News

Ski's the limit: travel cover could leave you cold

December 14, 2007

Many winter sports enthusiasts could be left woefully short on cover during their holidays, insurers are warning.

This is because many "standard" travel insurance policies don't cover the raft of special circumstances vital for winter sports breaks, such as piste closures, equipment and injury to others (around 10% of ski slope injuries are caused by a collision with another person).

Worryingly, a survey by insurer Esure earlier this year found more than a quarter of Brits are unaware of the problem, assuming that annual travel policies include skiing cover as standard.

The best quotes for skiers

Insurers are desperately behind the times
But even if a policy does offer some type of cover, you aren't necessarily safe as your definition of winter sports could differ wildly from that of your insurer.

Most insurers like to imagine that the average holiday involves a short, supervised skiing session down a gentle slope followed by a hearty round of scrabble and a cup of low-fat cocoa before tucking into bed.

So if you are looking to partake in any of the popular alternate sports, like tobogganing or ice diving, you may find your policy isn't worth the paper it's written on when it comes to claiming.

And it's not only what you do on the snow, but where you do it too. Some insurers simply won't cover you for any off-piste activities, while others set a limit on how far from the piste you may venture.

Make sure your cover meets your needs
Given all these exclusions and vague definitions, it's essential you read and understand the fine print of any policy before buying it - especially if you're looking to try something more adventurous.

Insurance for adventure travel

Probably the most important thing to look out for is how much injury cover you get. Insurancewide suggests you look for a minimum of £2 million cover for medical costs and check that rescue and repatriation are included as well.

Don't simply rely on your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) to take care of this, as it only covers you for emergency treatment and little else. Considering a helicopter evacuation and transport home from a US resort can easily cost £10,000, failure to adequately protect yourself could prove an expensive mistake.