Rob James is the communication co-ordinator for Direct Travel, providers of holiday and ski insurance
Whether it’s your first time on the snow or you’re skilled on skis, if you fancy a stint on the slopes, ski insurance should be considered essential.
Yet a staggering one in four British skiers plan to hit the slopes without any travel insurance at all, with one in twenty assuming an EHIC is sufficient [travelbite.co.uk: 25/01/08]. These uninsured travellers must be unaware of the repercussions of not having the right ski insurance - either that or they are just adhering to the immortal famous last words “it’ll never happen to me”...
But what if it does happen? After all, of the 1 in 20 ski insurance policyholders who claim, none would have predicted any imminent misfortune.
Like any sports, winter sports and activities run the risk of accidents, no matter how experienced the skier may be. Even if you’re not worried about having cover for ski equipment, piste closure, and all the other benefits that can be included in a ski insurance policy, medical cover is crucial.
You may be a world class pro with thirty years of skiing experience under your belt, but that would not prevent a disoriented novice stumbling into your path without warning. Before you know it, you could have a broken leg and need an airlift to hospital, which could set you back in excess of £2,000. That’s before you’ve considered any medical costs that may arise - a broken leg in the USA could cost £20,000 [Harvey Jones: 25/01/08], if not more.
It’s also worth checking what is actually covered under a ski insurance policy. Some ski insurance providers cover certain winter sports and activities that other ski insurance providers may in fact exclude. For example, within all of its ski insurance policies, Direct Travel Insurance cover/some policies will cover heli-skiing and tobogganing, whereas many other travel insurance policies will not. Another common ski activity is off-piste skiing, which most companies restrict by stipulating that you must be accompanied by a guide at all time. However, a handful of providers, such as Direct Travel Insurance, can cover lone off-piste skiing providing you don’t go against local authority advice.
Arguably, quality of cover is more important than low price when it comes to ski insurance, but that’s not to say you can’t get both. Be wary of ridiculously low prices, as they are likely to come with ridiculously low cover to match, but decent ski insurance for an adult planning to ski for a week in Europe, can be had for about £20.00, with Annual cover kicking off at around £45.00. Don’t get fooled into paying over the odds either, as high prices can be misleading and do not always reflect the level of cover.
Of course, it’s a free choice as to whether you take ski insurance out or not, but it really seems like a no-brainer – a £22,000 bill or a £22.00 (if that) ski insurance policy…?
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Just a warning to everyone, a very good friend had his skis stolen from outside a bar in Val D\'isere last year.
He thought he was covered but the insurance company weren\'t interested. His holiday was spoiled as he spent a lot of time sorting out the paper work and not enough time on the slopes. To make matters worse when he went to the hire shop to tell them, he could swear his skis were behind the counter as he recognized the torn sticker. Unless you take out their extra cover you are charged full price for new replacement skis. It is then up to you to try and claim from your insurance company. Definitely read their small print as most of the big name insurers won\'t cover you. Also very worth buying ski lock as there is more and more suspicion that this is a very lucrative scam so hire shops can claim for new skis to renew their stock. He has just bought a great ski/snowboard lock from a company called www.sportslock.co.uk great value at £8.99 as they\'ve got a preseason deal on at the mo. Has anyone else had a similar experience to my friend?
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