-- Winter Sports Insurance --

Although the recorded instances of people who ski or snowboard receiving injuries are surprisingly few, it is a fact that around 1 per cent of skiers and 4 per cent of snowboarders each year will sustain an accident resulting in some form of treatable injury.

When one takes into account the high numbers of people annually travelling to the world's ski slopes from the UK, this means that a fair number of them will get hurt, some worse than others, and a proportion of them will require hospitalisation and maybe even emergency repatriation to Britain. This is the very reason that anyone considering a winter sports holiday should give very serious consideration to obtaining a special winter sports travel insurance policy.

Firstly, winter sports travel insurance must not be confused with other types of holiday cover or health care policies. They are specifically designed to ensure that the cost of emergency medical treatment, mountain rescue and repatriation by the safest and most appropriate method are all covered. In order to put things into perspective, a simple break of the wrist is probably one of the most common injuries suffered by skiers and snowboarders. If you are unfortunate enough to suffer this in Europe, then generally your treatment costs will be covered by your E111 certificate.

What will not be covered are the potential costs of recovering you and your equipment from the mountain, which can run into hundreds and even thousands of pounds. So now imagine you are skiing in America. You collide with a tree and suffer severe back injuries and a complicated fracture to your leg. Do not think your E111 is going pay for all of that. However, a proper policy of winter sport insurance will cover the lot, and if it is necessary to fly you home by chartered plane with an on board medical team, then the right policy will make sure that all the expenses are taken care of.
Realistically a sound policy should provide the following benefits:

• Medical cover of a minimum of £2 million (at least double in the USA)
• £4 million personal liability cover.
• Cover for mountain rescue by helicopter and repatriation to the UK.
• Insurance cover for equipment.
• Resort closure due to weather conditions - including reimbursement of ski pass charge and school fees if the slopes are closed.
You must also make absolutely sure that your policy covers you for off piste cruising and any type of activity which may be considered ‘extreme'.

If you intend to book your winter holiday as a package, the agent will normally offer you insurance cover. Remember that this is not mandatory and that you may be better advised to go on line to one of the many insurance companies offering specialised cover, particularly if you mean to go on a long stay vacation or an ‘adventure holiday' where more risky conditions may be encountered. Read and understand the conditions of the policy, especially the exclusions. A policy will certainly be invalidated if you ski or snowboard in areas that have been closed for whatever reason. You must also be aware that your conduct on the slopes must be responsible and safe at all times and that any reckless or criminal negligence will not be covered.