Terms and Conditions
General terms and conditions
The most important thing right up front
We definitely recommend cancellation insurance for all tours booked with Südtirolalpin!
Insurance is provided through third-party providers (e.g., European Travel Insurance) and must be arranged by the customer themselves (optional). Unfortunately, it often happens that our customers cancel tours at short notice for various reasons (illness, injury, personal or business reasons, and many more). To protect ourselves against these complete cancellations, cancellation fees are very important to us. Therefore, the cancellation conditions described below apply without exception!
If the tour is canceled by the organizer (Südtirolalpin, mountain guide), the customer will not be charged any cancellation fees. The detailed procedure in this case is also described below.
But again, briefly, and without alternative: We wholeheartedly recommend cancellation insurance ! =)
Tarif
Minimum rate
The minimum rate for a South Tyrolean mountain and ski guide is currently (as of 2025)
400,- € per day (+22% VAT).
The legally agreed minimum rate for South Tyrolean mountain and ski guides is set annually at the general meeting of South Tyrolean mountain and ski guides in November for the following year and is binding for all mountain guides registered with the association.
If a tour is booked more than 1 year in advance, the tour price may therefore have to be adjusted (always in consultation with the participants, of course) if a higher daily rate is set for the following tour year at the general meeting.
Special rates
The minimum daily rate applies to all types of day tours and represents the minimum fee payable to the mountain guide. Depending on the difficulty of the planned tour, the objective dangers or for special mountains, tours and routes, the daily rate will be adjusted. The final rate is adjusted according to the above-mentioned criteria, the number of people to be guided, the expected additional costs (cable cars, cab, travel expenses, etc.) and the potential dangers and is already listed as the final tour price for the tours described on the Südtirolalpin website. For individually planned tours, the customer receives an offer in advance.
For tours lasting several days, a total price is agreed with the guest.
There is also the option of charging half a daily rate (e.g. for 2-day tours where the mountain guide only ascends to the hut in the afternoon/evening or has to travel there.
For long journeys of more than 5 hours (e.g. for mountain guides from South Tyrol traveling to the Western Alps), an additional daily rate will be charged for the outward and return journey.
Additional costs
In the tour description, costs that are not included in the agreed rate are listed as transparently as possible. By default, the price does not include expenses for your own travel, accommodation costs, half board and expenses other than half board (drinks, tips...), as well as lift, cab and other means of transportation for the participants and the mountain guide.
Unscheduled additional costs that may arise for various reasons and make it necessary to deviate from the agreed program (weather, conditions, adaptation of the tour to the technical and physical abilities of the participants, etc...) are always agreed with the participants and charged if necessary.
Included in the price
All additional services that are already included in the advertised price are listed in the tour descriptions.
Help to avoid unforeseen additional costs
If you are not sure about the final costs you will incur for the tour / trip, we can provide a rough estimate on request - based on our experience. However, this cannot be considered binding and the current market prices of the respective facilities on the tour date apply - Südtirolalpin has no influence on this.
Special case: Travels
Depending on the current market value (flight prices, rental cars, accommodation, seasonal price fluctuations), a current offer will be prepared before booking, which may differ from the tour descriptions on the website.
Booking confirmation
To plan reliably, an early inquiry is essential. After your inquiry, you will first receive an automatic confirmation that Südtirolalpin has received your booking request. After we have personally reviewed your request, we will send you a registration confirmation, any further information about the tour, and the payment arrangements for the deposit and the final payment. Most tours also include an equipment list. This can also be requested for all tours where it is not necessarily included.
Some tours also require a deposit from third parties. If we need to pay additional deposits (to third parties: huts, hotels, etc.), we will also inform you of this upon registration confirmation (or at the time of the respective reservations and the due date of the deposit).
A tour is considered booked as soon as your registration has been confirmed and the invoice for the deposit has been transferred.
deposits
A deposit is required for all tours . Upon booking, the customer will receive the exact deposit amount and an invoice with payment information. Until the deposit is received in the account specified on the invoice, the appointment remains non-binding.
Once the customer has accepted the offer, this deposit becomes part of the contract between Südtirolalpin and the customer. In the event of cancellation by the customer, there is no entitlement to the deposit paid. Cancellations at short notice will also incur cancellation fees. You can find all information about the applicable cancellation conditions here.
payment
The remaining balance (total price minus deposit) is due after the service has been rendered. You have the following options:
- In cash directly after the tour
- By bank transfer
to the following bank account
Brunner Andreas
Raiffeisenbank Feldthurns
IBAN: IT60 F0830 759120 00030 7250843
BIC: RZSBIT21707
Cancellations by the customer
Cancellations of already booked tours can be made at any time in writing (via email to suedtirolalpin@gmail.com). In any case, after a tour has been agreed upon and confirmed, there is no longer a claim to the deposit paid. This covers the costs of planning, reservations, and bookings for the planned tour, as well as its complete cancellation. If the cancellation is made at short notice, a larger portion of the total price will be charged. Dates can often no longer be rescheduled at short notice, and the organizer protects themselves against these cancellations. Below is a list of the usual cancellation policies in our industry:
Day tours - Eastern Alps
(applies only to day trips in the Eastern Alps and Dolomites)
- Earlier than 21 days before the planned tour - We charge 100% of the deposit.
- 21 to 7 days before the planned tour - We charge 50% of the total amount.
- 7 to 2 days before the planned tour - We charge 75% of the total amount.
- From 2 days before the planned tour - We charge 100% of the total amount.
Multi-day tours (2 days or more), Western Alps and courses
(applies to all multi-day tours, including those in the Eastern Alps, as well as all tours (including day tours) in the Western Alps, and all courses)
- Earlier than 60 days before the planned tour - We charge 100% of the deposit.
- 60 to 30 days before the planned tour - We charge 50% of the total amount.
- 30 to 10 days before the planned tour - We charge 75% of the total amount.
- From 10 days before the planned tour - We charge 100% of the total amount.
Travel
(applies to all offers that exceed a duration of 5 days)
- Earlier than 150 days before the planned tour - We charge 100% of the deposit.
- 150 to 30 days before the planned tour - We charge 50% of the total amount.
- From 30 days before the planned tour - We charge 100% of the total amount.
If additional costs are incurred due to the cancellation conditions of huts, accommodation, airlines, etc., these will be passed on to the customer on a 1:1 basis and added to the total cancellation fee. You will receive a detailed list of the costs incurred.
If the planned tour cannot take place due to bad weather, the mountain guide will try to offer an equivalent alternative. If this is rejected by the customer without good reason, a cancellation fee will also be charged. The decision as to whether or not a tour is possible due to weather conditions is made solely by the mountain guide. There is no possibility for the customer to cancel the tour due to bad weather.
I always recommend cancellation insurance for booked tours: You can find more information here!
Insurance
No insurance is included for Südtirolalpin events.
We therefore recommend that everyone arranges their own adequate insurance coverage, such as health, accident, rescue costs, and travel cancellation insurance.
Insurance for mountain accidents: rescue costs, search operations and repatriation costs
Anyone who frequently travels in the Alps and the mountains of the world will hardly be able to avoid membership in the Alpine Club (or a similar organization). Comprehensive, worldwide insurance coverage for mountain accidents is offered in a complete package, along with many other benefits (e.g., cheaper overnight stays in mountain huts), and in terms of value for money, it's hard to beat. Click the button to go directly to the registration form on the South Tyrolean Alpine Club website. Here you can see the benefits of AVS membership:
Link: 10 advantages of being an AVS member.
Travel insurance
For longer trips, it's definitely worth taking out travel insurance to avoid being left with the costs in the event of an unforeseen event that prevents you from going on your trip. European Travel Insurance offers suitable options for this.
Cancellation insurance
Cancellation insurance protects your trip if you have to cancel unexpectedly or cut your trip short. Europäische Reiseversicherung also offers suitable coverage for this. You can find Südtirolalpin's cancellation policy above.
Cancellation of the tour
If the tour is canceled by the mountain guide (due to bad weather, unfavorable conditions, illness, injury, or similar reasons), an attempt will be made in consultation with the client to find a replacement date or organize an alternative! If this is not possible, the client will not incur any cancellation fees. Unfortunately, the deposit cannot be refunded, but it will be credited to the client's account for a rescheduled date.
Program change or cancellation
For safety reasons, the mountain guide may modify the planned program or route, or cancel the tour. This may occur, for example, due to adverse weather conditions, poor conditions, insufficient skills of the participants, or for similar reasons that make it impossible to conduct the tour properly and, above all, safely. In this case, however, there is no entitlement to a reduced rate.
Liability
The mountain guide cannot guarantee absolute safety from the objective dangers of the mountains. The client accepts the inherent residual risks of mountaineering (e.g., danger of falling, altitude sickness, cold injuries, avalanche danger, falling into crevasses, rockfall), which remain despite careful and prudent guidance. By booking, the client acknowledges these risks and waives any right to claim damages or similar damages against the mountain guide and Südtirolalpin.
Requirements
Please note that the requirements specified in the tour descriptions (fitness, technical knowledge, and equipment) are part of the contract between Südtirolalpin and the booking party. The mountain guide reserves the right to exclude participants who do not meet these requirements from hikes/tours or to cancel the tour.
Rental equipment
Südtirolalpin also offers the rental service of certain technical equipment (crampons, glacier ice axe, climbing harness, via ferrata set, helmet, avalanche transceiver, shovel, probe). For larger groups, those who specifically request rental equipment first are eligible. This offer is valid while supplies last. For later requests, there is no guarantee that equipment will be available or can be organized by the mountain guide. Due to wear and tear, a small rental fee will be charged for each rented item. Details can be found directly in the respective tour offer or upon request.
Any loss or damage to rental equipment beyond normal wear and tear will be charged and must be replaced by the customer. Rental equipment is regularly maintained and checked for proper functioning. However, Südtirolalpin cannot be held liable for accidents caused by undetectable defects in the equipment.
Photos & Videos
All images and photos taken during our joint tour/trip will be sent to you free of charge after the tour.
Participants agree to have photographs taken of them during the tour/course. These images may be used (exclusively by Südtirolalpin) on the website www.suedtirolalpin.com or on social media. If you do not wish this, please notify us in writing before the start of the tour.
