J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by Vikithecat

fantastic, that'll have gone to my husband, will pick it up later when he gets home

i'm lucky in that out in Newfoundland a mate of mine runs the local cat skiing enterprise so i get to always ski off piste with a guide which satisfies my insurers but in reality its just skiing with the boys!

Hi again . . . just to update, as we're struggling to find a sole traveller to fill the gap we can acutally take 2 people travelling together (choice of twin, double or seperate rooms the house is huge lol). . . just make us an offer, this is an excellent resort, so quiet theres never any queues for the lifts or bottlenecks on the slopes, you spend more time skiing here than anywhere else i've been (various resorts in Austria, Italy, France, Slovina and West Coast Canada) at this price, give it a go . . .

It would appear the cover has been updated since i purchased my 12 month policy last march . . . like i said most "quote & buy" products change wordings regularly depending upon the insurers experiance and targets . . . read policy wordings carefully before buying if you want to be sure of cover . . . or alternatively use a broker rather than an online provider or travel agent, you might pay more but you'll receive advice from a suitably qualified expert and take advantage of the protection of an advised sale rather than a non-advised sale.

Sorry, i'm a compliance officer, its in my nature to advise people to read the cover!

lol hence my advice to read any policy you think of taking out . . . sometimes it will surprise you by what is covered . . . althought more often than not you'll be surprised by what isnt covered/insurable!

Please note though, policy wordings do change reguarly, especially online products as it is so simple to update the policy from day to day, this means the insurer can change their product in view of their own indivial claims loss ratios and underwriting profit/target . . . therefore what one person buys 1 day maydiffer from the product offered the next day . . . cover that has already incepted or been quoted for will honour the original terms however new enquiries may be subject to updates . . .

last point, you often also find wider cover on annual policies as opposed to single trip!

Now i'll stop boring you lol

Any decent travel insurance policy with winter sports extension should cover an amount of off piste cover . . . however there are a lot of rubbish travel policies out there . . . in terms of insurance you generally get what you pay for.

I've worked in insurance for 10 years so i tend to read policies quite closely (i admit i'm a geek lol) and the things you need to look out for are the definitions and exclusions of the policy and also, one of the most overlooked aspects, the security, ie who the policuy is actually underwritten by. A lot of the policies you can buy online are underwritten by very obscure companies that even i struggle to find a security rating for. Another point to note is anything you buy from a travel agent has an exemption under the FSA (finacial services authority) so how do you know if the sales person is selling you something that meets your needs as they are not regulated.

Personally i tend to use Tesco Insurance, the product offers wide cover adequate for all my heli and cat skiing needs, plus they have an excellent claims service and are underwritten by a decent company.

In terms of buying insurance when you are taking part in risky activities there is no excuse not to read the policy yourself before you buy it, its a poor defense to say you didnt know something wasxnt covered when you have a claim turned down.

In my experience your skis are seperate to you baggage allowance, but you ski boots will be included in your baggage allowance . . . however this is based upon my experience flying to Canada either with Astaeus or Monach and Europe with Lufthansa . . . best to check with the indidvidial airline i guess . . .

Due to one of our group dropping out we have a spare place on our trip to Humber Valley Resort/Marble Mountain, Newfoundland Canada.

We travel from London Gatwick on 25th Jan in the afternoon and as its only a 5hr flight with a 2.5hr time difference we arrive early evening and can catch the night skiing. We leave Newfoundland in the evening of 1st Feb, so in total you can get 7 full days skiing in.

We have paid £572 per person for flight, transfers, taxes, accomodation, equipment hire/carriage, lift pass (4 day pass included so you will need to purchase an additional 3 days or plan other activities such as cat/heliskiing, snow mobiling etc), lessons package and shuttles around the resort . . . but as its last minute we are open to offers on the price . . .

The accomodation is a 3 bedroom luxury chalet, whoever travels with us will have their own en suite room with a shared kitchen, living room, dining room and hot tub . . . we're happy to include whoever travles with us or leave them to their own devices however they want to play it. . . check out www.humbervalley.com for the standard of accomodation.

The mountain, whilst not the biggest by a long shot, has plenty of challenging terrain as well as a few gentler bits so suits experinced and beginner skiers alike . . . plus there is loads of off piste to be had in Newfoundland. I've found the heliskiing to be expensive whereas there is cat skiing available which as well as being cheap you get far more drops in on a day out . . . plus its run by some great guys that really want to make sure you have good powdery fun rather than just in it for the commercial side! Check out www.skimarble.com and theres a link on their to the catskiing. For info on the heliskiing and various other activities available have a look at www.mynewfoundlandadventure.com.

About us, i'm 30, i'm an insurance professional and have been skiing since school, i like to play in the terrain park, bumps, off piste and all the crazy stuff. My Husband is 42, a prokect manager for a construction firm, has been skiing 4/5 years and tends to take it a little easier. My stepson is 18, works for an IT company, has been skiing 2 years now and tends to stick with his dad.

If your interested please reply to this thread