Choosing the right Ski Insurance
It is estimated that up to 10% of Skiers and Snowboarders, travelling abroad for their winter breaks, have no Travel Insurance at all. A further proportion are inadequately insured, due to purchases made at the last minute and choices made on price alone.
Whilst it has never been easier to find Ski Insurance, selecting the appropriate Policy and level of Cover is complicated by the wide variation in the specific insurance provided.
Think about your Skiing
Before choosing a Ski Insurance policy, you should examine your own personal set of risks as these should play a part in your selection. Ignoring them could mean, at best, that you waste your money on cover you don’t need or, rather more seriously, that you find you are indadequately covered in the unfortunate event that you do need the insurance.
Questions to ask about your own skiing:
- How many days will you ski this season?
- Do you Ski off-piste? Never? Occasionally? Often?
- Do you have any relevant medical history? (pre-existing conditions)
- Do you need cover for any “exotic” activities? (e.g. Ski Mountaineering, Heli-Skiing, etc.)
- Do you own your own Ski and Snowboard equipment?
Some Ski Insurance policies still exclude off-piste skiing and we would recommend you avoid these if you are at any level beyond a complete beginner. Very few skiers stay within the marked boundaries of pistes at all times when skiing and it is best not to have that extra worry.
Cover - the worst case
Whilst we sincerely hope that you don’t become a statistic this winter, this is what your Ski Insurance may need to cover.
If you are unlucky enough to suffer a serious injury on the piste, the cost of being helicoptered off the mountain may run to many thousands of Euros.
Being injured off-piste, and perhaps triggering a full scale search-and-rescue operation, will multiply those costs.
The additional cost of an air ambulance to fly you home may also need to be covered.
Where Ski Insurance Policies differ
There is wide variation in the terms, exclusions and levels of cover provided by Ski Insurance policies - even between products from the same provider. You should examine each of these and decide which are most important to your own particular circumstances.
Consider:
- The overall policy limit (we would recommend a limit of at least two million Euros).
- The payout limits for specifics like; closure due to avalanche, lack of snow, etc.
- The more general Travel Insurance aspects including; missed or delayed departure, theft or damage to personal belongings, etc.
We hope to bring you a comparison of the most popular Ski Insurance products here shortly.
Choose the Ski Insurance that’s right for you
Take a little time to understand what you are buying and to make sure it suits your personal needs. This may not be the most exciting part of going skiing but if it happens that you need it, your Ski Insurance will become critical - and you won’t be wanting to worry about it then.
And finally…
Do not forget that you must disclose any relevant (in their opinion - if in doubt, ask them) medical history to the insurer. Failure to do so may invalidate your cover and is simply not worth the risk.
