Ski Holiday Insurance - A Guide to Travel Insurance for Skiers and Snowboarders

(Note - The above is for Travel Insurance if you live in the United States. If you live in the UK then click here instead to get our travel insurance pick for UK residents.)

Skiing and snowboarding are popular sports and many people spend their vacations skiing. Great though these activities might be it is unfortunately the case that you are far more likely to have an accident skiing or snowboarding than you are if you are sitting on a beach somewhere. This means that good, comprehensive medical insurance is a must for your vacation.

Your medical insurance may come as part of your general travel insurance but you need to check this out – even then some policies only cover certain things and you may need extra medical cover. This is especially the case if you going skiing or snowboarding, one wrong tumble down those slopes and you could find yourself with a hefty bill if you don’t have sufficient insurance. That is why many insurers are now offering policies that are specifically aimed at those taking skiing or snowboarding vacations. This is because some of the situations you may encounter while on a skiing trip might need such things as helicopter rescue services which may not be covered by most travel insurance policies. If a third party is injured as the result of an accident then there may be further financial liability and even civil or criminal proceedings.

Skiing and snowboarding travel insurance is designed to allow for most eventualities including air ambulance, equipment replacement, third party liability and any criminal or civil proceedings that might be the unfortunate result of a skiing accident. The cost of this insurance will not only vary between providers but also depending on the country you are visiting. Treatment for skiing accidents in France, for example, is cheaper than most other places, elsewhere the average cost of an air ambulance lift to hospital is around $3-4,000 dollars – so you see the need for special insurance as many travel insurance policies would not cover sporting accidents.

For those people who live in other European countries, seventy five percent of their medical expenses for the first three days are borne by the state but that still leaves the victim with considerable costs. Non-EU visitors would have to pay it all, so comprehensive cover is a must. Even so more than fifty percent of people who go on skiing and snowboarding holidays do not have the right type of insurance and have no idea what their insurance actually covers them for! So, what else should you look for when shopping for skiing travel insurance?

No matter what kind of policy you go for you should always check what things the policy does not cover, and you should always read all the small print in case of penalties etc. You want a policy that covers all types of winter/snow sports while you are on vacation. Does it cover personal liability, lift closure and anything such as equipment hire and lessons which are prepaid and may be cut short as the result of an accident.

Always shop around for policies because prices for similar cover can differ widely, make sure that the insurance you are buying is designed to cover sporting accidents and all that may entail. Happy skiing.