Frequently Asked Questions...

If you are interested in joining one of our expeditions or treks, we recommend that you telephone us to discuss the trip's suitability for you and to ensure that places are still available on it. Please read the following information very carefully:

Course Programmes & Joining Instructions

Throughout this website we refer to Course Programmes and Joining Instructions. Course Programmes are the A5 booklets for each set of courses (e.g. Scottish Winter Courses), which contain details for each course (e.g. Introductory Winter Mountaineering). This information is also available on our website. Joining Instructions are sent to you after you have booked and include important information, specific to your course, such as exact course timings, hotel details, definitive equipment list and up-to-date travel recommendations.

What the price includes:

Good standard hotel accommodation, twin sharing, when in valleys.
- On a full-board basis (dinner, packed-lunch, bed and breakfast) on Scottish Winter Courses.
- On a half-board basis (dinner, bed and breakfast) on Alpine Courses, Alpine Ice and Skiing Courses in the Alps (except based in Tignes).
- On a bed and breakfast basis on our Rock Courses in Snowdonia, Via Ferrata Courses and Tignes Skiing Courses.
Mountain hut dormitory accommodation on a half-board basis.
All road transport for the duration of the course.
All costs for guides and instructors.
All group mountaineering equipment such as ropes and other technical equipment.
Personal climbing equipment, such as ice axe, harness, crampons and helmet (where specified in the Course Programme).

What the price does not include:

Transport to the course base and between courses (except courses and extensions, not including from the Oberland 4,000ers).
Cable car and mechanical uplift costs.
Entry to indoor climbing walls.
Personal equipment (some items are included in the course cost or are available to hire from us. Please refer to the Course Programme).
Bar bills and laundry.
Travel insurance (available from Jagged Globe).
Lunch (on all courses, except on our Scottish Winter Courses).

Booking procedure

You can book a place on a course securely online at www.jagged-globe.co.uk, over the telephone or by completing and returning the Booking Form on page 31. We require a Ł150 deposit and insurance premium, if you want to buy a policy from us. We will then confirm your place on the course and send you Joining Instructions, which include equipment and clothing list and detailed travel information.

How to pay

We prefer to receive payment by debit card or cheque but you may pay by any lawful means, as long as the money we receive into our account is equal to the amount you owe. This means, if you are paying by bank transfer, for example, you must tell your bank that you want to pay the fees that occur at both ends of the transaction, i.e. the charges when the payment leaves your account and the charges when it arrives in ours. You may want to pay by credit card as this usually confers additional consumer protection, in accordance with the terms and conditions of your card. If you do use a credit card, a 2% charge will be added to the amount being paid to cover the cost imposed by the bank to process the payment. The balance of the course cost is due no later than 42 days prior to departure.

Travel insurance

To be adequately protected in terms of insurance, you will need specialist travel insurance for participation in the hazardous activities described in your Course Programme. Jagged Globe provides travel insurance suitable for all of the activities described in our brochure, or shown on our website as part of our published itineraries. Our insurance is competitively priced and is available for a single trip, or to provide cover for several trips taken throughout the year. The schedule of cover and the premiums are shown on this website.

Jagged Globe on-line account

If you have Internet access and an email address, you may complete your experience questionnaire, medical declaration and hire equipment request form in your Jagged Globe Account, on a secure part of our website (login is sent to you via email). The advantage of this is that you only have to update your details on the subsequent trip that you book.

Accommodation

Valley bases for all courses are friendly, family run hotels (usually 2 or 3 star), which serve the needs of the mountaineer and skier with excellent food, comfortable rooms and good drying facilities. Details of the hotels used for each course are included in the Course Joining Instructions. Optional single room and additional hotel nights If you are joining a course on your own, you will share a hotel room with someone of the same sex. If you want to pay for single use of a room (only available in valley hotels, not in huts), please tick the box on the Booking Form, and you will be invoiced accordingly. If you would like us to book you additional nights at the beginning or end of your course, please indicate on booking. Prices for additional hotel nights are given in the Course Programmes. The cost of additional nights will be added to your invoice.

Course Timings

Courses start with a briefing on the evening of the start date (except the briefing for Rock Courses, which is on the morning of the first day's instruction). Courses in the Alps finish after breakfast on the last date (except the Chamonix Long Weekend, which finishes after climbing on the last date). Courses in the UK finish after climbing on the last date given. Exact timings are included in the course Joining Instructions. Please plan your travel arrangements accordingly.

Group size & instructing / guiding ratios

The maximum course size is normally 12 people, although on Alpine Ice, Skiing and Via Ferrata Courses, it is usually 6-8 people. Instructor/guiding ratios depend on the activity undertaken. For example, on the Alpine Introduction Course, the first Glacier School day is taught at a ratio of 1:6 (1 instructor to 6 course participants), whilst the following 5 days are at a ratio of 1:4. Ratios for each course are shown on each course 'Further Information' page on this website.

Fitness and Acclimatisation

To get the most out of your climbing experience with us, you will need to be fit and healthy. You do not need to be an athlete, but a good level of overall fitness is important. As a minimum, you should be able to walk 8km/5 miles with a height gain of 600m/2,000ft with a 10Kg rucksack in 21/2 hours or less. This assumes a reasonable trail is followed at low altitude, such as in the UK or below 3,000m. An example would be an ascent of Snowdon by the Pyg Track from Pen-y-Pass (730m/2,400ft of ascent over 5km/3 miles) with a 10Kg rucksack in 2 hours 15 minutes. For any Alpine Course, Scottish Winter Course or Ski Mountaineering Course, you should be able to better this, and be able to repeat it over several consecutive days. In the Alps, our courses are designed so that you acclimatise on lower peaks first. For Mont Blanc, our most successful formula is for course members to climb it as an extension to the Alpine Introduction or a 4,000ers Course.

Equipment Loan

We provide all communal equipment, such as ropes and climbing hardware. Each course participant needs to provide his or her own clothing and personal equipment, such as boots. A detailed equipment list is included in the course Joining Instructions. Certain items of specialist equipment are available to borrow from us, when booked in advance. For example, crampons, ice axe, harness and helmet are included in the cost of all courses in the Alps and Scotland. For Scottish Winter Courses and our Alpine Introduction Courses, we hire leather boots. Please refer to the Course Programme for precise equipment loan details and prices for hire, where applicable.

Members of all Jagged Globe Expeditions, Treks and Courses are entitled to a 15% discount* in any Cotswold Outdoor store. You can take advantage of this benefit until your trip departs.
www.cotswoldoutdoor.com
*Excluding sale items, books and maps.