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Call (250) 423-6704 or email info@fernieadventures.com to contact Fernie Wilderness Adventures for Bookings or Trip Availability.
Booking Terms & Conditions
Terms and Conditions Agreement: By paying your deposit to confirm your booking at Fernie Wilderness Adventures (hereinafter the “FWA”), you are agreeing to our Terms and Conditions below including the cancellation policy. As per the waiver agreement and reservation confirmation emails, once the payment is processed it is non-refundable following the Terms and Conditions detailed below. It is your responsibility to read the following Terms and Conditions.
Our booking terms and conditions are applied to each individual cat ski seat and/or each individual lodge night. Non-refundable payments can not be credited to other bookings in a reservation.
Deposits & Final Payments
All prices are in Canadian Dollars, and all payments will be converted to Canadian Dollars, we only accept payment by Visa and MasterCard.
By paying the non-refundable deposit to confirm your booking at Fernie Wilderness Adventures, you are agreeing to our Terms and Conditions including the Cancellation Policy, as explained in detail below.
We process a non-refundable deposit of 30% of the total trip cost (before tax) for skiing and lodging at the time of booking. This 30% non-refundable deposit is attached to each seat and/or lodge night booked.
The full balance is automatically processed from the card on file 30 days prior to your chosen activity at which time it becomes non-refundable, if you would like to use a different credit card you must provide the new card prior to final payment. If you book within 30 days of your activity, full payment is required and is non-refundable. If full payment is requested by the guest to be processed before the final payment deadline it will be non-refundable once processed.
We do not accommodate date changes without loss of payments.
FWA reserves the right to cancel your reservation if full payment is not received 30 days prior to your ski day.
Cancellation Policy
If a guest wishes to cancel their reservation, please contact the FWA office as soon as possible to confirm the cancellation. A confirmation email will be sent from the office to confirm the cancellation once completed.
Our cancellation policies and non-refundable payments are attached to each cat ski seat and/or lodge night booked.
If a guest is unable to attend their cat ski trip due to personal reasons including but not limited to illness, injury, weather, travel delays, personal emergency, etc., they will not receive a refund or credit, all monies paid will be forfeited.
Guests who cancel have the option of finding a replacement to fill their seat as it is fully transferable. We will accommodate this at no charge if the guests transfer funds among themselves. If we have to charge the new guest and refund the old guest, there will be an $80 administration fee deducted from each seat refunded.
Cancellation before 30 days out final payment: The reservation will be cancelled and no further payments will be processed, only the non-refundable deposit will be forfeited for each seat or lodge night cancelled. FWA would not be able to provide any credit or refund. The non-reundable deposit can not be credited towards final payment as our booking terms and conditions are per cat ski seat and/or per lodge night.
Cancellation within 30 days: The full amount will be forfeited for each seat or lodge night cancelled. FWA would not be able to provide any credit or refund.
Cancellation by FWA: If FWA staff makes the decision to cancel any activity including but not limited to safety reasons, mechanical issues, weather, group sizes, etc., guests will be given a credit for any monies paid, and a refund is not available. Credits are only available when FWA decides to cancel an activity.
We do ski in all conditions as long as our terrain is deemed safe and skiable. Although we do operate in private terrain which our guides work to preserve the snow we cannot guarantee that every day will be a powder day or have fresh tracks.
These decisions are made by qualified and experienced personnel to ensure a quality and safe experience with the conditions available on that day. Please remember we have no control over the weather; however, we must plan our trips according to what the conditions dictate which can also lead to a slight change to the schedule and/or area visited. When conditions are deteriorating, we may be going day by day, or even hour by hour, but as long as it is safe to ski we will make every effort to do so.
Cat skiing reservations do require pre-booking. We require a minimum of 6 (up to 12) guests in each cat, and we run up to 3 cats per day. If you are in a group of less than 6 people, your reservation will rely on other reservations joining your cat. FWA reserves the right to cancel if there are less than 6 seats booked in a cat.
We highly recommend obtaining travel insurance to cover any personal cancellations, this would be obtained through a third party and Fernie Wilderness Adventures would not be involved with the policy or claims.
Risk Awareness
Backcountry cat skiing involves risks, dangers, and hazards. Each guest will be required to assume the risks described in our Release of Liability, Waiver of Claims, Assumption of Risks, and Indemnity Agreement (hereinafter the “Release Agreement.”). Please ensure all guests in your group have had the chance to review this document carefully prior to booking: FWA – Waiver
For more information and details regarding risks, dangers & hazards associated with cat skiing follow the link: https://www.helicat.org/safety
Any guest making a deposit for a booking is acknowledging that they have read and agree that participation in any Fernie Wilderness Adventures (hereinafter the “FWA”) cat skiing trip is conditional on all members of their party completing FWA’s Release Agreement.
A waiver confirmation is sent at the time of booking for agreement prior to processing payment. By paying the non-refundable deposit you have agreed to the Release Agreement linked above.
Each guest will sign the Release Agreement in person at the lodge on the morning of their ski day. Failure to sign FWA’s Release Agreement on the morning of their ski trip will result in the cancellation of their booking. FWA’s cancellation policies will be applicable.
Travel & Medical Insurance
Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance: We acknowledge that unforeseen circumstances may arise, leading to the need for trip cancellation or interruption. To mitigate any possible complications that may arise from such situations, we highly advise all guests to purchase trip cancellation and interruption insurance.
Medical Insurance: We highly recommend obtaining insurance coverage that includes hospital, helicopter, and ambulance evacuation expenses. In the event of an injury, these costs will be the responsibility of the injured individual. If you are not a Canadian resident, please ensure that your medical insurance provides coverage while you are in Canada.
Travel insurance would be obtained through a third-party insurance provider and Fernie Wilderness Adventures would not be involved in the policy or claims.
Minors
We recommend kids be at least 12 years of age or older as long as they are at an advanced level, but anyone under 19 years of age will need to be accompanied by and ski with their parent/guardian. Helmets will be required for anyone under 19.
If a parent/guardian is not attending the trip they are able to sign their parental rights to another adult in their group for the day. We can provide this letter in advance upon request for the parents/guardian to fill out and sign. We highly recommend submitting the completed letter to the office in advance to ensure it is completed correctly as it will be required to ski. Our guides and staff are unable to sign the release to provide guardianship. Minor Release Letter – Winter
Dietary Restrictions/Allergies and Medical Conditions
Guest must provide the details of their dietary restrictions or allergies to the FWA office at least 48-hours before their arrival.
Anyone with food concerns or a medical condition we should be made aware of should let us know at the time of booking. There is a fee of $150+tax to accommodate dietary restrictions/allergies the day of. This fee is to cover the new lunch order and the staff to deliver on mountain.
For lodge guests and day guests at ski après, FWA will do their best to accommodate all dietary restrictions and allergies with food provided at the lodge. Please keep in mind that we operate out of a back country lodge and we cannot guarantee zero cross-contamination. If you do have food allergies ensure we are updated with your details and we will do everything we can to accommodate.
If you or anyone in your group has any medical conditions that could affect you during your ski day ensure you update the office with your medical details and let your guide know upon arrival.
Ability
Guests must consider themselves an advanced level 5 skier/boarder. At FWA we strive to make snow catskiing non-intimidating, our guides attentive care will ensure all of our guests feel safe and comfortable.
Our terrain is all back-country with variable snow conditions which is ungroomed, predominantly treed and with a variety of ridges, gullies, and gladded meadows.
Fat skis are highly recommended for deep powder skiing to further your enjoyment of the day. FWA offers fat ski and powder board rentals on site. Please refer to our skier/boarder ability levels below. We highly recommend you be at least a level 5 skier/boarder, for a more positive skiing experience.
Skier Levels
Level 1: First Time Skier
Never skied before. Or not yet able to stop confidently on easy, groomed terrain.
Level 2: Novice
Learning to snowplow turn in control on mellow slopes. May start to ski easy green runs.
Level 3: Confident Novice
Able to link strong snowplow turns or beginner stance parallel on green runs. Occasionally skis a blue run with caution. Rides chairlifts confidently.
Level 4: Intermediate
Able to ski parallel turns with pole plant. Most blue runs can be skied with confidence, but more advanced blues are still challenging. Looking to ride more varied terrain.
Level 5: Advanced
Can ski strong parallel turns confidently on a variety of terrain and conditions. Enjoys skiing on black runs and in trees. Leaning towards hop turns, moguls, powder and more difficult terrain.
Level 6: Expert
Can ski in control on black runs and enjoys all conditions and terrain.
Snowboarder Levels
Level 1: First Time Boarder
Never snowboarded before. Or not yet able to stop confidently on easy, groomed terrain.
Level 2: Novice
Able to stop safely. Can “Falling leaf” on heel and toe edges. Usually riding magic carpets.
Level 3: Confident Novice
Learning to link heel side and toe side turns on green runs. Experience riding chairlifts.
Level 4: Intermediate
Can link toe edge and heel edge turns confidently and control speed. Most blue runs can be ridden with confidence, but more advanced blues are still challenging. Looking to ride more varied terrain.
Level 5: Advanced
Able to link turns on a variety of terrain and conditions. Enjoys riding on black runs and in trees. Confidently make short turns and leaning towards more difficult terrain.
Level 6: Expert
Can ride in control on black runs and enjoys all conditions and terrain.
FWA may at any time, and at our sole discretion, modify these Booking Terms and Conditions, including our Cancellation Policy, without notice to guests. Any such modification will be effective immediately upon public posting. It is your responsibility to review the Terms and Conditions for updates and changes. Your use of our services following any such modification constitutes your acceptance of these modified terms.