Travel insurance for skiers and holidaymakers taking part in winter sports generally is designed to provide cover for emergency medical situations, mountain rescue and repatriation, rather than as a catch-all healthcare insurance as some people assume or even expect.
When you book your ski holiday, your travel agent or tour operator may well offer you a ski insurance policy too. However there are insurance providers out there which specialise in winter sports insurance and can offer more extensive cover. Start off by looking online to find a wide range of quotes quickly and with ease.
The first thing to remember is that you are under no obligation to buy ski insurance from the travel agent you book your holiday with. Ski insurance is of course a specialist area, so it pays to shop around and to ensure you get the best possible cover for all winter sports activities, including snowboarding, heliskiing, off-piste skiing, dog-sledding and tobogganing, if you are eager to try out some of these things.
When you are out there on holiday, you should make sure you keep the risk to your property as low as possible. For instance try exchanging one of your skis with a friend if you ever have to leave them unattended: this will deter thieves, as a pair of mismatched skis will be practically worthless.
Many insurance providers now recognise off-piste skiing as a vital part of a ski holiday and even go so far as to allow it. But you should firstly check the small print of your policy to see whether or not you will be covered if you try it without a qualified guide. Furthermore, skiing in avalanche zones and areas marked as ‘out of bounds’ will automatically invalidate even the most specialist level ski insurance.
Look at the fine details to find out the terms in the event that your resort suffers from adverse skiing conditions whilst you’re there. If your resort is near a glacier they may pay for alternative arrangements that will enable you to ski there. There will always be many circumstances that could prevent you from being able to ski, whether it is simply piste closure or illness or injury.
If you plan to go on more than one skiing holiday during the season, you might find it cheaper to buy an annual insurance policy. This will also reduce the hassle of having to find a new policy each and every time you go away.
By carefully looking at the fine print of the insurance policies available, then you’ll ultimately find it is possible to make good savings whilst not compromising on cover, enabling you to relax and enjoy your holiday.
