Privacy Policy
How Global Summit Guide collects, uses, and protects your information when you visit our site, subscribe to our newsletter, purchase a digital guidebook, or interact with our resources.
Global Summit Guide (“we,” “our,” or “us”) respects your privacy and is committed to protecting the personal information you share with us. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect when you visit globalsummitguide.com, how we use that information, who we share it with, and the rights you have over your data.
By using this website, you agree to the practices described in this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the site.
On This Page
01 Who We Are
Global Summit Guide is an independent publisher providing route guidance, planning resources, gear recommendations, and safety information for hikers and mountaineers. Our website is owned and operated by Global Summit Guide and is based in the United States.
Have a question? If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or your personal data, contact us at Info@globalsummitguide.com or through our contact page.
02 Information We Collect
2.1 Information You Provide Directly
You may give us personal information when you:
- Subscribe to our newsletter (the Mountain Planning Brief or similar email lists) — we collect your email address and any name you provide.
- Submit a trip report or comment — we collect your name, email address, and the content you submit. We may also store your IP address and browser user agent for spam prevention.
- Purchase a digital product (such as a downloadable PDF guidebook) — our payment processor collects your name, email, billing information, and payment details. We retain only the order record and your email address.
- Contact us through the contact form or email — we receive whatever information you choose to share, including your name, email, and message content.
- Apply to advertise with us — we collect business contact information and proposal details.
2.2 Information Collected Automatically
When you visit our site, certain information is collected automatically by our hosting platform, analytics tools, and advertising partners. This may include:
- Your IP address and approximate geographic location
- Browser type, operating system, and device information
- Referring website and search terms used to find us
- Pages viewed, time spent on each page, and click patterns
- Cookies and similar tracking technologies (see Section 4 below)
2.3 Information We Do Not Collect
We do not knowingly collect:
- Information from children under the age of 13 (see Section 8 below)
- Health, biometric, or sensitive personal data
- Government identification numbers
- Information through any means other than those described above
03 How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect for the following purposes:
- To deliver our content and services — including displaying pages, processing form submissions, and delivering purchased digital products.
- To communicate with you — including sending newsletters, responding to inquiries, and delivering order confirmations or product update notifications.
- To improve our site — including analyzing how visitors use our content so we can produce better guides and resources.
- To display relevant advertising — through Google AdSense and similar networks, which may personalize ads based on your activity (see Section 5).
- To track affiliate purchases — when you click an affiliate link and make a purchase on a partner site, the partner may share information with us so we can be credited for the referral.
- To prevent spam and abuse — including using your IP address and browser information to detect automated activity on our forms.
- To comply with legal obligations — including responding to lawful requests from authorities and enforcing our Terms and Conditions.
We do not sell your personal information. Your data is used only for the purposes described in this policy and is never sold, rented, or leased to third parties for their independent marketing.
04 Cookies and Tracking Technologies
Our site uses cookies and similar technologies to function properly, analyze traffic, and serve relevant advertising. Cookies are small text files stored on your device when you visit a website.
4.1 Types of Cookies We Use
- Essential cookies — required for the site to function, including remembering your cookie preferences and form inputs.
- Analytics cookies — used by Google Analytics to measure how visitors use the site. These help us understand which content is most useful.
- Advertising cookies — used by Google AdSense and other advertising partners to serve personalized ads based on your interests and browsing activity.
- Affiliate tracking cookies — set when you click an affiliate link, used by our partners (such as Amazon Associates) to track referrals.
- Comment cookies — if you leave a comment, you may opt-in to having your name and email saved in cookies for your convenience on future visits. These last approximately one year.
4.2 Managing Cookies
You can control cookies through your browser settings. Most browsers allow you to block or delete cookies, though doing so may affect site functionality. You can also opt out of personalized advertising through:
- Google Ad Settings — to manage Google personalized advertising
- Digital Advertising Alliance opt-out — for participating ad networks in the United States
- Your Online Choices — for participating ad networks in Europe
05 Third-Party Services and Advertising
5.1 Google Analytics
We use Google Analytics to understand how visitors use our site. Google Analytics may collect information about your device, browser, IP address, and on-site activity. This data is processed according to Google’s Privacy Policy. You can opt out of Google Analytics tracking by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.
5.2 Google AdSense
This site displays advertising served by Google AdSense and may participate in other Google advertising programs. Google and its advertising partners use cookies (including the DoubleClick DART cookie) to serve ads based on your prior visits to this site and other sites on the internet.
You can opt out of personalized advertising by visiting Google Ad Settings. Visit Google’s advertising and privacy page to learn more about how Google uses cookies for advertising.
Third-party vendors, including Google, may also use cookies to serve ads based on a user’s prior visits to our website or other websites. Google’s use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to our users based on their visit to our site and other sites on the internet.
5.3 Affiliate Programs
We participate in affiliate programs including (but not limited to) Amazon Associates, REI Co-op, Backcountry.com, and selected mountaineering operator referral programs. When you click an affiliate link on our site and make a qualifying purchase, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. These partners may use cookies to track referrals and may collect information according to their own privacy policies.
5.4 Payment Processing
Digital product purchases on this site are processed through third-party payment platforms (such as Gumroad, Stripe, or PayPal). When you purchase a product, your payment information is handled directly by the payment processor and is not stored on our servers. Each payment processor has its own privacy policy governing how it handles your data.
5.5 Email Service Providers
Our newsletter and email communications are delivered through third-party email service providers (such as ConvertKit, MailerLite, or similar services). When you subscribe, your email address and any other information you provide is stored by both us and the email service provider. You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in any email or by contacting us directly.
5.6 Comments and Gravatar
When you leave a comment, an anonymized hash created from your email address may be provided to the Gravatar service to check if you have an associated profile picture. The Gravatar service privacy policy is available at automattic.com/privacy/. Comment content and metadata are retained indefinitely so we can recognize and approve follow-up comments automatically.
5.7 Embedded Content
Articles on our site may include embedded content from other websites (videos, social media posts, maps, and similar). Embedded content behaves as if you had visited the third-party website directly — these websites may collect data about you, use cookies, embed additional third-party tracking, and monitor your interaction with that embedded content.
5.8 Media Uploads
If you submit a trip report with images, please note that some image files contain embedded metadata (such as EXIF GPS coordinates). Visitors who download images from our site can potentially extract this metadata. We recommend stripping location data from any photos before uploading.
06 How We Share Your Information
We share your information only in these limited situations:
- With service providers who help us operate the site (hosting, analytics, email delivery, payment processing) — these providers are contractually obligated to protect your data.
- With advertising partners as described in Section 5 — for the purpose of serving relevant ads.
- With affiliate partners when you click an affiliate link — limited to referral attribution.
- To comply with legal obligations — when required by law, court order, or other legal process.
- To protect rights and safety — when necessary to investigate fraud, prevent harm, or enforce our Terms and Conditions.
- In connection with a business transfer — if Global Summit Guide is acquired by or merged with another company, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction.
We do not sell, rent, or lease your personal information to third parties for their independent marketing purposes.
07 Your Privacy Rights
7.1 General Rights
Regardless of where you live, you can:
- Unsubscribe from our emails at any time using the link in any message
- Request to know what personal information we have about you
- Request that we delete your personal information
- Request that we correct inaccurate information
- Opt out of personalized advertising through the links in Section 4.2
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at Info@globalsummitguide.com.
🇪🇺 7.2 European (GDPR) Rights
For visitors in the EU, UK, or Switzerland:
- Access — request a copy of your data
- Rectification — correct inaccurate data
- Erasure — the “right to be forgotten”
- Restrict processing — limit how we use it
- Data portability — machine-readable export
- Object — to direct marketing or specific uses
- Withdraw consent — at any time
- Lodge a complaint — with your local DPA
🇺🇸 7.3 California (CCPA/CPRA) Rights
For California residents:
- Right to know — what data we have
- Right to delete — your personal information
- Right to correct — inaccurate information
- Right to opt out — of “sale” or “sharing”
- Right to non-discrimination — for exercising rights
Note: We do not sell personal information, though advertising cookies may count as “sharing” under CPRA. See Section 4.2 to opt out.
Our legal bases for processing your data under GDPR include your consent (newsletter, cookies), contract performance (digital product purchases), and legitimate interests (site analytics, fraud prevention).
To exercise California rights, contact us at Info@globalsummitguide.com with “California Privacy Request” in the subject line.
08 Children’s Privacy
This site is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we learn that we have collected personal information from a child under 13, we will delete that information as quickly as possible. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us at Info@globalsummitguide.com.
09 Data Retention
We retain personal information only as long as necessary for the purposes described in this policy:
- Newsletter subscribers — until you unsubscribe
- Customer purchase records — at least 7 years for tax and accounting purposes
- Comments and trip reports — indefinitely, as ongoing public content (you may request removal at any time)
- Analytics data — typically 14-26 months in Google Analytics, then aggregated
- Contact form submissions — typically 1-2 years, then deleted
10 Data Security
We take reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures include encrypted connections (HTTPS), secure password storage, and limited access to personal data among site administrators. However, no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
11 International Data Transfers
Global Summit Guide is operated from the United States. If you access our site from outside the United States, your information will be transferred to, stored in, and processed in the United States. By using this site, you consent to this transfer. We rely on appropriate safeguards (including standard contractual clauses where required) when transferring data internationally.
12 Third-Party Links
Our site contains links to third-party websites (operators, gear retailers, news sites, and reference resources). We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those sites. We encourage you to read the privacy policies of any third-party site you visit through a link on our site.
13 Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or site features. When we make material changes, we will update the “Last Updated” date at the top of this page and, where appropriate, notify subscribers by email. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.
14 Contact Us
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, would like to exercise any of your privacy rights, or have concerns about how your information is handled, please reach out. We aim to respond to all privacy-related inquiries within 30 days.
Get In Touch
Questions, requests, or concerns about your data: