 Poster: A snowHead
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First off, i did try searching as i'm sure there are millions of questions on more or less the same thing but it brought up loads of random stuff that wasn't all that relevant. If anyone can point me in the right direction i'll be quite happy to go and look elsewhere. Basically, i've got a job for the season in France but i'm pretty sure the company insurnace only covers me for when i'm working and doesn't cover off piste either way. I've heard people mention the carte neige saying its the best for off piste but i also seem to remember people saying that it wasn't really a full insurnace policy, rather jsut for getting you off the mountain or something like that. Any advice appreciated.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I'm sure my Direct policy covers off piste.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| el nombre wrote: |
| I've heard people mention the carte neige saying its the best for off piste but i also seem to remember people saying that it wasn't really a full insurnace policy, rather jsut for getting you off the mountain or something like that. Any advice appreciated. |
That's right. I have a Carte Neige policy as a top-up for my regular travel insurance. My normal insurance is with Direct Travel who do insure you for off-piste without a guide, but I'm not sure if that would cover you if you're in resort for the whole season.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| Quote: |
My normal insurance is with Direct Travel who do insure you for off-piste without a guide
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So why the Carte Neige then?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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rob@rar, I think they do providing it's a single trip policy with wintersports, I'm not certain though but will be phoning them tomorrow to check. Their annual policy definitely doesn't cover trips over 17 days.
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| Lizzard wrote: |
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My normal insurance is with Direct Travel who do insure you for off-piste without a guide
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So why the Carte Neige then? |
Because if I'm stuck somewhere with a broken leg and blood seeping from a gash in my skull I really won't want to worry about payment for evacuation and initial medical examination. In those circumstances I would just like to wave my Carte Neige and be dealt with. I've heard too many stories of hassles from payment being demanded on the day. I'm happy to be over-insured on this occasion.
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I have also used direct travel for the past few years and once in anger when mrs pp broke her arm. We had no problems getting our money back. For the reasons mentioned above we also always buy carte neige when in france and its equivalent when in italy or switzerland. Direct travel do not provide insurence for more then ?17 consecutive days on their anual policy so we endup buying 'top-up-weeks' on separate policy.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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So basically i'm going to want a decent insurance policy that covers me for the whole season with cover for off piste as well as the carte neige? Unless of course Snowcoach come out trumps and cover me for everything but i'm pretty dubious, going to give them a call tomorrow. So anyway, what are the best insurnace compnaies to go for. My brother went with the BMC which were probably the best for overall cover but they weren't exactly cheap.
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'Snowcard.co.uk' are my choice. Very helpful when I needed them in Switzerland.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I've heard good things about them and went with them for mountain biking in the alps but didn't have to use them. Will they cover for a whole season though?
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Hopefully davidof will be along soon...anyway...
There's a very useful article on PisteHors.
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As is common with many policies, the Direct Travel policy covers skiing off piste except when "skiing against local authority warning or advice". Question is, if you were to ask the local authority would their official advice be "do not go off piste without a guide", or would it be "go where you like providing there isn't a warning of high avalanche risk at the time"?
I am genuinely confused about this. Can anyone help clear that up?
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You know it makes sense.
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ennalsj, Very grey area. I reckon that if the avi warning was 4 or 5 you'd be fighting your case.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Coverage for off piste is generally a grey area. The only ones I've seen say in general terms you're only covered if the resort management "haven't issued avalanche warnings" or as ennalsj above says you're covered as long as you're not "skiing against local authority warnings or advice" both of these are so open to interpretation. I contacted one insurer and explained in Europe the avalanche risk warnings are graded 1 - 5. Eventually after talking to her supervisor the lady I was speaking to said I'd be OK if the risk was only 1 or 2, but there is nothing in their policy details stating this.
Carte Neige or Carre Neige only covers getting you off the mountain to answer the original question.
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Poster: A snowHead
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I have an Axa annual policy which covers off piste as long as theres at least 2 of you but continous cover is only upto 23 days. I have heard many many good things about snowcard, but again mainly with regards to mountain biking (we seem to crash a lot more)
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I have an Axa annual policy which covers off piste as long as theres at least 2 of you but continous cover is only upto 23 days. I have heard many many good things about snowcard, but again mainly with regards to mountain biking (we seem to crash a lot more)
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Just spoke to Direct Travel (tip call 01903 812345 if you don't want to pay for the 0845 no) If you buy a single trip policy you can do as much wintersport as you want, in my case 153 days for £91 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| Swirly wrote: |
| Just spoke to Direct Travel (tip call 01903 812345 if you don't want to pay for the 0845 no) If you buy a single trip policy you can do as much wintersport as you want, in my case 153 days for £91 |
Are you saying that you get a whole seasons wintersports cover by saying it is a single trip? The only other policies that cover a season cost more than £200.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| welshflyer wrote: |
| Swirly wrote: |
| Just spoke to Direct Travel (tip call 01903 812345 if you don't want to pay for the 0845 no) If you buy a single trip policy you can do as much wintersport as you want, in my case 153 days for £91 |
Are you saying that you get a whole seasons wintersports cover by saying it is a single trip? The only other policies that cover a season cost more than £200. |
rather you than me to submit evidence of flight details thus clarifiying it's one trip...
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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welshflyer, yeah basically, I asked the guy all that sort of thing and he said it was fine, saved an extra 50p by excluding the airline going bust insurance (I'm driving). There are higher levels of cover costing up to £160 but when I worked out the extra cost and excess against what it covered I didn't see the point. To be honest it is a single trip I don't intend to come home after a coupleof months.
I think the BMC quoted me around £180 ish, snowcard were a lot higher.
I should add I'm not working, I don't know what difference it would make but I was asked.
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Swirly,
Thanks for the info. Unfortunately your last sentence is key to me. I was looking for insurance cover while working in the Alps for the season, I'm looking for a job for the season.
What are you doing for your long trip? If I can't find a job do you want a travelling companion?
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| welshflyer wrote: |
Swirly,
Thanks for the info. Unfortunately your last sentence is key to me. I was looking for insurance cover while working in the Alps for the season, I'm looking for a job for the season.
What are you doing for your long trip? If I can't find a job do you want a travelling companion? |
welshflyer have a look at british moutaineer club (BMC) they do a seasons alpine & Ski insurance which I think will cover being paid, provided you tick that box. Comes in at around 400 for the season. Another option might well be Skiclub.co.uk (dare I mention the name around here!)
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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welshflyer, well depending on what you're doing your employer might provide insurance, alternatively the ins company might have only wanted to check I wasn't working on the slopes, Might be worth giving them a call if all you're looking for is bar work.
I'm doing a season in L2A.
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So it turns out Snowcoach will cover everything apart from off piste unless I'm with a guide which won't be very often if at all. It's kind of annoying as I'm having to buy a full seasonaire policy that covers all my bits and bobs as well when thats already covered by the employer. I just want the bit that takes me to the hospital and gets me fixed when i ski into a tree. From what I've looked at so far for season insurance, i can come up with Ski club of great britain, Snowcard, Dogtag (found out you get a discount from snow and rock too http://www.snowandrock.com/dogtag_insurance.htm), the BMC (weren't the most helpful when my brother dislocated his shoulder) and ski-insurance.co.uk Anyone know of any others that cover for a full season? All of those stated seem to be around the £200 mark.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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el nombre, Be careful with Dogtag though - European off-piste appears to be covered only when skiing with a guide; in America only when skiing within bounds, which in my mind is equivalent to skiing itineraries in some European resorts.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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They say that off piste is covered with the wintersports cover as long as its "within local ski patrol guidelines"
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Off-piste is defined as venturing over ungroomed and unmarked slopes but within the ski area or resort boundary, i.e the area covered by ski patrollers or managed by the resort. Most resorts designate off-piste areas but if you are uncertain about a particular area, do not go there.
Some people understand off piste (or backcountry) skiing or boarding to mean ‘going out of bounds’, i.e. outwith the resort. If you are going out of bounds or outwith marked areas of the resort, you must only do so with a fully qualified local guide. Even some areas within a resort may be considered out of bounds because they are hazardous. In some parts of North America, going out of bounds contravenes local law and you may face arrest.
It is your responsibility to ensure that on any particular day you are aware of and obey local advice, information and instructions given by the resort authorities and that you obey any signs and information you encounter on the mountain. If a section is marked 'closed' there will be a very good reason for it (e.g. high avalanche danger) and ignoring such signs or advice may invalidate your cover. You should be aware that under the terms of cover, needless self-exposure to peril except in an endeavour to save human life may invalidate your cover. |
My understanding of that is that I would be covered whatever as long as i'm within the resort boundaries and not skiing something thats been closed/deemed unsafe by local authority/ski patrol. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
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el nombre, I'd be very wary of what that means in Europe. There's no in or out of bounds as such, Itineraries and the like are the closest to in bounds off piste i.e. patrolled and only open when safe from avalanche whereas once off piste it's unpatrolled/ avalanche assessed as in out of bounds skiing in the US. Give them a call and see what they say.
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You know it makes sense.
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Rang up snowcoach again today and they said it might just be worth waiting to speak with their insurance guy in resort as i won't be skiing for a week or so after getting to resort anyway. Only thing is i thought insurers wanted cover period to last from the day you leave the uk to the day you come back. Is this going to cause problems or is that just for their normal short stay policies?
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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The dogtag customer service people seem a little clueless when it comes to off piste, they just kept saying that it has to be within the safety guidleines given by the local authority so just basically reading off what they have in the policy wording (not that they can really do much else) so it's all a bit vague. I asked about off piste that isn't patrolled but is deemed to be safe (which i think is what Swirly was getting at) by ski patrol and they just said well it has to be within guidleines etc etc. so I'm really not sure about them. They do seem a bit cheaper than most as i could probably get away with their basic cover which is about £186
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Poster: A snowHead
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Try the Snowcard Seasonaire:
http://www.snowcard.co.uk/pages/d_select2.asp
They seem to have a good understanding of the requirements of active people. We've used them for years and our one claim with them was dealt with very quickly and in full.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Amazing. Our ordinary health insurance here covers mountain rescue. We specifically asked about off piste and the answer was, is it on a mountain? Then it's covered.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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I got a quote from snowcard and the cheapest they did was £358.
I phoned insure and go and apparently their cheapest way of doing a ski season is with their backpacker ski policy that's £171, off piste cover is designated marked areas so i guess within resort boundaries.
World Nomads looked pretty good but only cover you if you're with a qualified guide or instructor as they don't charge anything extra for ski cover because they don't specialise in winter sports.
I hate insurance so much.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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travelinsurance.co.uk seem to be the cheapest so far and they cover off piste within designated marked areas which i suppose means resort boundaries. Interestingly they have the same backpacker ski option as insure and go and actually give you insure and go cover but for about £140 instead of £171. If i take off cover for baggage and money (which will be covered by the company) it's only £115. Seems like the best bet as far as i can see even with the "grey" marked areas rule.
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