Wānaka, New Zealand
April 13, 2021
Due to the disruption to travel, brought about by the global Covid pandemic, Guy Cotter and Suze Kelly, owners of the world renowned mountain guiding company Adventure Consultants, have reluctantly made the decision to place the business into ‘hibernation’ for the time being.
Company principal, Guy Cotter:
“The company will discontinue the promotion of the main bulk of our guiding and expedition services globally until a time when we can safely and reliably reintroduce them. We have been immensely thankful for our New Zealand clientele who have supported us through this past year but unfortunately the scale of costs to operate the business has far exceeded income levels. To that end, we will not be operating the business functionally through the winter months of 2021. We anticipate that we will return to normal operations once our borders are completely open to the rest of the world.
Moving Adventure Consultants into hibernation does not mean we are closing indefinitely and we will continue to accept expressions of interest for our future expeditions. We will not confirm participation on an expedition until we know the trip can operate successfully without travel disruption or risk to staff, guests or local communities. We are hopeful that operations will return to normal in 2022 and we will confirm with prospective expedition members when we are confident we can operate within acceptable parameters.
Once again, we would like to express our thanks to all those who have supported us and our team and guides through this difficult period.”
Photo - Guy Cotter and Suze Kelly, on the summit of Aoraki Mount Cook, New Zealand.
Sherpa Future Fund
Since 2014, Adventure Consultants has coordinated the Sherpa Future Fund which supports the schooling and board for the children of Sherpas who have died in the mountains.
Despite moving the business into hibernation we will continue to administer the SFF to ensure that these children receive their education despite these difficult times. We are extremely grateful for the generous sponsorship donated by our community, the broader members of the greater Adventure Consultants family, who have been providing the financial support that has enabled these children to receive an education that will provide prospects for their future lives.
We want to assure you we will continue to fundraise and administer the fund towards the ongoing support for these kids as their future wellbeing is extremely important to us and their communities. We are also very thankful to those in the community who have donated towards income support for the Sherpas staff. These staff are the foundation on which our activities in Nepal are so reliant. Many of our team are still without employment due to the downturn in tourism activity in Nepal over the past year.
If you would like to help out further we would love to be able to contribute at least something to them to get them through this period so they can feed their families and be there when we are able to return to adventure with them again. You can find out more here:
https://www.adventureconsultants.com/specialty-services/sherpa-future-fund/
For more information on Adventure Consultants:
www.adventureconsultants.com
Email: info@adventure.co.nz
Tel: Guy Cotter/Suze Kelly: +64 3 443 8711
Q & A for Adventure Consultants hibernating business
• Does this really mean the business has closed down?
Not at all. We simply cannot continue to run the business at a loss but in 2022 we are motivated to start conducting our expeditions again. We want to be able to get through this difficult period and start our expeditions as soon as it’s safe to do so.
• What if I have booked a trip already with Adventure Consultants?
We will ensure that trips in New Zealand will still operate through our partner companies this year. Any offshore trips that have been booked will be operated when it is prudent to do so. We will be in touch with all those who have booked as soon as we have information on when the trip can likely proceed.
• Can I get a refund for a trip I have booked?
Yes, you can request a refund for trips already booked with us and we will be happy to process that and hope you can join us again in the future.
• When do you expect to be able to operate again?
We will only commence expeditions outside of New Zealand once we are completely sure that our team, clients, guides and community are safe to proceed. We expect this to be in 2022.
• Can I still put a deposit down for future trips?
We welcome expressions of interest in our tours and expeditions. Contact us through our site and we will make a note of your request. As soon as we have a realistic idea of when we can conduct that trip we will get in touch with you.
• Are you still supporting the children of Sherpas?
Yes, the Sherpa Future Fund will continue. We know how crucial education and support is for these kids and we’ll continue to support them through the pandemic and welcome any contribution you can make.
• What will the team be doing until you can conduct expeditions again?
We will continue to facilitate trips and training in New Zealand and will continue to support the Sherpa Future Fund. We continue to keep in touch with our guides, team, Sherpas, clients and communities and look forward to when we can again get underway creating amazing experiences and expeditions.
