prior to the product start, you will be offered the choice of proceeding with the updated schedule, or cancelling and receiving a full refund. If a significant alteration occurs after the start of the product you will be offered the option of continuing with the altered product, or withdrawing and receiving a refund in proportion to the amount of the product that has changed; for example 50% refund will be offered if the second day only of a 2 day product is significantly altered.

Medical Conditions

Any guest with a medical or other condition that may affect their safety or ability meet the requirements of the product, or have an impact on the safety of other guests, is obliged to provide White Marmotte with full details prior to confirmation. If you do not give full details of a relevant condition, your booking may be cancelled and no refund will be due. We will do our best to accommodate any condition, however it is not always possible for us to do so. Therefore in some circumstances we may not be able to confirm your booking.

Fitness

By their nature, our mountain products are strenuous and require some degree of fitness and technical ability. We aim to describe the physical and technical requirements for any product as accurately as possible, however it is up to you to ensure that the product is suitable for your own level. If you are in any doubt, please contact us to discuss this prior to booking. If you are unable to keep up with the group, your leader may, at their sole discretion, ask you to miss certain sections or days, or even to drop out of the product. In such cases, no compensation will be offered and we will not be liable for any additional costs incurred by you as a result.

Image rights

Unless you tell us otherwise, we will assume that any photographs taken during a White Marmotte product and featuring adult customers may be used by us for promotional purposes on websites, social media and in print. Please let us know in advance if you would prefer us not to use any images in which you feature.

We will not use any images of minors under 18 without the express consent of their parents.

Data Protection

Personal data transmitted to White Marmotte will be held securely and used for the purposes of providing the trip you have booked. Such information may include your name, email address, telephone number, travel insurance details, emergency contact details and travel/flight details.

All date held by White Marmotte will be kept in accordance with French and European data protection law.

Infectious diseases

We will continue to follow local regulations and best practices to limit the spread of infectious diseases including Covid 19. At the time of writing no special measures are currently in force in France. We no longer have any specific Covid-19 policies for either bookings or for product delivery. Our standard cancellation policy is now in force, although we will always aim to be as flexible as we can when people need to make changes for unexpected reasons.

Disputes

In the event of any dispute with White Marmotte we would ask you to contact us directly to discuss your issues and to allow us to propose a solution. In the event that the dispute cannot be resolved amicably, we subscribe to a mediation service with MCP Médiation. You can contact them using the details provided below.

Any claims or litigation against White Marmotte will fall under the jurisdiction of French law.

CONSUMER MEDIATION

According to the requirements of articles L 611-1 and R 612-1 of the French Consumer Code (Code de la Consommation) concerning the amicable resolution of disputes : Once the consumer has addressed a written complaint to the professional and has not received a satisfactory response within two months, they may submit their complaint to the mediation service free of charge. The referral to the mediator must be made within one year of the initial complaint.

The mediator MCP MEDIATION can be contacted directly online at the following address : www.mcpmediation.org or by mail at MÉDIATION DE LA CONSOMMATION & PATRIMOINE – 12 Square Desnouettes – 75015 PARIS

Copyright

All text, images and other media on this website is the property of Ian Huyton unless stated otherwise.

Contact

We may be contacted by the following means

Postal address:

Ian Huyton
Villa Vallet 2, 97 Impasse de l’Androsace
74400 Chamonix Mont Blanc
France

Telephone: +33 6 69 64 85 29

Email: bookings@whitemarmotte.com