Terms & Conditions
GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR REGISTRATION AND PARTICIPATION IN PENN OUTDOORS TRIPS AND EVENTS
The following terms and condition govern your registration for, payment for and participation in events organized by Penn Outdoors: The University of Pennsylvania Outdoor Club (referred to also as “Penn Outdoors,” “the club,” and “UPOC”) a student organization at the University of Pennsylvania.
1) Eligibility
Eligibility to participate in a Penn Outdoors trip or event varies by experience level, affiliation with the club, time of registration etc. depending on the specific trip or event in question. For this reason, all trip and event registrations are subject to approval by the trip leader and by the Penn Outdoors Executive Board. The eligibility for a given trip will be posted on the Penn Outdoors website in the case of any special restrictions. Registrations that do not receive approval will be refunded in full within 30 days. Most events are open to all members of the Penn Community. In rare instances, individuals may be barred from participating in club activities due to inappropriate, unsafe or irresponsible behavior during past trips or events.
2) Payments
Full payment of your trip or event fee is due by the close of registration as displayed on the Penn Outdoors website or by the time specified in the trip announcement. Payment should be made electronically unless otherwise specified.
3) Cancellations and Refunds
3.1 Individual Cancellations and Refunds
You must notify us directly if you need to cancel your registration for a club event. This may be done by emailing the trip leader or the Penn Outdoors Executive Board at least 72 hours before registration for your event closes. Registrations are non-refundable unless you are able to find an appropriate substitute to take your place. Whether or not a substitute will be accepted is at the full discretion of the trip leader and will depend on the time and resources required to make the change. This means that in some circumstances finding a substitute will not guarantee you a refund (as when the club has incurred non-transferable, non-refundable third party expenses). Penn Outdoors will attempt to help you find a substitute when possible, but the organization is under no obligation to do so.
No-shows are non-refundable under any circumstances. This means that absolutely no refunds will be issued retroactively for individuals who fail to turn up at the time and place specified by their trip leader without notification. This includes sleeping-in, falsely assuming a trip is cancelled (due to poor weather for example), sickness, injury, or personal emergencies. In the event that you are unable to attend a trip for any reason, you should notify your trip leader as soon as you become aware of the problem.
3.2 – Weather Related Cancellations and Refunds
In the case of weather postponements when a rain date has been posted, any participant who is unable to participate on the rain date must find a substitute to take their place in order to receive a refund (as specified in section 3.1). In special cases, the Executive Board may decide to refund individuals without substitutes.
If a trip is postponed or canceled and no rain date had been posted, any participant who is unable to come on the postponed date will receive a full refund.
3.3 – Other General Cancellations and Refunds
Participants of trips which are canceled or postponed for logistical reasons or personal issues on the part of the trip leader will receive full refunds.
3.4 – Method of Refund
All refunds will be issued through the PayPal system no later than 30 days from the scheduled return date.
4) Emergency Care
In the case of accident, illness, or a missing trip member, Penn Outdoors—through its trip leaders—will attempt to provide appropriate first aid, and will try to arrange for search and evacuation assistance when the trip leader determines it is necessary or desirable. Please note that our trip leaders don't always carry communication devices (due to the remote nature of certain areas and lack of reception), and that emergency help or evacuation may be difficult to arrange. Costs of an evacuation and/or search (e.g., helicopter), and of medical care beyond basic first aid, are the financial responsibility of the ill or injured person. Backcountry medical aid is costly, and Penn Outdoors does not provide this coverage for participants on any of its trips. Therefore, for longer trips we advise you to obtain medical and evacuation insurance: you can usually purchase it as part of a travel insurance package.
5) Your Responsibilities
In order to ensure your safety and that of others on the trip, you are responsible for the following: Providing accurate and complete personal information requested for approval; carefully reviewing all trip information provided, and understanding as thoroughly as possible the physical and mental demands of the trip, as well as possible risks; properly equipping yourself in accordance with recommendations of the trip leader and Penn Outdoors; respecting the customs of the areas/countries visited, avoiding breaking any applicable laws, and refraining from antisocial conduct during the trip; following environmental guidelines and regulations in accordance with direction from the trip leader; and always respecting the rights and privacy of other trip members.
6) Dismissal from a Trip
At the trip leader's discretion, you may be asked to leave a trip if the trip leader feels that your further participation may be detrimental to you, the trip, or to other participants on the trip. Be respectful and safe.