Back country skiing insurance

Getting off the beaten track is one of the real joys of spending any time in the mountains. There is no denying that hiking up and looking for that virgin snow is as exhiliarating at it comes but as recent seasons have shown the risks in terms of injuries and fatalities is high.

In resort a lot of the danger is removed by well trained ski patrollers who are specialists in assessing the risk to skiers and snowboarders within the resort boundaries.

Step outside those boundaries and you’re relying on your guide — or your own judgement — to assess conditions, avalanche risk, changing weather patterns and hidden terrain traps and that’s why insurers class backcountry skiing as a higher-risk activity and if you do have a problem, with no ski patrol to hand, helicopter evacuation alone can run into the tens of thousands. Add medical treatment, rescue coordination and repatriation and the costs escalate quickly.

From an skiing travel insurance perspective, underwriters see this as a particularly high risk activity and as such you may have to pay an additional premium to cover this activity.

Booking insurance online for Guided Back Country Skiing and Boarding

Our online booking engine is set up to return insurers that cover Guided Backcountry Cover when accessed via a lift so if you’re skiing or boarding in the backcountry with a certified guide, you can get a quote online straight away.

The activities covered will be clearly shown in the results under the Activities tab, and you can check the full policy wording before buying.

Planning to Ski Solo or Unguided?

If you’re heading out without a guide, with friends but no certified leader or doing more technical touring/ski mountaineering, then you’ll need specialist consideration.

The booking engine does not automatically cover solo or unguided backcountry skiing.

In that case, please:

Call us on 0330 880 5099 or use Live Chat and we’ll talk through exactly what you’re planning and see which insurers can consider your trip. Not every provider will — but we’ll help you find the right option.

Winter sports Activities list

Photo: Zach Dischner Under licence.