Privacy Policy
Please read our privacy policy below:

1. Overview 

Pioneer Mountaineering needs to collect and use certain types of personal information to safely deliver training, expeditions and courses. We work in compliance with the Data Protection Act 2018. 

 

Pioneer Mountaineering is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office registration reference: ZB984362.

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This privacy notice for Pioneer Mountaineering ('we', 'us', or 'our'), describes how and why we might collect, store, use, and/or share ('process') your information when you use our services ('Services'), such as when you:

• Visit our website at https://www.pioneermountaineering.co.uk, or any website of ours that links to this privacy notice.

• Engage with us in other related ways, including any sales, marketing, or events.

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Questions or concerns?

Reading this privacy notice will help you understand your privacy rights and choices. If you do not agree with our policies and practices, please do not use our Services. If you still have any questions or concerns, please contact us at privacy@pioneermountaineering.co.uk.

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2. What we collect 

We may collect the following information: 

● Your name 

● Contact information including email address, telephone number 

● Addresses including Billing Addresses

● Financial Information such as debit/credit card details

● Other information relevant to the course or expedition where we deem necessary and as agreed with the individual(s).

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Sensitive Information 

When necessary, with your consent or as otherwise permitted by applicable law, we process the following categories of sensitive information:

• Health Data for example but not limited to information about disabilities, conditions, medication.

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Payment Data.

We may collect data necessary to process your payment if you choose to make purchases, such as your payment instrument number, and the security code associated with your payment instrument. All payment data is handled and stored by Wix Payments when purchased for our services are made through our website or through Protected Trust Services when payments for our international services are made through their platform .

You may find their privacy notice link(s) here: https://www.wix.com/about/terms-of-payments & https://www.protectedtrustservices.com/privacy-policy/

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All personal information that you provide to us must be true, complete, and accurate, and you must notify us of any changes to such personal information.

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Information automatically collected

Some information such as your Internet Protocol (IP) address and/or browser and device characteristics is collected automatically when you visit our Services such as but not limited to our website and social media pages.

 

We automatically collect certain information when you visit, use, or navigate the Services. This information does not reveal your specific identity (like your name or contact information) but may include device and usage information, such as your IP address, browser and device characteristics, operating system, language preferences, referring URLs, device name, country, location, information about how and when you use our Services, and other technical information. This information is primarily needed to maintain the security and operation of our Services, and for our internal analytics and reporting purposes.

 

Like many businesses, we also collect information through cookies and similar technologies. You can find out more about this in our Cookie Policy https://pioneermountaineering.co.uk/cookie-policy.

 

The information we collect includes:

• Log and Usage Data. Log and usage data is service-related, diagnostic, usage, and performance information our servers automatically collect when you access or use our Services and which we record in log files. Depending on how you interact with us, this log data may include your IP address, device information, browser type, and settings and information about your activity in the Services (such as the date/time stamps associated with your usage, pages and files viewed, searches, and other actions you take such as which features you use), device event information (such as system activity, error reports (sometimes called 'crash dumps'), and hardware settings).

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• Device Data. We collect device data such as information about your computer, phone, tablet, or other device you use to access the Services. Depending on the device used, this device data may include information such as your IP address (or proxy server), device and application identification numbers, location, browser type, hardware model, Internet service provider and/or mobile carrier, operating system, and system configuration information.

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• Location Data. We collect location data such as information about your device's location, which can be either precise or imprecise. How much information we collect depends on the type and settings of the device you use to access the Services. For example, we may use GPS and other technologies to collect geolocation data that tells us your current location (based on your IP address). You can opt out of allowing us to collect this information either by refusing access to the information or by disabling your Location setting on your device. However, if you choose to opt out, you may not be able to use certain aspects of the Service

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3. What we do with the relevant information we gather 

We require this information to understand your needs and provide you with a better service, and for the following reasons: 

● Internal record keeping for a specified period time as required.

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● Improving our products and services and for the delivery of our services to the user. We may process your information to provide you with the requested service.

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● We may periodically send promotional emails about new products, special offers, or other information which we think you may find interesting, using the email address you have provided. 

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● From time to time, we may also use your information to contact you for market research purposes.  

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​● To respond to user inquiries/offer support to users. We may process your information to respond to your inquiries and solve any potential issues you might have with the requested service.

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● To send administrative information to you. We may process your information to send you details about our products and services, changes to our terms and policies, and other similar information.

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● To fulfil and manage your orders. We may process your information to fulfil and manage your orders, payments, returns, and exchanges made through the Services.

 

● To request feedback. We may process your information when necessary to request feedback and to contact you about your use of our Services.

 

●To deliver targeted advertising to you. We may process your information to develop and display personalised content and advertising tailored to your interests, location, and more. For more information see our Cookie Notice: https://www.pioneermountaineering.co.uk/cookie-policy

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●​​​​To protect our Services. We may process your information as part of our efforts to keep our Services safe and secure, including fraud monitoring and prevention.

 

●​​​​To identify usage trends. We may process information about how you use our Services to better understand how they are being used so we can improve them.

 

●​​​​To determine the effectiveness of our marketing and promotional campaigns. We may process your information to better understand how to provide marketing and promotional campaigns that are most relevant to you.

 

●​​​​To save or protect an individual's vital interest. We may process your information when necessary to save or protect an individual’s vital interest, such as to prevent harm.

 

We may contact you by email, phone or mail. If participants have completed a Pioneer Mountaineering Consent Form, there is a section asking if they are happy for their photo to be taken for advertising. If this is ticked, staff may take photos to be sent to Pioneer Mountaineering. The photos should then be deleted from their phone. 

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4. What legal bases relate to how we process your information​

Pioneer Mountaineering will only process your personal information when we believe it is necessary and we have a valid legal reason (i.e. legal basis) to do so under applicable law, like with your consent, to comply with laws, to provide you with services to enter into or fulfil our contractual obligations, to protect your rights, or to fulfil our legitimate business interests.

 

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and UK GDPR require us to explain the valid legal bases we rely on in order to process your personal information. As such, we may rely on the following legal bases to process your personal information:

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• Consent. We may process your information if you have permitted us (i.e. consent) to use your personal information for a specific purpose. You can withdraw your consent at any time. Follow the link to learn more about withdrawing your consent.

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• Performance of a Contract. We may process your personal information when we believe it is necessary to fulfil our contractual obligations to you, including providing our Services or at your request prior to entering into a contract with you.

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• Legitimate Interests. We may process your information when we believe it is reasonably necessary to achieve our legitimate business interests and those interests do not outweigh your interests and fundamental rights and freedoms. For example, we may process your personal information for some of the purposes described in order to:​

  • Send users information about special offers and discounts on our products and services

  • Develop and display personalised and relevant advertising content for our users

  • Analyse how our Services are used so we can improve them to engage and retain users

  • Support our marketing activities

  • Diagnose problems and/or prevent fraudulent activities

  • Understand how our users use our products and services so we can improve user experience

  • Legal Obligations. We may process your information where we believe it is necessary for compliance with our legal obligations, such as to cooperate with a law enforcement body or regulatory agency, exercise or defend our legal rights, or disclose your information as evidence in litigation in which we are involved.

  • Vital Interests. We may process your information where we believe it is necessary to protect your vital interests or the vital interests of a third party, such as situations involving potential threats to the safety of any person.

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5. What are my rights in relation to my personal data? 

Where you have consented to Pioneer Mountaineering using your personal data, you can withdraw that consent at any time.  If the information we hold about you is inaccurate or incomplete, you can notify us and ask us to correct it. You also have the right, with some exceptions, to ask us to provide a copy of any personal data we hold about you. 
 

Where you have provided your data to us and it is processed by automated means, you may be able to request that we provide it to you in a structured, machine reasonable format. 

 
If you have a complaint about how we have handled your personal data, you may be able to ask us to restrict how we use your personal data while your complaint is resolved. In some circumstances you can ask us to erase your personal data by (a) by withdrawing your consent for us to use it; (b) if it is no longer necessary for us to use your personal data; (c) you object to the use of your personal data and we don’t have a good reason to continue to use it; or (d) we haven’t handled your personal data in accordance with our obligations.

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In some regions (like ), you have certain rights under applicable data protection laws. These may include the right (i) to request access and obtain a copy of your personal information, (ii) to request rectification or erasure; (iii) to restrict the processing of your personal information; (iv) if applicable, to data portability; and (v) not to be subject to automated decision-making. In certain circumstances, you may also have the right to object to the processing of your personal information.

 

We will consider and act upon any request in accordance with applicable data protection laws.

 

If you are located in the UK and you believe we are unlawfully processing your personal information, you also have the right to complain to the UK data protection authority.

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6. Does our Privacy Policy get updated?​

We may update this privacy notice, and if the policy is updated or any of the wording in this notice then an updated date will be present at the top of this privacy notice. If we make material changes to this privacy notice, we may notify you either by prominently posting a notice of such changes or by directly sending you a notification. We encourage you to review this privacy notice frequently to be informed of how we are protecting your information and how your data is being used to ensure that you are happy with our policy and procedures.

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7. How long will Pioneer Mountaineering keep my personal data 

Pioneer Mountaineering will keep the personal data connected to customers and suppliers for no more than 2 years after the date of last formal contact with that customer. Signatures stored in picture format for use on official Pioneer Mountaineering documentation will be removed immediately on termination of contract. We will only keep your personal information for as long as it is necessary for the purposes set out in this privacy notice, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law (such as tax, accounting, or other legal requirements).

 

When we have no ongoing legitimate business need to process your personal information, we will either delete or anonymise such information, or, if this is not possible (for example, because your personal information has been stored in backup archives), then we will securely store your personal information and isolate it from any further processing until deletion is possible.

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8. How is your data securely stored? 

We are committed to ensuring that your information is secure. To prevent unauthorised access or disclosure, we have put in place suitable physical, technical and organisational procedures to safeguard and secure the information we collect online. However, despite our safeguards and efforts to secure your information, no electronic transmission over the Internet or information storage technology can be guaranteed to be 100% secure, so we cannot promise or guarantee that hackers, cybercriminals, or other unauthorised third parties will not be able to defeat our security and improperly collect, access, steal, or modify your information. Pioneer Mountaineering will do our best to protect your personal information, transmission of personal information to and from our Services is at your own risk. You should only access the Services within a secure environment.

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9. Mobile Phones use during the delivery of our services

Participants and staff need to communicate with each other whilst under remote supervision. Pioneer Mountaineering Staff will take the phone numbers of young people, defined as anyone under the legal age of 18 and adults, defined as anyone over the legal age of 18. Young people are expected to delete this information from their phones at the end of the expedition . Young people will be given the phone numbers of Pioneer Mountaineering Staff they are working with, so they can contact them in an emergency. We advise all staff to ensure the young people delete their phone number at the end of each expedition. 

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10. Where is my data stored? 

The personal data collected will be saved on Pioneer Mountaineering’s Microsoft Corporation's Cloud Storage Tenancy, which is managed by and restricted to Pioneer Mountaineering’s Technical Staff from within the United Kingdom or countries where our services operate as outlined to the individual at the time of us entering into a contract with yourself. All data is stored within Microsoft’s Secure Data Centres. Your data will be used in a variety of systems  for the operations of its business and for other purposes as outlined in this Privacy Policy.

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11. When and with Whom do we shall your personal information with?

We may share your data with third-party vendors, service providers, contractors, or other third parties who perform services for us or on our behalf and require access to such information to do that work. We have contracts in place with our third parties, which are designed to help safeguard your personal information. This means that they cannot do anything with your personal information unless we have instructed them to do it. They will also not share your personal information with any organisation apart from us. They also commit to protect the data they hold on our behalf and to retain it for the period we instruct.

 

The categories of third parties we may share personal information with are as follows:

• Social Networks

• Data Analytics Services

• Finance & Accounting Tools

• Order Fulfilment Service Providers

• Payment Processors

• Sales & Marketing Tools

 

We also may need to share your personal information in the following situations:

• Business Transfers. We may share or transfer your information in connection with, or during negotiations of, any merger, sale of company assets, financing, or acquisition of all or a portion of our business to another company.

• Affiliates. We may share your information with our affiliates, in which case we will require those affiliates to honour this privacy notice. Affiliates include our parent company and any subsidiaries, joint venture partners, or other companies that we control or that are under common control with us.

• Business Partners. We may share your information with our business partners to offer you certain products, services, or promotions.

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12. How do we use Cookies and other Tracking Technologies?

Pioneer Mountaineering may use cookies and similar tracking technologies (like web beacons and pixels) to gather information when you interact with our Services, whether on our website or any of our associated platforms. Some online tracking technologies help us maintain the security of our Services, prevent crashes, fix bugs, save your preferences, and assist with basic site functions.

 

We also permit third parties and service providers to use online tracking technologies on our Services for analytics and advertising, including to help manage and display advertisements, to tailor advertisements to your interests, or to send abandoned shopping cart reminders (depending on your communication preferences). The third parties and service providers use their technology to provide advertising about products and services tailored to your interests, which may appear either on our Services or on other websites.

 

Specific information about how we use such technologies and how you can refuse certain cookies is set out in our Cookie Notice: https://www.pioneermountaineering/cookie-policy/.

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Google Analytics

We may share your information with Google Analytics to track and analyse the use of the Services. The Google Analytics Advertising Features that we may use include: Remarketing with Google Analytics, Google Display Network Impressions Reporting and Google Analytics Demographics and Interests Reporting. To opt out of being tracked by Google Analytics across the Services, visit https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout. You can opt out of Google Analytics Advertising Features through Ads Settings and Ad Settings for mobile apps. Other opt out means include http://optout.networkadvertising.org/ and http://www.networkadvertising.org/mobile-choice. For more information on the privacy practices of Google, please visit the Google Privacy & Terms page.

 

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13. Is any of your information stored or shared internationally?

Our servers are located in the United Kingdom, United States and within the European Union. If you are accessing our Services from outside the United Kingdom, please be aware that your information may be transferred to, stored, and processed by us in our facilities and by those third parties with whom we may share your personal information in Argentina, Nepal, Morocco and other countries as per business needs which are outlined as part of our Privacy Policy. 

 

If you are a resident in the European Economic Area (EEA), United Kingdom (UK), or Switzerland, then these countries may not necessarily have data protection laws or other similar laws as comprehensive as those in your country. However, we will take all necessary measures to protect your personal information in accordance with this privacy notice and applicable law.

 

European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses:

We have implemented measures to protect your personal information, including by using the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses for transfers of personal information between our group companies and between us and our third-party providers. These clauses require all recipients to protect all personal information that they process originating from the EEA or UK in accordance with European data protection laws and regulations. We have implemented similar appropriate safeguards with our third-party service providers and partners and further details can be provided upon request.

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14. How do we collect information from minors?

We knowingly collect data about children under 18 years of age as provided by a parent or a legally appointed guardian and we do not knowingly sell such personal information. By using the Services, you represent that you are at least 18 or that you are the parent or guardian of such a minor and consent to such minor’s use of the Services. If we learn that personal information from users less than 18 years of age has been collected, where not provided by a parent or legally appointed guardian, we will deactivate the account and take reasonable measures to promptly delete such data from our records. If you become aware of any data we may have collected from children under age 18 where not provided by a parent or legally appointed guardian, please contact us at privacy@pioneermountaineering.co.uk

 

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15. How do you update, review, or delete any information that we store about you?

Based on the applicable laws of your country, you may have the right to request access to the personal information we collect from you, details about how we have processed it, correct inaccuracies, or delete your personal information. It is expected that all personal data obtained before and during the expedition is securely deleted after the expedition, whether it be paper or electronic format, unless we specify that we will hold the data for a longer period of time and agree this with you. You may also have the right to withdraw your consent to our processing of your personal information.

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If we are relying on your consent to process your personal information, which may be express and/or implied consent depending on the applicable law, you have the right to withdraw your consent at any time. You can withdraw your consent at any time by contacting us using the contact details provided in the section. However, please note that this will not affect the lawfulness of the processing before its withdrawal, nor, when applicable law allows, will it affect the processing of your personal information conducted in reliance on lawful processing grounds other than consent.

 

These rights may be limited in some circumstances by applicable law. To request to review, update, or deletion of your personal information, please send an email to privacy@pioneermountaineering.co.uk detailing the personal data in question and the action you wish to take.