Niseko, Hokkaido, Japan · 7–13 March 2027
Setsu Niseko, Hirafu, Hokkaido, Japan · 7–13 March 2027 · 6 nights
These Terms & Conditions apply to all bookings for the Escape to Japan retreat ("the Trip") organised by Charlie Davies and Josh Plotkin ("we", "us", "the Organisers"). By paying a deposit or booking you ("the Guest", "you") accept these terms in full on behalf of yourself and anyone you book for. Your contract is with the Organisers, not with the hotel, guides or any other supplier.
A USD $1,000 deposit secures your spot, and spots are confirmed in the order deposits are received. A booking is not confirmed until your deposit has cleared and we have confirmed it in writing.
The remaining balance is due by 1 December 2026. If you book after 1 December 2026, full payment is due at booking. If your balance is not received by the due date after reminder, we may release your spot and retain the deposit.
Prices are per person and depend on room type and occupancy. The price applies to the full 6-night trip; no reduction is available for late arrival, early departure, or unused nights, sessions or services.
We reserve the right to correct obvious pricing errors and to decline any booking. Our trips are adults only: you must be 18 or older.
Included: 6 nights at Setsu Niseko (7–13 March 2027) with breakfast, onsen, spa and gym access; 5 guided on-snow days with certified local guides (resorts and backcountry chosen on conditions, including the Mt Yōtei touring hike, conditions permitting); all ground transport to listed activities; shared airport transfers (New Chitose/CTS) at scheduled times; daily yoga with mats and props provided; welcome dinner; group onsen trip.
Not included: flights; lift passes; travel insurance; lunches, dinners and drinks (other than the welcome dinner); ski/snowboard equipment, outerwear and avalanche kit (transceiver, shovel, probe, backpack) — bring or rent your own; lessons; optional add-ons (heli, cat, snowmobile, touring gear rental, massages); anything not expressly listed as included.
Cancel on or before 25 September 2026: free cancellation — your deposit is refunded in full.
Cancel from 26 September to 30 November 2026: your deposit is non-refundable; no further amounts are due.
Cancel from 1 December 2026: the full trip price is due and all payments are non-refundable, as we are committed to the hotel and guides on fixed, non-refundable terms from this point.
Your spot is transferable at no cost until 7 February 2027: if you find someone to take your place, or we re-fill it from our waiting list, we will refund you what your replacement pays, up to what you paid. We will make reasonable efforts to help re-fill a cancelled spot but cannot guarantee it.
Failure to arrive (no-show), late arrival or early departure is charged at 100% with no refund. No refunds or credits are given for guided sessions, activities or inclusions you choose not to use, miss, or are unable to join (see Section 11).
If we cancel the Trip for any reason other than force majeure, you will receive a full refund of all amounts paid to us. This refund is the limit of our liability: we are not responsible for flights, insurance, gear or any other costs booked separately.
If the Trip is prevented or materially disrupted by events beyond our or our suppliers' reasonable control (including natural disasters, extreme weather, government actions, epidemics or public-health emergencies, strikes, transport shutdowns or airport closures), our suppliers' charges may still apply in full and they are not obliged to offer refunds or credits. We will pass on to you, proportionally, whatever refund, credit or goodwill we are able to recover — but this may be partial or nothing, and we cannot refund sums we cannot recover. This is precisely the risk travel insurance exists for — see Section 6.
For clarity: ordinary mountain weather, snow conditions, avalanche risk, wind holds, lift or gate closures and resort changes are a normal part of a backcountry week, are managed under Section 11, and do not constitute force majeure or grounds for refund.
Comprehensive travel insurance is a condition of booking. Your policy must cover winter sports — including off-piste and backcountry riding with certified guides and ski touring — plus trip cancellation and curtailment, medical treatment abroad and repatriation. Search-and-rescue cover is strongly recommended for the backcountry and touring days. Check your policy wording carefully: many standard policies exclude off-piste or require a named extension.
We may ask for evidence of cover before the Trip. If you travel without adequate insurance you do so entirely at your own risk, and we accept no responsibility for losses insurance would have covered.
You are responsible for holding a passport valid for your stay, any visa or entry requirements for Japan, and compliance with them. No refund is due if you cannot travel for documentation reasons.
You must provide full legal names (as per passport), flight arrival/departure details, rental and equipment needs, and any relevant medical or dietary information by 1 February 2027. Shared transfers are scheduled around the group: we recommend landing at CTS by 13:00 on 7 March and departing after 13:00 on 13 March; you may need to wait for other guests.
Twin Rooms are shared occupancy only (two individual beds); solo travellers may be paired with a roommate. King Rooms may be shared or booked single occupancy. Roommate pairings are made in good faith but are not guaranteed to suit; a pairing that does not work out does not entitle you to a refund or a room change.
Maximum occupancy per room is strictly regulated by Japanese law and hotel policy; only registered guests may stay. We may reassign rooms where required by the hotel, provided you receive a room of equal or higher category.
Check-in from 15:00 on 7 March; check-out by 11:00 on 13 March. The hotel operates a strict no-smoking policy: guests found smoking (including where smoking smell or evidence is found) may be evicted by the hotel without refund, and any associated charges are your responsibility.
All incidental charges you incur — including food and drink beyond breakfast, bar, spa treatments, massages, laundry, room service, rentals charged to the room, and similar — must be settled by you directly with the hotel at check-out.
Under our group booking we may be held liable for any guest's unpaid balance. If the hotel or any supplier charges us for any amount you owe (including incidentals, damage or penalties), you agree to reimburse us in full on demand.
You are responsible for the care of your room, its contents, hotel facilities and any rented equipment, and are liable for the cost of repair or replacement of damage, breakage or loss attributable to you, charged per the hotel's or rental shop's terms.
You must comply with the hotel's house rules (including onsen etiquette), the rules of each resort we visit, and Japanese law at all times, and respect other guests and the local community. The hotel and resorts may refuse service or remove guests for illegal, dangerous or seriously disruptive behaviour; if you are removed on these grounds, no refund is due and we accept no liability.
This is a backcountry-focused trip led by certified local guides. You must attend the avalanche safety briefing, carry a working transceiver, shovel and probe in a backpack on all backcountry and gate-accessed days, and follow your guide's instructions at all times. No avalanche kit means no participation — with no refund.
The guides' decisions on terrain, route, timing, turning back, splitting groups and participation are final. Guides owe a duty of care to the whole group: if your riding ability or fitness does not safely meet the group level, or you are impaired by alcohol, substances, injury or fatigue, guides may adapt your day or exclude you from a session for your safety and others'. Missed or shortened sessions for these reasons — or because of weather, snowpack, avalanche risk, closures or conditions-driven itinerary changes — are not refundable.
Required standard: you should be a confident intermediate in powder and trees with a good level of fitness. Touring experience is not required for the Mt Yōtei day, but it is a physical day and participation is at the guides' discretion. Lessons can be arranged at extra cost.
The itinerary is deliberately flexible: resorts, gates and backcountry venues are chosen daily on conditions. Changes of venue or plan are a feature of the week, not a change to what you have bought.
Skiing and snowboarding — especially off-piste, backcountry and touring — carry inherent and serious risks, including avalanche, deep snow immersion, tree wells, collision, changing weather and remote terrain, which guiding reduces but cannot eliminate. You judge your own ability and choose to participate voluntarily.
You must tell us before the Trip, and your guide before any session, about any medical condition, injury, pregnancy or medication relevant to your participation. Yoga, onsen use, cold plunges and all optional activities are likewise undertaken at your own risk.
To the fullest extent permitted by law, you assume the risks inherent in these activities and release the Organisers from liability for injury, loss or death arising from your voluntary participation, except where caused by our negligence.
We act as organisers of a trip supplied in part by third parties (the hotel, guiding operators, transfer providers, rental shops and resorts). We exercise reasonable skill and care in selecting and coordinating them, but we are not liable for their acts or omissions, nor for events beyond our reasonable control.
We are not liable for snow or weather conditions, resort or lift closures, loss of or damage to equipment, money or valuables, or costs arising from flight delays or cancellations.
Except in cases of death or personal injury caused by our negligence, or any other liability which cannot lawfully be excluded, our total liability to you in connection with the Trip is limited to the amount you paid to us.
Beyond the conditions-driven changes described in Section 11, we may make minor changes to the schedule or inclusions and will tell you about significant changes as soon as reasonably possible. Where a significant change materially reduces what you have paid for and no reasonable alternative is provided, we will offer a fair partial refund of amounts paid to us.
We speak with everyone who applies to make sure the group connects well, and we reserve the right to decline any application. The trip is adults only (18+).
If any part of these terms is found unenforceable, the remainder continues to apply. These terms and our booking confirmation are the entire agreement between us. These terms are governed by the laws of the State of California, and disputes are subject to the courts of California.
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Version 1.0 — 3 August 2026. Payment of a deposit or booking constitutes acceptance of these Terms & Conditions.