Winter Sports Insurance
Although the recorded instances of people who ski or snowboard receiving injuries are surprisingly few, it is a fact that around one per cent of skiers and 4 per cent of snowboarders each year will sustain an accident resulting in some form of treatable injury.
When one takes into account the high numbers of people annually travelling to the world’s ski slopes from the UK and the Isle of Man, this means that a fair number of them will get hurt, some worse than others, and a proportion of them will require hospitalisation and maybe even emergency repatriation back home.
Anyone considering a winter sports holiday should give very serious consideration to obtaining a special winter sports travel insurance policy.
Winter sports travel insurance must not be confused with other types of holiday cover or health care policies. They are specifically designed to ensure that the cost of emergency medical treatment, mountain rescue and repatriation by the safest and most appropriate method are all covered. In order to put things into perspective, a simple break of the wrist is probably one of the most common injuries suffered by skiers and snowboarders. If you are unfortunate enough to suffer this in Europe, your full medical treatment costs will not be covered by your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC).
Here are some of the main policy benefits you should look for:-:
- Medical cover of a minimum of £5 million
- Off Piste Skiing and Snowboarding Cover
- Cover for mountain rescue by helicopter and repatriation to the UK
- Insurance cover for equipment
- Cover for Resort closure due to weather conditions
You must also make absolutely sure that your policy covers you for off piste cruising and any type of activity which may be considered ‘extreme’.
If you intend to book your winter holiday as a package, the agent will normally offer you insurance cover. This is not mandatory and may not be the most cost effective policy on the market, the agent will also want to make a commission from the sale.
Read and understand the conditions of the policy, especially the exclusions. A policy will certainly be invalidated if you ski or snowboard in areas that have been closed for whatever reason. You must also be aware that your conduct on the slopes must be responsible and safe at all times and that any reckless or criminal negligence will not be covered.
