Hidden Gems AS is committed to providing safe, enjoyable and professionally guided outdoor experiences throughout Norway. Every activity is carefully planned using local knowledge, weather forecasts, route assessments and continuous risk evaluation.

||All outdoor activities involve a degree of unavoidable risk. The purpose of this document is to explain how Hidden Gems AS manages safety, what Guests can expect from us, what we expect from every participant, and how we work together to reduce risk while enjoying Norway's natural environment.

||This document should be read together with the Company's Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.

Safety is the highest priority during every experience organised by Hidden Gems AS. No photograph, destination, summit, waterfall or viewpoint is more important than the safety of our Guests.

||We believe that the best outdoor experiences are created by balancing adventure with sound judgement, preparation and respect for nature.

||For this reason, Hidden Gems AS may modify, shorten or cancel an activity whenever doing so is considered necessary to protect the safety of participants. Safety decisions are never based on convenience, but on professional judgement and current conditions.

Outdoor activities take place in environments that cannot be controlled. Unlike attractions built for tourism, mountains, forests, rivers, waterfalls and coastlines remain natural environments where conditions constantly change.

||Participants acknowledge that even with careful planning and professional guidance, certain risks cannot be completely eliminated. These inherent risks may include, but are not limited to: uneven ground; loose rocks; wet or slippery surfaces; exposed roots; mud; steep slopes; cliffs; rivers and streams; waterfalls; changing weather; reduced visibility; strong winds; snow and ice; falling branches; rockfall; insects and wildlife; and remote locations with delayed emergency response times.

||Participation in outdoor activities means accepting that these natural risks exist.

Hidden Gems AS is committed to providing professionally planned and responsibly guided outdoor experiences. Hidden Gems AS requires every Guide acting on its behalf to exercise reasonable care, professional judgement and continuous risk assessment before and throughout every activity.

||The Guide's responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

||The Guide's role is to reduce reasonably foreseeable risks through planning, communication and professional judgement. While the Guide takes every reasonable step to protect participants, no Guide can guarantee that outdoor activities are entirely free from risk, nor identify or eliminate every natural hazard in an environment that changes continuously.

Every participant plays an essential role in maintaining a safe environment. By joining a tour organised by Hidden Gems AS, each participant agrees to actively contribute to the safety of both themselves and the group.

||Participants are expected to:

||Participants should never assume that a location is safe simply because it is popular or photographed by others. Natural environments change continuously, and conditions may differ significantly from previous visits or photographs.

Before each activity, the Guide will provide a safety briefing appropriate to the planned experience. This briefing may cover the route, expected conditions, specific hazards, group procedures and what to do in the event of a problem.

||Participants are expected to listen carefully, ask questions where necessary and ensure that they understand the information provided before the activity begins.

||Failure to participate in the safety briefing, or repeated failure to follow safety instructions, may result in refusal to participate.

Hidden Gems AS provides professional guidance and assistance throughout every experience. However, each participant remains personally responsible for their own actions and decisions while taking part in any activity.

||This includes responsibility for: where they place their feet; maintaining their own balance; assessing their own comfort level; using handholds appropriately; walking at a pace suitable for their own ability; avoiding unnecessary risks; and informing the Guide whenever they feel uncomfortable or uncertain.

||Participants understand that no Guide can physically control every movement made by every individual. Each person remains responsible for how they move through natural terrain.

||For their own safety, participants should never attempt to imitate photographs or social media content that may involve unsafe positions, cliff edges or unnecessary exposure to hazards. Posing for photographs must never take priority over safe footing and awareness of surroundings.

||Participants should make decisions according to their own physical ability and must not feel pressured by other participants to continue beyond their personal comfort level.

||If a participant chooses to ignore safety advice or deliberately enters an area identified by the Guide as unsafe, they may be required to leave the activity immediately.

Participants are responsible for honestly assessing whether they are physically capable of completing the booked activity. Hidden Gems AS relies on information provided by participants when recommending suitable tours.

||Before the activity begins, participants must inform the Guide of any medical condition, injury or circumstance that could reasonably affect their safety or the safety of others. This includes, but is not limited to: heart conditions; respiratory illnesses; asthma; severe allergies; diabetes; epilepsy; pregnancy; recent surgery; joint injuries; mobility limitations; and any condition requiring emergency medication.

||Participants must also ensure that they carry any medication they may require during the activity.

||Failure to disclose relevant medical information may significantly increase the risks associated with participation and may limit the Guide's ability to respond appropriately in an emergency. Hidden Gems AS reserves the right to recommend an alternative activity or refuse participation where participation is considered to present an unreasonable safety risk.

Participants must not participate under the influence of alcohol, illegal drugs or any substance that may impair judgement, coordination or physical ability.

||The Guide may refuse participation where impairment is reasonably suspected. The Guide's assessment in such circumstances shall be final and is made in the interest of the safety of all participants.

||No refund will normally be provided where participation is refused or ended for this reason.

Appropriate clothing and equipment are essential for both comfort and safety in the Norwegian outdoors. Weather conditions in Norway can change rapidly, even during short activities. Participants are therefore responsible for arriving with clothing and equipment suitable for the planned activity and expected weather conditions.

||Unless otherwise agreed in writing, participants are expected to bring: suitable hiking boots or sturdy hiking shoes with good grip; weather-appropriate clothing suitable for mountain conditions; waterproof outer layers where required; warm insulating layers appropriate for the season; sufficient drinking water; food or snacks suitable for the duration of the activity; any required personal medication; and sun protection, sunglasses and headwear where appropriate.

||Hidden Gems AS may provide equipment recommendations before the activity. Participants remain responsible for ensuring that their equipment is appropriate and in good condition. Equipment recommendations provided by Hidden Gems AS are based on expected conditions; participants remain responsible for ensuring that they bring suitable equipment for the actual conditions encountered.

||The Guide reserves the right to refuse participation where clothing or equipment is considered unsuitable and presents a safety risk. The Guide's assessment regarding equipment suitability shall be final.

Norwegian weather is dynamic and can change significantly within a very short period of time. Participants should expect changing temperatures, rain, wind, fog and other weather conditions during outdoor activities.

||Hidden Gems AS continuously evaluates weather forecasts, local observations and changing environmental conditions before and throughout each experience. The Guide may decide to: change the planned route; modify the itinerary; delay departure; turn back before reaching the destination; shorten the activity; cancel part or all of the activity; or replace the planned destination with a suitable alternative.

||These decisions are made solely in the interest of safety, and participants agree to respect them without exception. Reaching a summit, viewpoint or destination is always secondary to ensuring the safety of everyone involved.

||Weather conditions may change more rapidly than forecast, and local conditions may differ significantly from regional forecasts.

||Weather conditions that differ from a participant's expectations do not, in themselves, constitute grounds for compensation or refunds.

Outdoor environments contain natural hazards that cannot be completely removed. Participants should remain alert throughout the activity and carefully assess every step they take.

||Natural hazards may include, but are not limited to: wet rocks; moss-covered surfaces; loose gravel; mud; tree roots; uneven ground; steep slopes; cliffs; river crossings; waterfalls; snow patches; ice; narrow trails; falling branches; loose stones; slippery wooden bridges; slippery wooden boardwalks; flooded paths; limited visibility; and strong winds.

||Natural conditions may change daily due to rainfall, frost, snowmelt or other environmental factors. Participants should never assume that terrain is safe based on previous visits, photographs or information found online.

||Extra caution should always be exercised near water, cliff edges and exposed terrain. Participants are expected to maintain an appropriate distance from hazardous areas unless specifically instructed otherwise by the Guide.

Norway is home to a wide variety of wildlife and natural environments. Although encounters with dangerous wildlife are uncommon, participants should be aware that outdoor activities may involve contact with: sheep; cattle; horses; dogs; wild birds; deer; moose; foxes; rodents; insects; and ticks.

||In fjord and coastal areas, participants should also be aware of slippery algae-covered rocks near shorelines and, where relevant, jellyfish in the water.

||Participants should never approach, feed or disturb wild or domestic animals.

||Special attention should be paid to ticks during the warmer months, as they can carry disease. Participants are encouraged to check themselves for ticks after completing outdoor activities.

||Hidden Gems AS cannot guarantee that wildlife or insects will not be encountered during an activity.

The Guide has full authority over all safety-related decisions during every activity organised by Hidden Gems AS.

||For the safety of all participants, the Guide may at any time: change the planned route; modify the itinerary; shorten or extend an activity; cancel part or all of an activity; turn the group around; refuse access to certain areas; require participants to wear specific equipment; separate participants where necessary for safety; refuse participation before departure; remove a participant from an activity; or contact emergency services whenever considered necessary.

||The Guide's safety decisions are based on professional judgement, local knowledge, current conditions and the wellbeing of all participants. Where immediate safety concerns exist, the Guide's decision is final and must be followed immediately.

||Failure to follow safety instructions may result in immediate removal from the activity without refund. Participants who are removed from an activity for safety reasons remain responsible for arranging any necessary onward transport unless otherwise agreed by Hidden Gems AS.

Although serious incidents are rare, Hidden Gems AS is prepared to respond appropriately should an emergency occur. In the event of an emergency, the Guide will assess the situation and take appropriate action based on the circumstances, available resources and level of training.

||Depending on the situation, this may include: providing first aid within the Guide's level of competence; contacting the Norwegian emergency services; requesting mountain rescue or air ambulance assistance where necessary; altering or terminating the activity; moving participants to a safer location where appropriate; and coordinating with emergency responders.

||Participants agree to cooperate fully during any emergency situation and to follow all instructions given by the Guide or emergency personnel. Emergency situations may require changes to the planned itinerary without prior notice.

||Public emergency response and mountain rescue in Norway are generally provided without charge. However, where costs do arise, such as private medical treatment, air ambulance, repatriation or costs connected to a participant's own medical condition or actions, and these are not covered by public authorities, any remaining costs remain the participant's responsibility. For this reason, Hidden Gems AS strongly recommends that all participants maintain appropriate travel insurance covering outdoor activities in Norway.

||Participants are encouraged to carry valid identification whenever reasonably practical.

Participants must not operate drones during an activity unless specifically approved by the Guide in advance and permitted under applicable Norwegian regulations.

||Hidden Gems AS reserves the right to prohibit drone use where it may create safety risks, disturb wildlife, interfere with other visitors, or violate local restrictions or protected-area rules. Any drone operated by a participant remains the participant's sole responsibility, including compliance with all applicable Norwegian aviation and privacy regulations.

Participants under the age of 18 may take part only with the consent of a parent or legal guardian. A parent or legal guardian remains responsible for supervising any minor in their care throughout the activity, unless otherwise agreed in writing.

||The parent or legal guardian accepts the responsibilities described in this document on behalf of any minor participating under their supervision, and confirms that the minor is capable of taking part in the planned activity.

||Hidden Gems AS may recommend an alternative activity where the Guide considers the planned activity unsuitable for the age, experience or physical ability of a minor.

By participating in an activity organised by Hidden Gems AS, each participant confirms that they have read and understood this Safety & Participant Responsibility Policy.

||Each participant further confirms that they:

||By participating, each participant confirms that they take part voluntarily, that they have had the opportunity to ask questions regarding safety before the activity begins, and that they willingly choose to participate with an understanding of the responsibilities described in this document.