About Winter Sports Travel Insurance
turning our thoughts towards planning a winter vacation, especially one
involving winter sports such as skiing. Travel insurance is an often
overlooked part of holiday planning, but if you plan on taking part in
sporting activites then it really is essential.
A normal travel insurance policy will probably not be up to the standard
you need for winter sports, and if things go wrong you could be left
facing a huge bill. So what features should you be looking for in a
policy?
- Injury Cover
No matter how accomplished a skiier you are, hurtling down a mountain is
always going to be more risky than simply lying on a beach working on a
tan. And if you do have an accident, a mountainside isn't the easiest
place for medical services to reach. If you're unlucky enough to need a
mountain rescue or airlift to hospital, you'll be facing a bill running
into the thousands even before you get medical attention. This sort of
expense is likely to be specifically excluded on a standard insurance
policy, but will be an integral part of almost any winter sports cover.
- Equipment
Most winter sports require expensive equipment, and where there are
valuables there's always the chance of theft. Your insurance should
provide enough cover to fully replace your equipment with brand new
items if necessary, right there at the resort. Even if you plan to hire
your equipment, the hire company will probably require insurance - and
your own policy is likely to be cheaper than the standard one they'll
try to sell you.
- Liability
Even the best skiiers or snowboarders can be involved in an accident in
which someone else gets injured. Whether or not an accident is your
fault, you could end up being taken to court and this is usually a long
and expensive process. A decent insurance policy will cover costs from
any legal proceedings and / or compensation payments.
- Closure of Piste
If bad weather (or warm weather!) means that the pistes are closed and
you can't ski, your policy should pay you compensation to cover the
costs of any pre-booked lessons or lift fees, and many will even include
a payment simply to cover the inconvenience of not being able to ski.
- Off Piste
A final point to note is that a standard winter sports policy will
probably only cover you for accidents that occur when skiing on
designated pistes. If you plan to go off-piste, then make sure your
insurance will cover this - you'll probably have to pay a supplement.
As with most kinds of insurance, paying out for travel insurance can
seem like a waste of money. However, if you find yourself caught up in
an accident on the mountainside then the costs involved can be truly
frightening and you'll be glad you took the time to arrange adequate
cover in advance!
