Your Travel Insurance Guide

Winter Sports Travel Cover – Insurance for Skiers and Snowboarders

Although many people consider travel insurance to be an unnecessary expense for a summer holiday, when it comes to a winter one involving sports, this is far from the case. Even the best skiers or snowboarders risk accident or injury, and in foreign countries the costs of getting treatment can be huge.

A general purpose travel policy is unlikely to pay out for claims made as a result of indulging in winter sports, and so you need to get a specialist policy specifically covering these activities. What should you be looking for?

Accident and Injury

No matter how experienced you are, a skiing trip is always going to carry a greater risk of accidents than a typical beach holiday. Not having specific protection against the costs of treatment could leave you facing hefty hospital bills for even minor injuries, and if your accident is more severe and needs mountain rescure, then the costs can be stratospheric.

Repatriation

After an accident, you might find you can no longer make use of your return tickets to get home. Maybe a hospital stay means you will miss your flight, or maybe being placed into a cast means you need additional space on the plane home. A good winter sports insurance policy will cover any additional costs in this area.

Sports Equipment

Winter sports equipment doesn’t come cheap, and you’ll want to cover your own gear against loss, theft, or damage. Even if you plan to hire equipment while on holiday, having insurance already in place can make this a cheaper option as many hirers require insurance and will charge extra if you haven’t got any.

Public Liability

It’s always possible that you might cause injury to someone else through carelessness or misfortune on the slopes. The costs of someone else’s treatment could fall on you in this case, not to mention damages claims. Insurance will cover this.

Piste Closure

You go on a skiing holiday to ski, and if the piste is closed due to bad weather, you can usually claim compensation for lost skiing days.

Off-Piste

Finally, make sure that if you intend to go off-piste that your policy covers this, as basic level winter sports insurance generally doesn’t cover this more hazardous activity.