Terms and Conditions

Deposits

A non-refundable deposit is required within 5 days of booking confirmation to secure your reservation. Failure to pay within this window will result in cancellation or resale of your package.
Northern Hemisphere – Minimum deposit to confirm your booking is $600pp.
Southern Hemisphere – Minimum deposit to confirm your booking is $300pp.
Some suppliers require a higher deposit than the standard minimum amount, or may require full payment at the time of booking. You will be notified if this applies to your booking. Our suppliers reserve the right to increase deposit amounts at any time.
It’s your responsibility to check all booking details at the time of confirmation, including passenger names, travel dates, and arrangements. Any discrepancy must be reported to Mountainwatch Travel / Liquid Snow Tours within 5 days of confirmation. Changes reported after this may result in amendment fees or loss of deposit.
Deposits are paid directly to suppliers at time of booking, and are 100% non-refundable.
Paying your deposit confirms your acceptance of these terms and conditions.

Payment Methods

We accept:

Credit card: A 2% surcharge applies to all Visa, Mastercard & Amex payments (including Debit cards) for NZD payments. The surcharge is calculated on final transaction value (price + surcharge) reflecting in an effective rate of 2.04% In the circumstance where a transaction is to be refunded the surcharge will not be refundable. No surcharge applies to AUD credit card payments.
Direct bank deposit (AUD or NZD). If paying by bank transfer, it’s your responsibility to ensure funds clear in our account by the due date and that payments include the appropriate reference code. Bookings may be cancelled if payment has not cleared in time, or if we are unable to correctly assign the payment due to an incorrect reference code.

Exchange Rates

Exchange rate fluctuations can affect your final package balance. This is uncommon but can happen due to circumstances outside our control.
Any unpaid balance is subject to change based on the exchange rate current at time of payment. You will be notified by your agent in the event of a rate change.

Final Payment

Northern Hemisphere: Final payment is due 70 days prior to departure.
Southern Hemisphere: Final payment is due 40 days prior to departure.
Bookings made within 69 days of a Northern Hemisphere departure or within 39 days of a Southern Hemisphere departure require full payment at the time of booking.
Airfares and some accommodation providers may require full payment ahead of the deadlines above; your consultant will confirm if this applies.
Failure to pay by the due date will result in cancellation and forfeiture of all monies paid. Mountainwatch Travel/ Liquid Snow Tours reserves the right to resell any accommodation in this circumstance.

Airfares

General Conditions:

Airfares, taxes, and fare conditions can change at any time. The only way to guarantee a quoted fare is to pay and ticket immediately. We can’t always advise of airline-issued price increases in advance.
Taxes quoted at time of booking are approximate and may change by final payment.
Airfare cannot be held pending confirmation. Copies of all passengers passports are required before a fare can be held.

Flight Confirmation:

It’s each passenger’s responsibility to understand the conditions and restrictions attached to their fare. Your agent will provide a Flight Confirmation document for you to review before your airfare is finalised. Once confirmed, your flights will be ticketed and subject to the rules and regulations of the airline.

Air Extras:

You must notify your agent at the time of booking if you require seat selection, additional baggage, or other services. These may incur additional fees and require full payment at the time of request.
Not all fare classes are eligible for upgrades, seat selection, or other services. Please check eligibility before booking.
All air extras and upgrades are subject to airline terms and conditions.

Changes and Cancellations:

All change/cancellation policies and penalties are governed solely by the fare rules of the relevant airline. Mountainwatch Travel / Liquid Snow Tours acts as an intermediary only and has no authority to modify these. On top of airline fees, we charge $50 per person for changes and $100 per person for cancellations.
Additional fees may apply from our ticketing provider, Consolidated Travel. A full fee breakdown is available on request.

Airline Schedule Changes

Airlines may reschedule flights at any time. Your travel agent will notify you of any involuntary itinerary changes.
Changes of 15 minutes or less are automatically accepted and reticketed; changes exceeding 15 minutes require your approval.
Where a schedule change results in a transfer time of under 2 hours, you may be eligible to change or cancel without penalty; your travel agent will advise on alternatives.

Refunds:

Where fare rules allow a refund, we submit the request to the airline on your behalf. Please allow up to 12 weeks for processing. Your travel agent will notify you once it’s complete.

Amendments

All amendments are subject to availability and can’t be guaranteed.
Amendments made after final payment and up to 30 days before departure: $100 admin fee per amendment, plus any supplier charges.
Amendments made within 30 days of departure: $100 admin fee, plus any supplier charges. These may not be able to be honoured due to time constraints.

Late Booking

Bookings made less than 14 days before departure incur a $100 late booking fee. A credit card guarantee is required to commence the booking, and full payment is taken immediately upon confirmation. Standard cancellation terms still apply.
Mountainwatch Travel / Liquid Snow Tours will not accept booking requests within 7 days of travel.

Cancellation

Northern Hemisphere:

In the event of cancellation more than 70 days prior to departure, Mountainwatch Travel / Liquid Snow Tours will charge a $600 per person cancellation fee, in addition to any applicable airline, accommodation and supplier fees.
For cancellations made within 69 days but more than 30 days prior to departure, Mountainwatch Travel / Liquid Snow Tours will retain 50% of the total trip price, in addition to any applicable airline, accommodation and supplier fees.
Cancellation within 30 days of departure will incur 100% of the total trip price.

Southern Hemisphere:

In the event of cancellation more than 40 days prior to departure, Mountainwatch Travel / Liquid Snow Tours will charge a $300 per person cancellation fee, in addition to any applicable airline, accommodation and supplier fees.
For cancellations made within 39 days but more than 30 days prior to departure, Mountainwatch Travel / Liquid Snow Tours will retain 50% of the total trip price, in addition to any applicable airline, accommodation and supplier fees.
Cancellation within 30 days of departure will incur 100% of the total trip price.

Further Cancellation Terms, for both Northern and Southern Hemisphere Trips:

All cancellations are subject to both Mountainwatch Travel / Liquid Snow Tours T&Cs and those of the relevant suppliers.
No refund or allowance is given for unused meals, accommodation, transport, vehicle rental, equipment hire, lift tickets, or any other package component once travel has commenced.
In a group booking, if one person cancels, the remaining travellers are liable for any resulting increase in per-person accommodation costs.

Accommodation

We reserve the right to substitute accommodation for an alternative of comparable or superior standard where required due to unforeseen circumstances.
Mountainwatch Travel / Liquid Snow Tours is not responsible for the individual policies of our accommodation partners, including but not limited to check-in/check-out times, resort fees, bond or damage deposits, and house rules.

Early Bird Deals

Early Bird Deals are subject to availability and cannot be guaranteed until confirmed and paid. Additional payment conditions may apply, as set by the relevant supplier.
Additional information may be required from customers to confirm Early Bird Deals. Failure to provide this information may result in your agent being unable to secure the Early Bird Deal.
Our suppliers reserve the right to change the terms and conditions of Early Bird Deals at any time.

Inclusions and Exclusions

Only the products and services listed on your quote or booking confirmation are included in your package. Anything not listed, including but not limited to equipment hire, lessons, airport transfers, or travel insurance, is not included unless specifically requested and confirmed in writing by your agent. It’s the customer’s responsibility to review their confirmation carefully and raise any questions with their agent prior to travel.
Costs not detailed in your quote or confirmation are at your own expense, for example passport and visa fees or other personal items, unless stated otherwise.
We are not responsible for additional costs arising from missed connections due to flight or travel delays.

Responsibility

Mountainwatch Travel / Liquid Snow Tours acts as an agent for the companies providing travel, accommodation, and related services (“principals”). Bookings are made subject to each principal’s own terms and conditions.

All services are subject to availability at time of booking.
Principals may change prices without notice.
Confirmations and invoices may be re-issued if incorrect due to error or omission; the passenger is liable for the correct cost.
We reserve the right to cancel or decline any booking or passenger.
This agreement is governed by the laws of New South Wales, Australia.

Liability

To the extent permitted by law, Mountainwatch Travel / Liquid Snow Tours (and anyone acting on our behalf) is not liable for any loss, death, injury, accident, delay, or damage arising from the act, omission, or default of a service provider or principal, whether direct or indirect.
Matters outside our control may affect the services offered, and we are not responsible for these.
Promotional pricing, offers, and conditions are current as of publication and may change without notice due to unforeseen circumstances, including rising operating costs.
We do not accept responsibility for travellers who breach the law or local regulations of any country visited. We strongly advise against the use or possession of prohibited drugs while travelling. Zero tolerance policy: any traveller found using or possessing illegal drugs on a Mountainwatch Travel / Liquid Snow Tours tour or package may be discharged from that tour with no compensation or referred to the appropriate authorities.

Force Majeure

Neither Mountainwatch Travel / Liquid Snow Tours nor any third-party supplier is liable for failure to perform, or for any loss or damage arising from, events of force majeure; that is, any event that could not have been foreseen or avoided with due care. This includes (actual or threatened) war, riots, civil unrest, terrorism, industrial disputes, natural or nuclear disaster, adverse weather, epidemics, fire, and similar events outside the control of the party concerned.

Travel Insurance

All travellers must have travel insurance, and we recommend booking it as soon as your deposit is paid. This covers unforeseen events before travel that may prevent you from departing.
Click HERE for an online quote, or ask your consultant for a quote or more information on our recommended policies.

Licensing

Mountainwatch Travel / Liquid Snow Tours is a licensed travel agent, licensed by the Department of Fair Trading to operate as a travel agent.