Winter sports

Did you know?

• £9,420 – Cost of medical treatment, airlift and repatriation for a fractured vertebrae whilst skiing in France. (34)
• £18,220 – Cost of medical treatment and repatriation for a broken leg sustained whilst snowboarding in the USA. (35)

(34) ABI member data.

(35) ABI member data.

Why does Ski insurance matter?

You will need a specialist winter sport insurance policy if you are going on a winter sports holiday. It is vital that you have adequate cover for medical expenses – it can cost hundreds of pounds simply to stretcher an injured skier off the slopes. And personal liability cover is essential in case you injure someone else. Cover for accidents arising from winter sports are not covered in a standard policy, otherwise it would add unnecessary costs to the price of all winter sports insurance policies.

What does Ski insurance cover?

When skiing on-piste (i.e. official marked routes) travel insurance policies for winter sports do cover the following:

• Medical expenses 
• Personal accident costs 
• Compensation for piste closure 
• Cost of ski pack if you are ill or injured and cannot ski 
• Loss, theft and damage to ski equipment

In addition, you might be covered in the following circumstances:

• Skiing 'off-piste' 
• Tobogganing/sledging

Policies do not cover activities such as ski-jumping, bobsleighing, heli-skiing and ice hockey unless you have extended your cover and paid an additional premium.