Ski and Winter Sports Travel Insurance

Safety and cover on the slopes.

All good insurance companies covering this market should cover you for all winter sports resorts in countries such as Austria, France, Italy, Switzerland, Andorra, USA & Canada.

Ski Slopes

Ski slopes are fun. . . but they can be dangerous.

Ski Injuries

The top 5 ski injuries taken from a sample of 400 cases were:

1. Knee ligament injuries (30% of all cases);
2. Fractured tibia
3. Fractured/sprained wrists
4. Back injuries
5. Dislocated shoulders

Each year almost 1.2 million UK holiday makers take a winter sports holiday and 14,000 returned home with injuries such as fractures and damaged ligaments.

Cost of treatment

• European airlift to hospital can cost £2,500
• Repatriation (flying your injured or dead body home) £6,000
• USA helicopter evacuation £9,000
• USA repatriation £50,000

Injury Destinations

Top 6 destinations where ski injuries occurred 1999-2000 season were:

1. France: 45%
2. Austria: 19%
3. Italy: 18%
4. USA: 11%
5. Switzerland: 4%
6. Canada: 3%

The above statistics were taken from a sample of 400 cases and provided by FirstAssist, one of the Foreign & Commonwealth Office partners in the Know Before You Go Campaign.

The problem is there are thousands of insurance providers out there. Some offer pretty basic cover - often too basic if you do need to make a claim.

Remember if you intend skiing off piste, or not in an officially recognised resort, you should inform your insurer.

As always check the levels of cover in the policy schedule are adequate before you buy.

Whether you intend taking the piste by storm or not, you simply can't afford to settle for any old travel insurance policy.

Spend more time choosing the right medical health cover - even if it means little less time devoted to dithering over the right designer goggles.

Downhill skiing or snowboarding?

Make sure insurance offers winter sports cover whether you're planning to go downhill skiing or snowboarding.

And make sure you're fully insured for the risks. Cover for medical expenses is a must, as is cover for personal liability and legal expenses.

Winter sports insurance is usually included in an annual policy - there will be restrictions on the amount of days you can participate though.

Policy Terms . . . take a closer look

Depending on your personal circumstances and your level of expertise, there are certain areas of the travel insurance policy terms and conditions that you will want to take a closer look at

Ski equipment

Make sure the levels of cover for loss, damage or if your equipment is stolen in transit, is enough.

Don't be lulled into thinking you'll still be covered if you leave your skis outside a restaurant.

This is known in the insurance market as unattended equipment* (Link to Austria page) and your policy may not cover you for this.

Hired ski equipment

Most insurers give you the green light to hire equipment if yours is lost or stolen - but only up to the value shown in your policy.

But if you lose or damage hired equipment it's unlikely this will be covered by your original insurer. So make sure that whichever centre you hire the equipment from has proper insurance.

Pre-booked ski activities

Most travel insurance companies will only cover pre-booked tuition or guided tours ie activities you booked your activities before departure.

Piste closure

This tends to apply only between 1st December and 30th April. Read the terms and conditions of your travel insurance policy to ensure that if there's no snow, you'll still be covered.

Avalanche

If there's an avalanche and it results in the piste being closed or declared dangerous then you won't be covered, so don't - however experienced you are - ski.

Skiing off Piste

Who doesn't want to go off piste from time to time? It's almost irresistible. Before you give in, make sure you'll be covered in the event of an accident. That means using recognised ski routes at a recognised risk resort.

You can't wander off track and ski where the resort has advised it's inappropriate or dangerous. Always check with the resort first.

Take a qualified guide

Most insurers will allow you to ski off piste outside the resort but only with a qualified guide approved by the resort.

If you take a tumble off piste and injure yourself, you could blow your medical cover if a qualified guide or instructor doesn't accompany you.

Real-life drama - Example

The Foreign & Commonwealth Office website gives an example of a real-life drama that took place in a ski resort in Switzerland (see link)

'A lady and her husband were on a winter sports holiday in Switzerland. The lady ruptured cruciate ligaments in one knee and injured her back when she fell skiing.

'She had to be taken off the slopes by helicopter, taken to a Swiss hospital, and had to undergo an operation to her knee.

'She and her husband missed her original return flight.

'She was unable to travel seated due to the back injury and had to be repatriated by stretcher with a nurse escort, accompanied by her husband.

An assistance company helped with all these arrangements - the total cost came to over £13,000.'

So folks, your average travel insurance policy won't cover you for skiing in Vale D'Isere, or bumping into Prince Charles or Camilla Parker-Bowles on the slopes of Kloisters. You need winter sports cover.