Off Piste Insurance??????

I note most travel insurers provide off piste cover but when I read the policy, i note that cover is generally only operative when the policyholder is off piste with a recognised resort guide.

I previously assumed i was covered so i'm thankful that nothing happened previously.

Does anyone know if there is an insurer who provides full off piste cover when im on my own or with my friends rather than a resort guide.

These folks havve a reasonable reputation for off-piste cover.....

http://www.direct-travel.co.uk/

I buy my cover from these folks....

http://www.snowcard.co.uk/pages/index.asp

As with all insurance policies, read the very,very small print. Deep down at heart they exist to make money from us all :mrgreen:
Both of these companies provide OP cover if you are not with a guide. Of course, in the event of a claim any insurer may refuse a claim based on you're taking unneccessary risk by not engaging a guide. You would need to be able to prove you were well prepared, well equipped and knowledgeable for the trip being undertaken. There is no such place as a little bit off-piste, so beware of the cheap policies!!
I hope this helps :D

Thanks Bandit,

They offer OP cover as part of their policy cover for Europe (worldide OP cover is restricted to "with guide only") the price was only £20pp, great for extra piece of mind.

hi JulietP:
Re:off piste insurance.

ur assessment of travel agents' insurance is about right.

The problem is you have to be 'dead'[sic] right, or look-out!

Go to www.snowcard.co.uk for peace of mind, total cover as your stated needs, and save significant dosh compared to Travel Agents. The policies are underwritten by Fortis one of the biggest.

I have used these for several years and at 69 yoa my off-piste/ski mountaineering and ski leading insurance cover had better be good!

You will see 6 levels of cover. You may wish to settle on level 3. Don't worry about all the other stuff like rope climbing etc referred to. It's winter sports as far as you are concerned. You must not be a winter sports professional which I assume you're not.

Yes, you are covered off-piste unguided/not led by instructor. It is based on occasional off-piste if you wander off or, if you ski on marked resort off-piste runs (see piste-map). Anything higher levelled eg back-country ski-TOURING using crampons,ropes or skins you need level 4 (unlikely)?

I am not advocating that you DO ski off-piste alone or where local condition/warnings exist which advise against. In other words be sensible not daring and you will be ok and save money!.

Everything I have said is subject to your honest declaration to SnowCard of skills needs and health issues. At my age you can be sure I give 'em a 'list' to make sure!

Any further advice needed discuss with them on 01327 262805.

I have no commercial/social connections with Snowcard whatsoever.

Go ski , go safe,

Dave Williams

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.

Vikithecat wrote:Personally i tend to use Tesco Insurance, the product offers wide cover adequate for all my heli and cat skiing needs

:shock: Wow. Not the first place you'd expect to find heli-skiing friendly insurance!

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

I can't quite find the bit in the Tesco policy small print covering Heli and Cat skiing, but it does say this:

SECTION 11 - Winter Sports (Optional Extension)
This section only applies where you have purchased a Winter Sports policy.

Cover is provided for on-piste snowboarding, skiing, snow-cat skiing, mono-skiing, ski-bobbing, ice-skating, curling, bob-sleighing, luge, tobogganing and snow-mobiling, cross-country skiing on locally recognised tracks, off-piste skiing with a qualified instructor and snowboarding with a qualified instructor.

So, beware of popping off the edge of the piste to commune with nature, cause you won't be insured, unless a ski instructor goes with you :D As this section states cover is only valid when with a qualified instructor, if you employ a UIAGM qualified guide instead, your OP excursion could prove expensive, if you need assistance.