Reservation & Cancellation Policies

  Before booking a hike with ESC Outside, we encourage you to thoroughly read our Reservation & Cancellation Policies AND make sure you read and understand your personal responsibilities delineated on the Safety & Responsibility page on our website..

 Our policies are intended to be fair, both to our guests and to our small business.  Ultimately, we are a small adventure travel company operating on public lands in some of the country’s beautiful and challenging environments.  Our groups are intentionally small and each spot on a trip represent an irreplaceable opportunity.  The closer to a trip’s start date that a guest cancels, the more difficult it becomes to fill that spot, and that is what informs our cancellation policy.  It’s also the reason that we STRONGLY RECOMMEND PURCHASING TRIP CANCELLATION & INTERRUPTION INSURANCE. Both RIPCORD & TRAVEL GUARD are good option.

We’re excited to share the trail in the great outdoors with you; in the most authentic way we believe possible! Thanks so much for understanding, and for choosing ESC Outside. We’ll see you soon!

Reservation Policy:

The hike prices listed on our website are per person and the same for all guests. A deposit of $100.00 per person is required to reserve a hike with ESC Outside.  The remaining balance is due prior to the start of the hike. Reservations made within 2 days of the hike starting date require payment in full.  ESC Outside strongly recommends Trip Cancellation & Interruption insurance available through Ripcord or Travel Guard.

Trip Cancellations - Please Read Carefully:

IF WE CANCEL – ESC Outside reserves the right to cancel any hike because of internal reasons including but not limited to inadequate signups or loss of staff due to injury or illness.  If ESC Outside cancels a hike due to internal reasons, a refund of the total amount paid will be given.  Refunds are limited to the amount actually paid to ESC Outside.

IF MOTHER NATURE CANCELS – Should your hike have to be cancelled or postponed by a force majeure (including but not limited to: weather causing delays or cancelled flights, fire, flood, earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanic eruption, pandemic, ongoing or newly introduced travel ban or government statement) ESC Outside is not obligated to provide a refund or offer alternative travel services. Thus, we strongly encourage you to purchase Trip Cancellation & Interruption Insurance so that you are covered in the event of an unexpected change of plans.

IF YOU CANCEL – If the participant cancels a reservation earlier than 7 days prior to the starting date, the deposit will be refunded, minus a $50.00/per participant administration fee. If the participant cancels within 2 days of the hike starting date, there will be no refund of any costs. Refunds are limited to the amount actually paid to ESC Outside.

ITINERARY CHANGES OR DELAYS:

Once a hike has begun, ESC Outside reserves the right to alter the itinerary.  Occasionally once a hike has started, weather or other factors may cause delays, destination changes, or make completing the hike impossible.  In these circumstances, there will be no refund of fees.  ESC Outside is not responsible for any additional costs (e.g. airline flight changes, additional hotel nights, etc.) associated with delays or itinerary changes due to weather or other factors.

Please contact us with any specific questions or concerns.