 Poster: A snowHead
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The renewal has just dropped on the mat for our annual travel insurance policy with Direct Travel Insurance. Mrs MA & I paid just over £100 last year for the two of us - which covered worldwide travel; 17 days skiing (which we never got anywhere near exceeding....honest guv); heli & cat skiing; and off piste without a guide. It also included mountain biking in the summer.
The renewal is over £200  - and now doesn't include winter sports....
Suggestions please!
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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'll be following this with interest. I've ditched our Amex policy as it covers a lot less than before - and off piste only with a guide now. Not yet settled on an alternative, but resigned to its costing £200 +. Has to have 60 day trips and unlimited winter sports.
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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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Have you looked at the BMC policy? Very comprehensive cover for playing in the mountain.
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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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mountainaddict, the BMC provides good cover for off piste. Their single short trip policy (worldwide cover) is under £100.
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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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Cheers to all so far!
Just had the bright idea of checking on Moneysupermarket.com.....
Cheapest quote for x2 people for worldwide cover and 17 days skiing is....£46!!
There are quite a few quotes at up to £100 and the dearest is £200+.
I'm fairly sure that the cheapest ones won't include off piste etc - so randomly checked the Virgin Money policy, as it was a bit dearer at £76. To my delight it covers off-piste, heli skiing and cat skiing - with no mention of needing to be accompanied by a guide.
May need to check the small print further - but a promising start 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Yes, the Virgin Money one looks good as long as you ski for 17 days or less in a whole year.....
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Try Snowcard.
Last edited by Then you can post your own questions or snow reports... on Thu 17-11-11 23:02; edited 1 time in total
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Used them for mountainbiking - so will have a look...
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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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snowcard better - but £280 for us, even taking out all personal goods, cancellation, ski equipment, etc etc. We used them in the past, when life was simpler, and found them excellent. But anybody doing significant off piste would need to read the small print carefully - eg. only covered at Avi risk 3 if you have consulted local authorities about your proposed route and are in a fully equipped group.
Costs seem to have surged. The Ski Club of Great Britain policy we had for some years would now cost around £300, including membership. 
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| Quote: |
eg. only covered at Avi risk 3 if you have consulted local authorities about your proposed route and are in a fully equipped group.
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Holy cow. It's always level 3 or above...you'd need to be very clear about what "consulted local authorities" meant!
This is all fairly annoying - why has insurance trebled in price suddenly. Has skiing got that much more dangerous, or have insurance companies just realised they've been losing money hand over fist for the last few years?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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ChrisWo, the Snowcard definitions are more helpful than anything I was able to wring out of Dogtag.
The price hasn't tripled - but certainly seems to have been a significant jump.
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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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I suppose trebled might be a bit strong, but last year's annual policy inc. unlimited cover for off piste cost just under £100, but it feels like it's going to cost £250-300 this year...
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| Quote: |
I suppose trebled might be a bit strong....it's going to cost £250-300 this year... |
So, that could be, er....trebled then  ?
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You know it makes sense.
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About £150 for my annual multi trip insurance with the BMC this year (max 45 days per trip, although there is a 90 day option too). Really happy with that, form experience the BMC are ace to deal with, and you know your money is going to a good place.
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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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clarky999, yes, I think that's a good possibility - and I prefer the idea of working with an organisation like that. But need to jump through a lot of hoops on pre-existing illnesses (don't expect to have them covered, but it always complicates things).
My main problem up to now has been not so much prices rising as cover becoming much more restricted - particularly annoying when cover becomes worse.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Cue Snowheads insurance which doesn't look like it'll be up before everyone needs to renew - open goal missed?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Austrian alpine club covers all mountain activities
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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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| ChrisWo wrote: |
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eg. only covered at Avi risk 3 if you have consulted local authorities about your proposed route and are in a fully equipped group.
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Holy cow. It's always level 3 or above...you'd need to be very clear about what "consulted local authorities" meant!
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To be fairly pedantic, the risk is not always 3 or above. Sadly it is often at 3 or above when there is lots fresh snow and we all want to ski off piste of course... I guess that's what you mean. I've had plenty of great days skiing off piste at levels lower than 3, but I suspect all the epic powder days have probably been level 3.
Note that 3 is "Considerable" and the consequences are described as "Skier-triggered avalanches probable." on the US scale, On the European scale 3 is described as "medium", which sounds less than "considerable", but if you look at the description of the risk it is equivalent: "Avalanches may be triggered on many slopes even if only light loads are applied. On some slopes, medium or even fairly large spontaneous avalanches may occur." (light load = 1 skier skiing smoothly without falls).
So, 3 is serious stuff. I think it is reasonable to expect skiers to be extremely cautious if skiing off-piste with a level 3 risk, and insurance issues aside you need to be reading the avalanche report and/or speaking to local experts to decide where is safe to ski and where is not when the risk is this high.
However, that rant aside I am also very concerned about the recent changes in insurance wording. I have phoned my insurance company and asked them what they mean by "consulted local authorities" [the wording was similar, but may not have been exactly this]. I asked if it was sufficient to have read an avalanche forecast and they said "maybe", I asked if I would be covered if I had consulted a local guide or patroller and they said "probably"... not great, but I have yet to find an insurance company that has a clear policy here, except for those who won't cover off-piste at all.
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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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Only available to members so presumably no value to the OP (sorry) but I thought worthy of mention anyway from another Direct Travel refugee: annual worldwide for family of 2 adults (1 instructs and does race training), 3 kids (all do race training/racing), all go off piste at least a bit. Choices ltd to BMC, SCGB, BASI. BASI was cheapest by a significant sum.
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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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Back to the drawing board for me - annual cover for a couple with BMC came out as £647. (and didn't include the cost of membership, I think....)
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Austrian Alpine Club will give mountain rescue, repatriation, liability cover plus other non insurance benefits, works worldwide. http://www.aacuk.org.uk/benefits.aspx I guess similar to having carte neige, a good backup to a UK travel policy. The main concerns for going off piste in terms of insurance cover should be covered by this. I've joined the local branch of the austrian alpine club which means I can join their weekly ski tour groups free of charge, led by a qualified guide, once we have some snow of course.
What the score if you use a UK annual policy with long stay trips without winter cover in conjunction with carte neige or austrian alpine club for skiing cover? Would the UK insurer refuse any cover as it's a winter sports holiday even if you're only claiming for say flight delays, theft etc. Within Europe the EHIC card should be sufficient for most medical needs. I've used it several times in Austria and covers full cost for trips to Dr and A&E.
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I suspect you'd come unstuck if for instance you needed special arrangements for transport back to the UK for a ski related injury. That can be very expensive.
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| Quote: |
What the score if you use a UK annual policy with long stay trips without winter cover in conjunction with carte neige or austrian alpine club for skiing cover? Would the UK insurer refuse any cover as it's a winter sports holiday even if you're only claiming for say flight delays, theft etc.
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I'm not bothered about delays, cancellations, theft etc and always knock them off, where that option is available. But my understanding is that if you have a policy that doesn't include winter sports, then any trip with winter sports as an activity wouldn't be covered.
slikedges, I looked at the BASI site, as there is an option for general travel insurance, for non-instructors, but their multi-trip annual policy covers a maximum of 31 days skiing in a year.
It's looking as though the SCGB is one of the very few policies available - Dogtag covers a maximum of 31 (I think it was) days a year, too.
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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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Colin B, Austrian Alpine Club covers repatriation. Though as pam says using a UK travel policy when going on winter hols for non sport related issues may be declined by insurer, but personally I don't see why as seems reasonable to me. pam w, if you don't need delay, cancellation theft etc then doesn't that only leave rescue, repatriation and liability and medical?
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pam w, not much help to most I know but members get 180 days skiing
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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That gave me a scare as I've used Direct Travel Insurance for years.
I just got a quote and they are still offering a great low price and their off-piste cover is still very comprehensive. Mind you I only got a quote for Europe so I don't know if they load the premiums for worldwide cover.
Panic over.
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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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I'll see what happens when Direct Travel re-quote, but if it's reasonable and the off-piste cover remains the same (and if there's no age limit problem) I'll renew with them and do a single trip insurance if it looks as though I'll go over the 17 days in one year. Thanks due to Stoat of the Dead for the tip of combining annual with trip insurance.
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| Pedantica wrote: |
| I'll see what happens when Direct Travel re-quote, but if it's reasonable and the off-piste cover remains the same. |
I got our DT renewal through a few weeks ago, and their standard annual cover which they quoted as a "renewal" now includes NO SKIING AT ALL. Not really a lot of use to  If you added a small amount of winter cover as well, then it didn't seem too bad, but we need racing cover which was previously included, but now they don't cover at all.
Bye bye Direct Travel...
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You know it makes sense.
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I have used Go Travel Insurance for the last 6 years. The policy has only increased marginally over the last few years and they were absolutely brillinant when we had to make a claim. Well worth checking out.
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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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now260, thanks. I've had a look at the go Travel website, though I need to ring them about trip length extension and pre-existing medical, so not sure how it would come out. I have trawled all through the annual policy PDF and can't find any mention of how many days skiing is covered - hard to imagine it's unlimited, but if it is, that could be very helpful.
I note that although they cover "off-piste" it's excluded when there is an "avalanche warning in force". And, as we know, there always is...... even if it's 1. So effectively, you're not covered.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| pam w wrote: |
| I note that although they cover "off-piste" it's excluded when there is an "avalanche warning in force". And, as we know, there always is...... even if it's 1. So effectively, you're not covered. |
Yes I've seen this in the past. Whenever I've queried it, the insurance co have been quite happy to translate this to a level 3 or above warning.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| fatbob wrote: |
| Cue Snowheads insurance which doesn't look like it'll be up before everyone needs to renew - open goal missed? |
When it was posted up before I took a quick look - the quote for what I needed was more than the BMC.
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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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sah, yes, I know it's not really always above at level 3 or above (and that a vast proportion of deaths occur at level 3), but I think it does spend an awful lot of its time at 3 or above. I think familiarity has bred contempt, and the pisteurs in many resorts worry that a level of 2 will be taken to mean the snowpack is bomb-proof (literally and figuratively). I think I've only seen level 1 once, and I don't think I could actually see any snow at that point...
Thanks for reporting back on the conversation with your insurers though...I'm not sure "maybe" and "probably" covered would be enough for me
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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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Pedantica, I suppose that is a fair point. I'm no expert but I can't see a problem with taking out an annual multi-trip and then buying a single trip policy to cover any trips over the 17 days. Given a chance I'd do quite a lot more than 17 days this season, but it's still going to work out cheaper than the £390 the BMC want to charge me (which, for those who are counting, would be a quadrupling of insurance costs  )
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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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Direct line include an annual travel, policy in with the Buildings and Contents if you wish to have it. I don't so haven't read the policy details recently but it may be worth a look.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Austrian Alpine Club is the way to go. I didn't realise it covered repatriation as well
EHIC covers medical bills, Delays, cancellations are peanuts these days, flights are cheap enough to risk the loss.
The main cost is the helicopter to get you off the hill.
Last edited by You'll need to Register first of course. on Tue 22-11-11 6:30; edited 1 time in total
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I used IHI Bupa for my last trip where I was skiing mainly off-piste and backcountry.
Fortunately I didn't need to claim, so I can't comment on that process but I was diligent when choosing and they seemed to provide the most appropriate cover.
Where I found the largest issue was that many companies do not permit 'mountaineering' or 'use of ropes'. Even though what I was doing was off-piste skiing, I'm sure if a lesser insurer saw us roped up and wearing crampons they could call it mountaineering.
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single trip is no use to me - a single trip of 60 days costs huge amounts, very similar to an annual policy. I won't be skiing for anything like 60 days - but if you ski at any time during a trip, it will generally count as a ski trip.
and, thought it's been said many times already, it's worth saying again that
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| EHIC covers medical costs |
is far too simplistic. It doesn't. Anyone thinking of relying on an EHIC and Carte Neige (and I am one of them......) needs to read the EHIC rules very, very, carefully. I think the key issue is that it doesn't cover private facilities (and they are widely used for off-mountain casualties).
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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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pam w, agreed re EHIC card. Most medical centres in ski resorts are private centres, not covered by EHIC. The medical centre we had to go to a few years back in Austria didn't even want to know about our insurance - we had to hand over our credit card before they started treatment and we ran up a nice little bill of about £1,000 in just a couple of hours of x-rays, drugs & then private ambulance to the hospital, where the treatment was free.
Got my Direct Travel renewal notice - almost double last years and only for 17 days, as others have said. Although when I went on their website to check their quotes, there were cheaper options which would have done the job. Except for the 17 days..... I'll probably check out dogtag - I seem to remember they were quite reasonably priced when I looked earlier in the year.
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What news of the fabled SnowHeads Insurance that hopefully has been designed with such issues in mind (multi trips, more days/year and off piste)
Admin....we need it and we need it very soon....each day is another day nearer to the "too late, had to buy another" day.
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