If you are thinking of hitting the slopes this winter and the worst happens; a broken leg could end up costing you a lot more than an unused ski pass.
Ensure you’re insured
One of life’s unfortunate guarantees - along with death and taxes - is that ‘stuff’ happens. And on a skiing holiday in particular, there seems to be an awful lot that can go wrong: as well broken bones, there’s also broken equipment, lost luggage and ski passes; not to mention piste closure caused by too much or too little snow.
With all that can go wrong on a skiing holiday, it seems crazy that anyone would even consider going skiing without insurance. Yet, according to insurers, Esure, there will still be up to 500,000 skiers hitting the slopes this season without any cover at all.
Our advice? Don’t be one of them!
Safe is better than sorry
Many skiers give little thought to their travel insurance and are often happy to just take whatever policy is included with their holiday. Not only is this an expensive way to get insured, but also inclusive policies tend to be more limited in terms of the level of cover they provide.
Before you even set one ski on the slope, it is always a good idea to play it safe and find out exactly what you are covered for. If you wait until you need to make a claim then you may get a nasty shock!
A broken leg could end up costing as much as £16,000 in the US or £7,000 in Europe – not including your flight home via air ambulance as some airlines won’t let a passenger on board unless they can bend their legs.
Many skiers also wrongly assume that their European Health Insurance Card will provide adequate cover if the worst happens. However, while you will be covered for any medical bills inside the European Economic Area, you won’t be covered for things like mountain rescue or getting back home.
Also if you are skiing in a country outside of the European Economic Area then your HIC card will not give you any protection at all.
Always read the small print
Being underinsured is almost as bad as having none at all and you should always read your policy’s small print carefully.
One of the first thing you should check is your claims limit. The minimum recommended amount for claims cover is at least £2 million for medical and £1 million for personal liability.
Usually, £1,500 should be enough to cover your belongings, but remember to check and see if they are already covered under the terms of your home contents insurance. If this is the case, or your equipment is hired, then you could potentially save some money by opting for lower or even no baggage cover.
Restrictions & exclusions
Many insurers have restrictions on their policies and it is important to understand what could exclude you from making a claim if something happens on your skiing holiday.
Typical exclusions include failing to declare a pre-existing medical condition or, if you enjoy your Apres-Ski a bit too much, skiing under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Those who are a bit more daring should also beware, as many standard winter sports policies won’t cover you for skiing off-piste or even snowboarding.
Have a think about what kind of activities you will be getting up to on the slopes and tailor your insurance policy according. If you are the kind of person who likes to indulge in some off-piste action or even heli-skiing, then there are a wealth of specialist policies available from insurers online.
But beware! Taking out a specialist policy still doesn’t ensure that you are covered for every eventually. Restrictions like being accompanied by a local qualified guide when you go off-piste are still likely to apply, so the adage of always reading the small print still applies here.
Shop around for a better deal
Winter travel insurance is a very competitive market and you can often pay a lot less and get more comprehensive cover if you look beyond an inclusive policy.
Shop around for the best quote and always make sure you only ever use a broker that is regulated by the Financial Services Authority.
If you are thinking of hitting the slopes more than once during the year then it may also be worth thinking about an annual or multi-trip policy that includes winter sports cover. This can often work out significantly cheaper than single-trip travel insurance.
But don’t worry….
Please don’t let all the talk of broken legs and avalanches put you off your skiing holiday. The actual risk of injury while skiing is only 0.5% - that’s 2 to 4 people per 1000 skiing and 3 to 5 per 1000 for snowboarding.
But please - for us - do make sure you are adequately insured whenever and wherever you go skiing. Just in case!
