Posted 16 December 2024

This blog post does not constitute as professional advice, and is given as information purposes only. We advise seeking professional advice before making any insurance decisions. It may contain omissions and factual errors. It has not been updated since time of publishing.

Ski Insurance

Do I need ski insurance to ski?

As all insurance, its about managing risk, and Winter Sports are inherently risky, hence the premiums for winter sports is so much higher than regular holiday insurance. This post will delve into what happens when you have different types of insurance and what happens when you don't. Its primarily aimed at UK travelers going on a Ski Holiday to a European resort.

What countries require ski insurance?

Mandatory by law

• IT Italy - Ski Insurance is compulsory in Italy. Legislative Decree (40/21) has made it mandatory for all skiers and snowboarders on ski slopes in Italy to have third-party liability insurance.

Not mandatory by law

• 🇨🇭 Switzerland - Recommended by travel guides due to high costs
• 🇫🇷 France - Some resorts have a 3rd party liability insurance clause in their lift pass T&C
• 🇫🇷 Austria - Some resorts have a 3rd party liability insurance clause in their lift pass T&C
• 🇸🇮 Slovenia - Some resorts have a 3rd party liability insurance clause in their lift pass T&C

Am I liable for hitting other skiers?

Yes.

What are the costs for having an accident?

As of 2024, a member of our group had the most common snowboarding injury - a broken wrist. They were not too far up the mountain and were able to walk into the on-resort medical center without the involvement of ski patrol.

Nearly all resort medical centers are privately owned, that meant they could not use their EHIC for on-site treatment, so they were left paying private costs.

They paid:

• €325 X Ray, Cast application and non urgent on-site medical treatment (i.e not referred to a hospital)
• €75 Pain Killers, plaster cast, shower sleeve

Which wasn't too bad.. but they also could now no longer ski for the rest of their holiday!

• €350 unused lift pass
• €170+ Unused lessons
• €90+ Unused ski hire

Thankfully this all was covered by insurance (up-to the claim limit - but thats a whole other topic).

But some ballpark ideas of cost in 2024 when injuries start involving Ski patrol to rescue you:

• €430 Ski Patrol Rescue
• €5000+ Helicopter/Mountain rescue
• €150+ Taxi rides back from nearest A&E

Hopefully you can start to see why insurance cost is what it is, the unfortunate reality is that its really common to get injured and if you do it's really expensive.

I'm going to france - can I just get Carré Neige?

Carré Neige is a focused insurance product sold in France, you normally add it on to your ski pass at a 'day rate'.

If you are locally based, it makes perfect sense, it's a product designed for you and is can be worth the extra €4 a day.

However if your booking from abroad and traveling as part of a holiday package, its less clear cut as you'd might want a more comprehensive product to cover the other components of your holiday.

What does Carré Neige cover?

At time of writing (2024) - All Costs getting you from the Slope to Medical Center - All Costs once in the medical center - Off piste skiing (so long as you used a ski lift to reach the area) - Refund on days remaining of lift passes - Optional Lesson refund - Optional Hire refund

What does it not cover?

At time of writing (2024)

• Carré Neige does not cover you for the eventualities as a result of your injury.
• If you need specialist transport back to the UK, its not covered.
• You don't get any injury money to spend in the resort
• If your family need to also cut their holiday short its not covered.
• Baggage / equipment theft
• Airline failure / damage
• Piste closures / adverse weather diversions
• Anything not specifically included

These little things start to add up and make a more comprehensive travel package more appealing for UK Skiers.

Can I have winter sports cover and Carré Neige?

Yes, but be aware of the pitfalls of double insurance, strictly speaking both insurers are only liable for 50% each, and you're stuck in the middle during this. In reality how it plays out will depend on the circumstances, and still could be worth the extra admin to prevent shock bills at the time of injury.

Are there any insurance providers that offer off piste without an instructor?

Yes!

1. You can go for more expensive specialist insurance from dedicated ski insurance providers.
2. RAC travel insurance is one of the only providers that do not stipulate 'with a qualified instructor' for off piste. The only caveat with the RAC policy is that it does not cover anything in a Snow Park, which a lot of other providers do cover as standard - so you'll need to weigh up that.

Some Skiers advise buying Carré Neige for the days you are off piste without an instructor. But be clear - you will more than likely not be covered by your travel insurance policy for any incidentals (the non 'off piste parts'), i.e you probably wont get repatriated to the UK under the cover as the injury stemmed from an excluded activity.

Whats the process when I have an injury?

If you have a Carré Neigé simply show the ski patrol your lift pass with the sticker, you wont need to pay anything! Later, go to the lift pass office to be refunded for the unused days under this scheme (This feature depends on the resorts relationship with Carré Neigé).

If you don't have a Carré Neigé, you will be asked to front all the costs and you'll need to claim back later on your insurance policy once back in the UK. Most ski resorts have a 'no refund' policy on their Ski Pass - if that is the case, keep it and claim on insurance (they might allow you to still use it to visit mountain bars etc). Lessons are nearly always 'no refund', again claim on insurance when your back in the UK. Hire shops ARE usually refundable for the remaining time, unless you pre-paid though a travel agent (score -1 for travel agents).

I've had my injury, now what? What is there to do in Resort?

Surprisingly not much! Depending on your injury (wrist or leg) you might be able to go:

1. Swimming (Having a cast may prevent you)
2. Cinema (expect foreign language films)
3. Bowling
4. Restaurants and bars, enjoy all day apres ski!
5. Spa / Wellness
6. Husky Riding (Casts are usually prohibited)
7. Snow Trekking (Cast are usually prohibited)
8. Gondolas to mountain viewpoints and mountain restaurants

So please do pack some entertainment ahead of time in-case this happens!