NON-NEGOTIABLE MINIMUM
The lower-cost package changes the bed, not the safety system
Accommodation options may differ in the valley. The staged programme, documented guide requirements, group registration, communication, group first-aid kit, equipment check and turnaround procedure do not disappear to create a lower headline price.
Summit-day guide ratio
No more than three participants per summit guide on the planned summit attempt.
Staged acclimatisation
The route builds altitude progressively rather than moving directly from the valley to summit night.
Equipment check
Boots, crampons, clothing, headlamp and essential personal equipment are checked before the summit attempt.
Turnaround authority
The guide may stop an individual or the group because of weather, route conditions, timing or participant condition.
Planned group safeguards
- Group registration
- Operational communication
- Group first-aid kit
- Guide documents required by the operator
- Movement order and turnaround briefing
- An evacuation procedure
Participant responsibilities
- Tell the office about a relevant health limitation through the separate protected process, not the public enquiry form
- Discuss an uncertain chronic condition or the planned altitude load with a doctor before booking
- Bring or rent suitable equipment
- Follow guide instructions and report symptoms early
- Keep the agreed pace and group order
- Accept that the summit is never guaranteed
If you feel unwell at altitude
Tell the guide immediately about a headache accompanied by nausea, unusual weakness or dizziness; breathlessness at rest; unsteadiness, confusion or unusual drowsiness; chest pain, fainting, injury or severe chilling; or any rapid deterioration that does not feel like ordinary tiredness.
What the guide may do
- Stop the ascent and reassess the situation
- Keep the participant at the same altitude for observation
- Arrange an accompanied descent
- Change the operating subgroup
- Start the evacuation procedure
What not to do
- Hide symptoms until the next stop
- Take unfamiliar medication on another participant’s suggestion
- Leave an unwell participant alone
- Argue against descent because of the trip price or summit goal
This is symptom-reporting guidance, not a diagnosis or an individual medical instruction. The guide, rescue services and medical professionals decide the appropriate response to an actual incident.
Why the summit is never guaranteed
The guide is assessing weather and visibility, participant condition, time and pace against the route’s control points, and the condition of the route itself. The 1:3 summit-day ratio allows decisions to be made for an operational subgroup without losing control of the rest of the team.
A turnaround is a safety decision, not a service failure
Altitude, wind, cold, visibility, route condition and timing can make continuation unsafe even when a participant feels motivated. A paid snowcat or the price of the trip does not override the guide’s decision. The programme promises a managed attempt, not a guaranteed summit.