Frequently Asked Questions
- What is included in the price?
- What is not included in the price?
- What equipment do I need?
- How fit do I need to be?
- How experienced do I need to be?
- Do I require insurance?
- How do I book a place on a published course?
- How do I book other mountaineering activities?
- Where will I stay?
- Where and when will my courses start and finish?
- Aren't activities such as rock climbing and scrambling hazardous?
- Do you take under 18-year olds?
- What if the weather is bad?
- What if I am anxious about heights?
- Will my course be cancelled if insufficient numbers have booked?
- If I have to cancel, what are my options?
1. What is included in the price?
- All instruction.
- The use of all technical equipment such as ropes, harnesses, karabiners, helmets, ice axes and crampons.
- Daily transport to and from your accommodation during the course.
- Indoor climbing wall entry fees for 'Taster' and 'Start Climbing' courses.
- Climbing shoes (if required) for entry level rock climbing courses.
- Tentage, campsite fees and food for the Welsh 3000s 3-day package.
- Accident insurance whilst undertaking mountaineering activities.
2. What is not included in the price?
- Travel to and from the course.
- Personal insurance (illness, cancellation and personal equipment/possesions).
- Personal equipment such as waterproofs, walking boots and rucksack.
- Climbing shoes for intermediate and advanced level rock climbing courses.
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Food.
- Accommodation.
3. What equipment do I need? You must provide personal equipment and clothing such as waterproofs, walking boots and rucksack. Each discipline has a Kit List which details exactly what equipment you need to bring.
4. How fit do I need to be? All our courses involve physical activity and most are wholly suitable for anyone who is healthy and of average fitness. Our instructors will take your actual level of fitness into account and ensure the activities are conducted at a comfortable tempo. If you do have a medical condition, please use the space provided in the Booking Form to let us know; all such information will of course, be treated in the strictest confidence. If you have any doubts or require clarification, please contact us via email or on 01766 832120.
5. How experienced do I need to be? Our courses cover the range of experience from the absolute beginner to those having substantial experience. Please check the course notes for your particular course for details.
6. Do I require insurance? We strongly recommend that you take out insurance to cover course cancellation or curtailment. This will also cover you for if you have to cancel due to reasons beyond your control such as illness. There is no need to take out insurance to cover accidents as Snowdonia Climbing has Third Party Liability Insurance. If you are a member of The BMC then you can take advantage of their insurance services via The BMC website.
7. How do I book a place on a published course?
- Select your course from our Courses Page.
- Please read the booking conditions before completing the booking form.
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Either print and sign the booking form before posting it to Snowdonia Climbing or alternatively submit it directly via the 'Submit' button provided..
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Receipt of the booking form will constitute a Provisional Booking. Receipt of the 40% deposit or payment in full will constitute a Reserved Booking.
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Once a Reserved Booking has been made, we will email you confirming receipt of your deposit and confirming your Reserved Booking as well as an Info Pack detailing other information regarding your course.
- For bookings made less that 4 weeks prior to the course starting, full payment should be made.
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For Reserved Bookings, the balance of the course cost should be paid 4 weeks prior to your course starting.
8. How do I book other mountaineering activities?
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Select the course or activities you are interested in.
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Please read the booking conditions.
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Contact us via email or on 01766 832120 to discuss the options available.
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After discussion, we will write to you detailing the arrangements as discussed, this will be summarised in an Activity Agreement Form.
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If you are happy with the arrangements, please sign the Activity Agreement Form and return it to us by post.
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Receipt of the Activity Agreement Form will constitute a Provisional Booking. Receipt of the 40% deposit or payment in full will constitute a Reserved Booking.
- Once a Reserved Booking has been made, we will email you confirming receipt of your deposit and confirming your Reserved Booking as well as an Info Pack detailing other information regarding your course.
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For bookings made less that 4 weeks prior to the course starting, full payment should be made.
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For Reserved Bookings, the balance of the course cost should be paid 4 weeks prior to your course starting.
9. Where will I stay? You should book accommodation to suit your budget and preference be it hotel, B&B, bunkhouse or camping. Snowdonia has a host of options to choose from and you may wish to visit our links page for accommodation recommendations and suggestions. The Info Pack we send confirming a reserved booking will tell you where in Snowdonia exactly your course will be conducted; this will allow you to book convenient acommodation. If you wish to book accommodation sooner, please email or call on 01766 832120 for recommendations.
10.Where and when will my course start and finish?
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All courses start in the morning of the first day of the course, your instructor will meet you at 0900 at a pre-arranged location - this will be your accommodation or a well known spot such as a cafe or shop.
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All courses finish in the evening of the last day of the course at around 1700.
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An activity day will normally start around 0900 and finish between 1600 and 1800 dependent on the actual activity.
11. Aren't activities such as rock climbing and scrambling hazardous? Safety and duty of care towards our clients is of the highest priority to Snowdonia Climbing. Many of our activities are hazardous by their very nature and all participants, parents and guardians must accept that there are risks associated with these activities. We manage and minimise risk in the following ways:
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All instruction is undertaken by professionally qualified instructors who all have many years of experience.
- The safety equipment we supply and use is fully up to spec, good quality, well maintained, in good condition and regularly inspected.
- We instruct and teach to National Governing Body guidelines.
- We instruct and teach in groups with low client to instructor ratios.
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Risk Assessment is conducted throughout and if a level of risk is deemed unacceptable, then the activity will be tailored to an acceptable level of risk.
- Activities will always be conducted in a manner compatible to your current level of experience and competency.
12. Do you take under 18-year olds? Yes we do take under 18-year olds but they must be accompanied by a participating parent or guardian and their booking form must be signed by a parent or guardian.
13. What if the weather is bad? Our courses will still run whatever the weather. Snowdonia has a wide range of venues to choose from and often it can be raining at one and sunny at another. For rock climbing and scrambling courses we will choose a venue best suited to the prevailing conditions. For navigation courses, poor weather can provide realistic conditions which will enhance the learning experience. Should exceptional conditions render risk unmanageable, we may have to make use of an indoor climbing wall. In such circumstances, climbing wall fees will be extra.
14. What if I am anxious about heights? Don't panic! This is more common than you'd imagine. All our courses are progressive and you won't be asked to do anything you don't want to. Our instructors will ensure that you recieve the coaching and experiences which will build your confidence in a steady manner.
15. Will my course be cancelled if insufficient numbers have booked? We never cancel courses due to insufficient numbers. Some courses do run better with certain minimum numbers though even with one client, all are feasible. In such circumstances we may advise on an alternative date though if you wish your course still to run as reserved, then we will run it.
16. If I have to cancel, what are my options?
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You can reserve a place on another course subject to availablity.
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You can claim full refund of payments made if you are cancelling 4 weeks or more before your course is due to start.
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You can claim refund of payments made (less the 40% deposit) if you are cancelling less than 4 weeks before your course is due to start.
- All cancellations must be made in writing to Snowdonia Climbing.
