Have you ever looked at the small print of your travel insurance policy before going skiing, to check exactly what you're covered for?
Don't assume that basic travel insurance will provide ski cover. It's rarely the case. On top of this, no two travel insurance policies are exactly the same. Hopefully this comprehensive guide will help you find out what travel insurance cover you have, or need, before you head to the slopes or a day trip to Lapland.
In this article....
Travel insurance for a skiing trip - most frequently asked questions:
Check how your travel insurer rate on CLAIM handling before you buy your next policy
Winter sports travel insurance > Average claim amount is 34.9% higher, and cost over £1000.
Stats on travel insurance claims* where the policy holder added the option of Winter Sports insurance are an eye opener:
Because of this it's important to spend a little time checking your next travel insurance policy not just on price comparison or how easy it is to buy or access your policy details. We recommend you do a quick check on how they have been rated by customers on how they handle claims.
* Source - InsuranceRepublic - Travel insurance policies and insurance claims trend report 2018. Sample size: Policies with winter sports insurance 8,748. Policies without winter sports insurance 132,887. Total sample size: 141,635 policies. Policies sold from Nov 2015 to February 2017)
**based on 1.94% claim ratio to policy for policies with winter sports versus 0.74% of policy holders who didn't have winter sports insurance.
Skiing and snowboarding can be dangerous sports. Here are some common scenarios:
Sometimes, skiing is a little like driving your car: You can be really assertive about your own steering, but you can't always avoid other people's errors of judgment.
Experienced sports physiotherapist Randall Cooper researched statistics at length to find out that, although skiing and snowboarding have a reputation of being risky sports, the overall injury rate for skiers is a little lower than you may expect with 3 injuries per 1000 skier days.
Cooper adds that:
"Most injuries (about 75%) for both skiers and snowboarders occur either by falling down or loss of control during a jump, with only between 3%-8% occurring by collision with other skiers or riders".
This statistic is important because it highlights the fact the skiers or riders themselves are often at fault.
Poor fitness, poor selection of terrain or conditions, poor judgement of one’s ability, or poor maintenance of equipment are likely to be factors in many injuries. The take home message is that many skiing and snowboarding injuries are preventable.
There are a lot of local gyms offering ski prep fitness classes. These sessions are tailored with exercises targeting muscle groups you don't use in the same way in your daily work life. Medical specialists recommend you start a ski conditioning fitness routine at least 6 weeks before going. You can achieve a lot of your ski prep from home.
Here's a list of ski conditioning exercise videos you can benefit from adding to your pre trip routine:
The key with all the above is regularity and consistency. Plan some fitness time in your diary now to make our next ski trip most enjoyable.
Now....If you think that you're on safer grounds when you don't have your skis or snowboard clipped to your feet, this next bit is a real eye opener.
London Knee Clinic orthopaedic surgeon James Youngman reveals that he sees 5 to 10 injuries a week during the ski season: In an interview about ski injuries he said that "The majority of injuries include slips and trips on icy surfaces when not skiing, individuals should make a careful assessment of the surfaces when walking around the resort, such as bathroom or kitchen surfaces, which tend to get excessively slippery".
Ski injuries are also evolving as the ski boots are getting more and more technically advanced. They protect your ankles and lower leg better and better, shifting some of the injuries to the upper tibia and knee.
Give the guys who fit your ski boots and ski bindings your correct height and weight (Don't "shave" a few pounds or kilos as it might feel tempting to do...). The strength of your bindings is adjusted according to your height and weight. If they are too tight they might not release if you fall and they will lead to an injury.
Skiing is not normally covered on a standard single trip travel insurance policy. You can check by reading the policy wording. All major travel insurance companies offer winter sports cover as an add-on; you pay a bit extra and you are covered for a whole range of winter sports such as snowboarding, tobogganing, skiing, ice-skating, ice climbing and ice hockey.
DID YOU KNOW: According to the FCO there were 58 British deaths and 118 hospitalisations from skiing and snowboarding between 2012 and 2016.
The add-on "winter sports" does not cover the same elements from one policy to another.
Depending on the specific policy you choose, winter sports option might cover you for:
*Beware: For the insurance company to pay out, almost all, if not all, of the slopes need to be closed, not just the ones down the bottom of the mountain.
There are now more and more resorts equipped with snow canons and overnight operations to cover the runs with fresh snow. The person in charge of this job has got one of the coolest job title ever (we think): The Snow Manager. Read more about what happens behind the scenes at a ski resort.
DID YOU KNOW: Lucy Aspden, Online Ski Editor for The Telegraph, reported that a third of British skiers do not check if they are covered for winter sports before jetting off on their holiday.
As we mentioned earlier, not all travel insurance offers the same cover, even if two policies have a winter sport add on option. Some might still exclude higher risks activities like snowmobile rides, or only cover these if you are a passenger sitting behind a trained snowmobile driver.
Off-piste is another area that you want to check. It's not the most fun thing to sit down and read the small print terms and conditions of your insurance policy, but it might help you decide which policy is right for you (and that might not be the cheapest). As claims related to travel holiday with winter sports tend to be more expensive, check how the claim handling reputation of the insurers you have short listed compare.
You might wonder why your insurance premium goes up significantly if you're over 65 and heading off for a ski (or snowboarding) holiday. On top of taking your age into account, insurers are likely to weigh in factors such as lower muscle mass, more fragile bone structure compare to a younger person, as well as the likelihood that any impact caused by another skier might lead to worse injuries and a longer recovery process, potentially needing more treatment and re-habilitation.
Here are some of the insurance companies you can check for a quote - just make sure to tick the winter sports option (all of these offer insurance for people over 65 - we've checked for you):
Check how travel insurers are rated by customers on claim handling
With DogTag you can select from 4 levels of cover, from a standard winter sport cover that includes off-piste all the way to heliskiiing or heliboarding (you know, where you get dropped off by helicopter off-piste). They also have more extreme packages.
As we mentioned before, it's not uncommon to be asked for proof of insurance on the slopes if you have an accident, so keeping your key details on you is always a good idea.
Slightly different from a ski holiday, but a trip to Lapland may well still be classed as Winter Sports as far as your travel insurer is concerned if you want to have some protection for activities such as husky rides, reindeer rides and snowmobile rides. Double check on that last one as not all insurers cover this.
Have you ever rehearsed what to do in case of a skiing or snowboarding emergency on the slopes? We don't think anyone does, don't worry. The point is......IF anything happens, you brain can become fuzzy with what to do next. Having done a little prep before going on your trip you could remain calmer. Especially if you are abroad and faced with communicating in a different language. There's a great guide on how to claim on your travel insurance on the Citizen Advice Bureau website.
One more useful tip: Use a small piece of card to write, (laminate), and stick your travel insurance company emergency contact details in your wallet; unless of course they have already supplied you with this along with your policy documents. Yes, we know, you might have it saved on your phone. But your phone could run out of battery, get damp, too cold, broken or lost. Not trying to be pessimistic here, just talking from experience to be honest (some of us in the office have been on many ski holidays and can vouch that these things happen). Also, as much as we all love our mobile phones, we probably shouldn't rely on them 100% to sort out our lives all the time. They can go wrong. Better safe than sorry and all that.
Compare them on price point of course but don't stop there. Travel insurance packages can vary a lot, especially with the option of winter sports insurance. Look at what's included, what's not, and what claim experiences other customers have shared about them.
What do you think?
What other questions, concerns or tips of your own do you have about travel insurance for winter sports? Let us know in a comment.
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