 Poster: A snowHead
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Hello, Dogtag here. Thought I’d take the plunge and register to tidy up any questions regarding off-piste skiing and boarding. (By the way, where we say “ski” all the way through this, please take this to include you lovely snowboarders as well.)
As a company, we’ve been aware of snowHeads for a long time, but this is the first time we’ve decided to surface. So, please be gentle with me and apologies in advance for posting up probably the longest opening post in history. I fully expect someone to now go and prove me wrong there! And apologies if, in any way, some if this sounds like teaching you to suck eggs. The nature of defining something means stating the obvious sometimes and what’s obvious to you probably isn’t obvious to someone else.
Firstly though, regarding call centre staff and ski knowledge, it is important to point out that you won’t always get someone with ski experience when you call us. Dogtag might be known for ski insurance but we also cover a huge number of divers, sailors, bikers (human powered variety), gap year people and adventurers generally. For example, we’re big in things like Marathon Des Sables, we insured the army to attempt Everest via the west ridge and we currently have two guys about to encounter the Southern Ocean in a round-the-world yacht race. It’s very diverse, we get some very strange requests and we believe our shiny dogtags have reached all seven corners of the planet. Obviously, our guys and girls can’t be experts on all sports but we do try and make our wording as clear as possible.
The fact is that few have the exact same requirements when it comes to travel insurance so please email us at enquiries@dogtag.co.uk or call us for free on 08000 DOGTAG (08000 364824) and ask for David or Tara (and tell them that you are snowHeads). They are skiers. Or email us a number and we’ll call you back. Hopefully, you can all be taken care of individually. (“Taken care of” doesn’t involve a hit squad by the way).
Firstly, I want to confirm that, with us, you can ski off-piste without a guide. Here is exactly what it says in the policy wording:
Off-piste:
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 and
mark them as itineraries on the piste map. 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. outside the resort. If you are going out of bounds or outside marked areas of the
resort, you are advised only to 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 will 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 will invalidate your cover.
So, to expand upon this, “off-piste” simply refers to any area of a ski area, or any area outside the boundary of a ski area, that isn’t a marked piste according to the resort’s official piste map. On the mountain, pistes are normally clearly indicated by piste markers or even roped or netted down the sides and dangerous areas are marked (or they should be). Off-piste areas that fall within the ski area boundary and that fall within the operational scope of the Ski Patrol are often marked on the map and are OK without a guide. We refer to this as in-bounds off-piste. Going beyond the “ski area boundary” (out of bounds) is where we advise taking a guide for safety reasons and because you’ll almost certainly find better conditions with a guide, reach places you wouldn’t have on your own and generally make more of your day.
What about heli-skiing?
If you intend to go ‘heliskiing’, ‘heliboarding’ or ‘Cat-skiing’ you will need a higher level of cover. Both of those types of ‘off-piste’ skiing require our Sport+ level of cover.
Where does ‘off-piste’ end and ‘ski mountaineering’ begin?
In general, if you can access an area just by using the resort’s lifts and your direction from there is downwards, we’d regard that as off-piste, whether it be in-bounds or out of bounds. If you need to climb up higher under your own steam using skins, or walk away from the ski area into terrain that that isn’t accessible by lift, then that is where your activity becomes ski mountaineering. Clearly, Ski Mountaineering (AKA Ski Touring, Ski Randonee) are sports which can take you into the more hazardous areas of the mountains. The risks of exposure to cold, fatigue and injury are greater here than in other commonly skied areas of the mountains and rescue might not be easy or immediately possible. Consequently, both of these types of ‘off-piste’ activity require Dogtag Extreme cover. If you chose the Extreme level of cover for say, Ski Mountaineering, it will automatically cover you for lower Sport+ and Sport grades of skiing too. If you are in any doubt whatsoever you should take out Dogtag Extreme level of policy that covers ski mountaineering. If you have a specific ski mountaineering trip planned it is always best to check with us.
Sorry if this rambled on in but, hopefully, this answers most questions. If not, please call or drop us an email. Policy wordings are looked at in early January each year and, if thought necessary, will be revised.
Happy skiing (and boarding of course) and we look forward to hearing from you.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Dogtag(Claire), Welcome to Snowheads, and thanks for posting this.  However, I'm still not entirely happy because you have given us two slightly contradictory definitions, only one of which is one your current "small print". The following definition is the same as the one reported by stoatsbrother as having been given him by one of the Dogtag Directors, a couple of years ago:
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In general, if you can access an area just by using the resort’s lifts and your direction from there is downwards, we’d regard that as off-piste, whether it be in-bounds or out of bounds.
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That's pretty clear, and would cover a lot of what people are doing would certainly cover what I'd be doing. However, in the European context that rather contradicts the following:
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Off-piste areas that fall within the ski area boundary and that fall within the operational scope of the Ski Patrol are often marked on the map and are OK without a guide. We refer to this as in-bounds off-piste.
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In Europe, as far as I know, there are no such areas. If the "downhill movement served by resort lifts" explanation could be incorporated into your paperwork I'd be a happy bunny. As it is, and having heard nothing a couple of days ago when I had to make my decision, I had to buy a different policy. 
There are, by the way, some areas within some of the European ski areas which are reachable "downhill from lifts" which can be extremely dodgy in some conditions and certainly not advisable without a guide.
So, I think your presence here is a massive step in the right direction, but maybe there's a way to go to clarify exactly what would be covered. My earlier posts, after I had spoken to 2 of your operators, made it clear that they had been friendly and helpful - and your company has a good reputation for customer service. Do you have a Director or senior partner or someone who regularly skis in places like Zermatt, La Grave, the Espace Killy, who could see where we're coming from.
I should perhaps add that I am a very timid off piste skier but my son, for whom I was buying insurance, is not!
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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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Dogtag(Claire), thanks for popping up here, but oh my, it just gets murkier. Whereas in America I believe it is fairly clear where the resort bounds are, I wouldn't lie to say where they are in some European resorts. I am not aware of rope at the boundaries of, say, the Les Deux Alpes area (though I am ware of ropes that point out you are leaving the pisted area, and are taking responsibility for yourself. And there have been times when I have clibmbed quite a hike, but not considered myself to be ski mountaineering. Did that with Christina at the last MSB, did it with an Arlberg ski instructor at St Anton, too. Almost all of La Grave is off-piste, with no clearly marked area. I've skied that with easiski, who, whilst a darned good instructor who knows the area well, is not a guide. I have also skied the area with a guide, who said that it was just fine for easiski to have led us on the routes she did - but I am not convinced I would have been covered by Dogtag off-piste insurance.
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