Terms of Service: User Agreement & Legal Disclaimer

Effective Date: December 22, 2025

1. Acceptance of Terms

Welcome to teameverest03.org (hereinafter referred to as the “Website,” “Service,” or “Platform”). Please read these Terms of Service (“Terms,” “Agreement”) carefully before using the website operated by our editorial and archival team (“us,” “we,” or “our”).

By accessing or using the Service, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms. Just as every climber at Base Camp must adhere to the rules of the mountain and the regulations of the liaison officers, every visitor to this digital platform must adhere to these digital regulations. These Terms apply to all visitors, users, and others who wish to access or use the Service.

If you disagree with any part of the terms, then you do not have permission to access the Service. This Agreement sets forth the legally binding terms and conditions for your use of the Website.

2. Educational and Informational Purpose (The “Base Camp” Disclaimer)

The content provided on teameverest03.org is for general informational, educational, and archival purposes only. While we strive to maintain the highest standards of accuracy—drawing from the historical logs of the 2003 Team Everest expedition and modern data surveys—the environment of the high Himalayas is dynamic and inherently dangerous.

Assumption of Risk: Mountaineering, high-altitude trekking, and travel to remote regions like the Khumbu Valley involve significant risks, including but not limited to injury, illness (such as HAPE/HACE), permanent disability, and death. The information provided on this Website, including route descriptions, weather patterns, and physiological advice, is not a substitute for professional medical advice, certified mountain guiding, or official government regulations.

Use of Downloadable Materials: We provide various tools to assist in your planning, such as downloadable gear checklists, acclimatization schedules, and packing guides found within our articles. These materials are provided “as is.” They are intended to serve as organizational aids and reference points based on historical data and expert opinion. They do not guarantee safety or success. By downloading and using these checklists, you acknowledge that you are solely responsible for your own safety and decision-making in the field. You agree that teameverest03.org shall not be held liable for any accidents, injuries, or losses incurred while relying on information provided in these documents.

3. Intellectual Property Rights

The content on this Website is a blend of historical record and modern digital creation. It is protected by copyright, trademark, and other laws of both the United States and foreign countries.

Historical Archives: The specific logs, photographs, video footage, and written accounts of the Team Everest ’03 expedition (Gary Guller, the Coalition of Texans with Disabilities, and the trekking team) constitute the historical core of this site. These materials are used here with the intent of preservation and education.
Original Content: All modern text, graphics, logos, button icons, images, audio clips, digital downloads, data compilations, and software created for the current iteration of teameverest03.org are the exclusive property of the Website operators or its content suppliers.

You are granted a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, and revocable license to access and use the Service for strictly personal, non-commercial purposes. You may not:

Modify, copy, reproduce, republish, upload, post, transmit, translate, sell, create derivative works, exploit, or distribute in any manner or medium (including by email or other electronic means) any material from the Service unless explicitly authorized in these Terms or by the owner of the materials.
Use any data mining, robots, or similar data gathering and extraction tools on the Service.

4. User Conduct and Responsibilities

We aim to cultivate a community that reflects the spirit of the 2003 expedition: inclusive, supportive, and respectful. To maintain this environment, you agree to comply with the following rules of conduct.

Prohibited Activities: You agree not to use the Service for any purpose that is unlawful or prohibited by these Terms. Specifically, you agree not to:

Violate Laws: Use the Service in any way that violates any applicable federal, state, local, or international law or regulation (including, without limitation, any laws regarding the export of data or software to and from the US or other countries).
Harm Minors: Exploit, harm, or attempt to exploit or harm minors in any way by exposing them to inappropriate content or asking for personally identifiable information.
Impersonate: Impersonate or attempt to impersonate the Company, a Company employee, another user, or any other person or entity (including, without limitation, by using email addresses or screen names associated with any of the foregoing).
Interfere: Engage in any other conduct that restricts or inhibits anyone’s use or enjoyment of the Service, or which, as determined by us, may harm the Company or users of the Service or expose them to liability.
Disable Security: Attempt to gain unauthorized access to, interfere with, damage, or disrupt any parts of the Service, the server on which the Service is stored, or any server, computer, or database connected to the Service.

5. User-Generated Content and Community Interaction

A key feature of teameverest03.org is our interactive community. We frequently invite readers to answer questions at the end of our articles to share their experiences regarding trekking, gear, or overcoming personal challenges. This collective wisdom is a vital part of our mission.

License to Your Content: By posting comments, answering questions, uploading images, or otherwise submitting content to the Website (“User Content”), you grant us a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable, and fully sublicensable right to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, translate, create derivative works from, distribute, and display such User Content throughout the world in any media. You grant us the right to use the name that you submit in connection with such content, if we choose.

Content Standards: You are solely responsible for the User Content you post. We have the right, but not the obligation, to monitor and edit or remove any activity or content. We take no responsibility and assume no liability for any content posted by you or any third party.

We reserve the right to remove any content that is:

Defamatory, obscene, indecent, abusive, offensive, harassing, violent, hateful, inflammatory, or otherwise objectionable.
Promoting sexually explicit or pornographic material, violence, or discrimination based on race, sex, religion, nationality, disability, sexual orientation, or age.
Infringing any patent, trademark, trade secret, copyright, or other intellectual property or other rights of any other person.
Likely to deceive any person.
Promoting any illegal activity, or advocating, promoting, or assisting any unlawful act.

6. Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) Notice

We respect the intellectual property rights of others. It is our policy to respond to any claim that Content posted on the Service infringes on the copyright or other intellectual property infringement of any person.

If you are a copyright owner, or authorized on behalf of one, and you believe that the copyrighted work has been copied in a way that constitutes copyright infringement that is taking place through the Service, you must submit your notice in writing to our webmaster and include in your notice a detailed description of the alleged infringement.

DMCA Notice Requirements: To be effective, the notification must include the following:

A physical or electronic signature of a person authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed.
Identification of the copyrighted work claimed to have been infringed.
Identification of the material that is claimed to be infringing or to be the subject of infringing activity and that is to be removed or access to which is to be disabled.
Information reasonably sufficient to permit us to contact the complaining party, such as an address, telephone number, and, if available, an email address.
A statement that the complaining party has a good faith belief that use of the material in the manner complained of is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law.
A statement that the information in the notification is accurate, and under penalty of perjury, that the complaining party is authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed.

7. Third-Party Links and Resources

The Service may contain links to third-party web sites or services that are not owned or controlled by teameverest03.org. For example, we may link to official Nepal Ministry of Tourism sites for permit rules or to equipment manufacturers for gear specifications.

We have no control over, and assume no responsibility for, the content, privacy policies, or practices of any third-party web sites or services. You further acknowledge and agree that teameverest03.org shall not be responsible or liable, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with use of or reliance on any such content, goods, or services available on or through any such web sites or services. We strongly advise you to read the terms and conditions and privacy policies of any third-party web sites or services that you visit.

8. Disclaimer of Warranties

The Service is provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis. Teameverest03.org makes no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, as to the operation of their services, or the information, content, or materials included therein. You expressly agree that your use of these services, their content, and any services or items obtained from us is at your sole risk.

Neither the company nor any person associated with the company makes any warranty or representation with respect to the completeness, security, reliability, quality, accuracy, or availability of the Service. Without limiting the foregoing, neither the company nor anyone associated with the company represents or warrants that the Service, its content, or any services or items obtained through the Service will be accurate, reliable, error-free, or uninterrupted, that defects will be corrected, or that the Service or the server that makes it available are free of viruses or other harmful components.

9. Limitation of Liability

Except as prohibited by law, you will hold us and our officers, directors, employees, and agents harmless for any indirect, punitive, special, incidental, or consequential damage, however it arises (including attorneys’ fees and all related costs and expenses of litigation and arbitration, or at trial or on appeal, if any, whether or not litigation or arbitration is instituted), whether in an action of contract, negligence, or other tortious action, or arising out of or in connection with this agreement, including without limitation any claim for personal injury or property damage, arising from this agreement and any violation by you of any federal, state, or local laws, statutes, rules, or regulations, even if the company has been previously advised of the possibility of such damage.

10. Indemnification

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless teameverest03.org, its affiliates, licensors, and service providers, and its and their respective officers, directors, employees, contractors, agents, licensors, suppliers, successors, and assigns from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, judgments, awards, losses, costs, expenses, or fees (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising out of or relating to your violation of these Terms of Service or your use of the Service, including, but not limited to, your User Contributions, any use of the Service’s content, services, and products other than as expressly authorized in these Terms of Service, or your use of any information obtained from the Service.

11. Governing Law

These Terms shall be governed and construed in accordance with the laws of the United States, without regard to its conflict of law provisions. Our failure to enforce any right or provision of these Terms will not be considered a waiver of those rights. If any provision of these Terms is held to be invalid or unenforceable by a court, the remaining provisions of these Terms will remain in effect. These Terms constitute the entire agreement between us regarding our Service, and supersede and replace any prior agreements we might have had between us regarding the Service.

12. Changes to Terms

We reserve the right, at our sole discretion, to modify or replace these Terms at any time. If a revision is material, we will provide at least 30 days’ notice prior to any new terms taking effect. What constitutes a material change will be determined at our sole discretion.

By continuing to access or use our Service after any revisions become effective, you agree to be bound by the revised terms. If you do not agree to the new terms, you are no longer authorized to use the Service.

13. Termination

We may terminate or suspend your account and bar access to the Service immediately, without prior notice or liability, under our sole discretion, for any reason whatsoever and without limitation, including but not limited to a breach of the Terms.

If you wish to terminate your account, you may simply discontinue using the Service. All provisions of the Terms which by their nature should survive termination shall survive termination, including, without limitation, ownership provisions, warranty disclaimers, indemnity, and limitations of liability.

14. Contact Us

If you have any questions about these Terms, or if you need to provide a legal notice, please contact us. We are committed to resolving any issues with the same diligence we apply to our expedition research.

Email: [email protected]

By using teameverest03.org, you acknowledge that you have read these Terms of Service and agree to be bound by them. Climb on, safely and responsibly.