FAQ

FAQ

Q. What is included in the price?
A. All instruction, the use of technical equipment such as ropes, harnesses, karabiners, helmets and climbing shoes (if required) for entry level rock climbing courses, 3rd Party Liability Insurance whilst undertaking mountaineering activities and the loan of tents and stoves on courses where indicated.

Q. What is not included in the price?
A. Travel to and from the course, personal insurance (illness, cancellation and personal equipment/possessions), personal equipment such as waterproofs, walking boots, clothing and rucksack, climbing shoes for intermediate and advanced level rock climbing courses, food (1-Day Welsh 3000s Challenge and Greenland being the exceptions) and accommodation (Greenland being the exception).

Q. How fit do I need to be?
A. All our courses involve physical activity and most are wholly suitable for anyone who is healthy and of average fitness. Course Suitability notes provide technical suitability guidance whilst Course Requirements notes provide fitness guidance. For all activities, 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 that you believe we should know about, please use the Message 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 07784 707599.

Q. How experienced do I need to be?
A. Our courses cover the range of experience from the absolute beginner to those having substantial experience. Please check the Course Suitability notes for your particular course for details. If you require further assistance, please get in touch.

Q. What equipment do I need?
A. For each course/activity, we have identified what will be provided for you and what you are required to bring yourself. For multi-day courses you should bring sufficient spare clothing to allow rotation of wet items. If you have any equipment queries or difficulty sourcing items, please get in touch and we will do our best to assist and help.

Q. Do I require insurance?
A. Whilst you are on a Snowdonia Climbing course, you will be fully covered by our Third Party Liability Insurance, which provides cover for serious incidents and scenarios. It is entirely your decision whether you wish to take out insurance to cover course cancellation or curtailment. If you are a member of The BMC then you can take advantage of their insurance services via The BMC website.

Q. How do I book onto a course?
A. All programmed activities and courses are listed towards the bottom of their respective webpage under Book and Pay Online. Having decided on an activity and date, simply start filling in your information, select a date and click the Book Course button. You will then be taken to a payment page where you can complete your booking and payment. Your booking will automatically be forwarded to us where after we will email you a booking confirmation written by a human being :-)

Q. How do I book Private Guiding?
A. Private Guiding is a bespoke service tailored solely to your needs and as such, cannot be booked automatically via the website. Please contact us direct to discuss your requirements and between us, we can decide what works best for you in terms of activity, venue, dates and pricing.

Q. How do I make a payment?
A. Every course or activity page includes an integral booking form. Once submitted, the form will automatically redirect you to a payment page where secure payment in full can be made. If you would prefer not to pay the full cost upfront, please use our Make a Payment webpage to make a 40% deposit, remembering to state the activity and start date in the Payment Reference field.

Q. Where and when will my course start and finish?
A. Our courses generally start at 9am when you will meet your instructor at a pre-arranged location that is convenient for the day's planned activity. Once we head out to enjoy the day, we are likely to be out and not return until 5pm. All timings and details for meeting up are discussed and confirmed pre-course so there should be no loose ends to worry about. Private Guiding timings will be discussed as part of the overall activity discussion.

Q. Where will I stay?
A. You should book accommodation to suit your budget and preference be it hotel, B&B, bunkhouse or camping; Snowdonia has plenty of choice. We always provide a steer in our Booking Confirmation in terms of what general area you should be looking to book your accommodation. If you would like a more specific steer or recommendation please get in touch and we will assist.

Q. Are mountaineering activities such as rock climbing and scrambling dangerous?
A. Safety and duty of care towards our clients is the main priority at Snowdonia Climbing. By their very nature, many of our activities do have associated hazards and all participants, parents and guardians should accept that there are risks associated with these activities. We manage and minimise risk in the following ways: 1. All instruction is undertaken by professionally qualified instructors who all have many years of experience 2. All equipment is fully up to spec, high quality, well maintained, in good condition and regularly inspected 3. We instruct and teach to National Governing Body guidelines 4. Dynamic Risk Assessment is conducted at all points of delivery and if a level of risk is deemed unacceptable, then the activity will be tailored to where the risk is acceptable 5. Activities will always be conducted in a manner compatible to your current level of experience and competency.

Q. Do you cater for children?
A. We are more than happy for children to participate but they must be with an accompanying adult. As a general rule, we are happy working with over-16s without an accompanying adult. Experience has shown that children are best provided for within a Private Guiding scenario. If you have any questions or queries please get in touch.

Q. What if the weather is just too awful to go ahead or continue?
A. Snowdonia Climbing minimises the impact of the weather on our activities by programming our courses with the season and time of year in mind; this allows 95%+ of our activities to go ahead as planned. In addition, we continually monitor the weather forecast prior to scheduled courses and activities. Should it seem that the activity is undeliverable for a given forecast, we will give you as much notice as practical and certainly before you begin travelling to Snowdonia; this is a fine line to walk as weather forecasts can be fickle and sometimes not bottom out till just before we were due to start. Thereafter, we will discuss rescheduling options with you but ultimately, we will fully refund should you not wish to reschedule. Activities that are seriously interrupted by poor weather can be rescheduled on a pro rata basis.

Q. Will my course be cancelled if insufficient numbers have booked?
A. The simple answer is no. Our policy is not to cancel due to insufficient numbers unless it will negatively impact the learning experience. In such circumstances we will contact you beforehand to discuss your options which will include continue as planned, reschedule, cancel and refund.

Q. What are my options if I have to cancel?
A. We will try and stay flexible for you and accommodate where we are able. You can reschedule and reserve a place on another course subject to availability. You can claim full refund of payments made if you are cancelling 4 weeks or more before your course is due to start. You can claim 60% refund of payments made if you are cancelling less than 4 weeks before your course is due to start.