 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi
We are looking to book winter sports insurance for our trip to Meribel in February 2017. One of the options asks us how much we want to be covered for in the event of needing a sledge rescue and they have offered £200, £300 or £400 as cover limits for the sledge bit - does anyone have any idea how much a sledge rescue is likely to potentially cost. Total amount for rescue is £15,000 - £50,000 so enough for a helicopter if necessary but the sledge bit seems to be itemised separately and I don't want to be without sufficient cover if needing to be sledged off the piste after an accident.
Many thanks
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Seems to be an odd thing to itemise
I think I would be checking out other companys
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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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That's weird, but as it's France, just get carte neige/carre neige with your lift pass. That'll cover any mountain rescue, with no hassle, no need of credit card etc.
I had to get sledged off the mountain last winter - and at the end just handed over my carte neige, they copied my details off it and left. Sooooo easy, and one less piece of stress compared to having to claim through the insurance company.
I don't even know how much that recovery would have cost, it was never mentioned!
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The ski patrol in Courchevel 1850 charged me €550 for a single 'sledge' rescue about two years ago...so you would be out of pocket, particularly at today's rate of exchange. You are far more likely to need a sledge over a helicopter for most accidents, so like Garfield I'd be looking for better cover.
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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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| fixx wrote: |
That's weird, but as it's France, just get carte neige/carre neige with your lift pass. That'll cover any mountain rescue, with no hassle, no need of credit card etc.
I had to get sledged off the mountain last winter - and at the end just handed over my carte neige, they copied my details off it and left. Sooooo easy, and one less piece of stress compared to having to claim through the insurance company.
I don't even know how much that recovery would have cost, it was never mentioned! |
Completely agree with this, having seen peopel struggle proving insurance/prepayimng/retention of skis etc etc etc when they've nto got Carte Niege but with Carte Niege easy not cost no hassle all the rescue off the mountain done and dusted.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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The carte/carré neige is a cheap option, if you just want to be sure of getting taken from the scene of an accident to the local medical centre. It's one less bit of hassle - if you don't have it your skis will normally be taken as "security" and that's one more task for your nearest and dearest, if you are out of action with an injury.
Most resorts in France will post a schedule of sledge rescue costs (look near the lift pass office) depending on the time/trouble needed to get you from the scene, which could be quite distant, to the medical centre. 200 bucks won't get you very far.
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450 Eu for 100yds on a sled + 1.5Km in a blood wagon . . . Don't skimp on insurance. . . though weirdly, in the US, getting you to the med centre (see, I still have my roots) is free with your pass.
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@bastathecat, Sounds to me like the insurance company knows that 90% of rescue costs are for sleds, so they are trying to con you a bit into setting a limit on that. I would try another insurance company — www.insureandgo.co.uk always get me a great quote and have excellent coverage.
The Carre Neige is €16.80 EUR per week. You can read about it here:
http://www.carreneige.com/accueil.en.html
It covers rescue and up to €3,000 medical costs above what the NHS will reimburse the hospital. BUT it's NOT meant for foreign skiers — only locals, who naturally don't have travel insurance.
And so you HAVE to have travel insurance to cover: liability, huge hospital costs, repatriation in a private plane, cover for when you are NOT on the slopes such as flying and transfers, luggage etc. And of course such travel insurance will cover ski rescue costs as well and you are just duplicating the Carre Neige cover and wasting your money.
The ski rescue folks in the Europe are very used to dealing with foreigners with travel insurance. Just carry your proof of insurance with you at all times, and a credit/debit card, plus your EHIC. Some resorts, medical centres and hospitals will deal direct with the insurance company, whilst some will take a sum from your card. If there are big costs at the hospital, they will not ask you to pay for these, they will deal with the insurance company direct.
€16.80 is a nice meal on the slopes with a glass of wine don't forget! 
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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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Watch out for other small print with insurers. For example, unless it's changed, Insureandgo insurance is only valid if you're wearing a helmet. Go for some specialist ski insurance like MPI or Snowcard.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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All the rescue costs have to be published by the town hall (les Allues) each season and there are a number of laws governing prices. That said, I can't find any information for the Three Vallees; they probably have the costs pinned up in a basement under the lift pass office or somesuch. Other ski resorts are a bit more organized; Tignes for example.
http://cities.reseaudesvilles.fr/cities/101/documents/4wqd98g6xqphqt.pdf
I would expect Meribel to be similar, probably more expensive if you are in one of the other valleys - at l'alpe d'Huez you could be looking at nearly 1000 euros for a sledge rescue (http://www.oz-vaujany.com/fr/assurance) just to get you back to resort.
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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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@PeDaSp, re Carré Neige
| Quote: |
| it's NOT meant for foreign skiers |
From the description you posted, "9 – Does Carré Neige cover medical repatriation services ? Yes, if you live in a European country, with Carré Neige you can benefit from medical repatriation via Europ Assistance to your place of fiscal residence without the need for advance payment. * Geographic Europe"
So clearly it is meant for foreign skiers...
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| PeDaSp wrote: |
@bastathecat,
The Carre Neige is €16.80 EUR per week. You can read about it here:
http://www.carreneige.com/accueil.en.html
It covers rescue and up to €3,000 medical costs above what the NHS will reimburse the hospital. BUT it's NOT meant for foreign skiers — only locals, who naturally don't have travel insurance.
And so you HAVE to have travel insurance to cover: liability, huge hospital costs, repatriation in a private plane, cover for when you are NOT on the slopes such as flying and transfers, luggage etc. And of course such travel insurance will cover ski rescue costs as well and you are just duplicating the Carre Neige cover and wasting your money.
€16.80 is a nice meal on the slopes with a glass of wine don't forget! |
Carre Neige ( I love saying it) is not for tourists? I always thought it was the fool proof rescue insurance as you have the slip with you. When I have had to use travel insurance I have had to swipe the first 1000 Euros, then reclaim. Indeed the hospital in Thonlon were adamant regardless of insurer they wanted the money on arrival.
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You know it makes sense.
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The Carre Neige also covers other things.
When my son's skis were taken from outside a restaurant last year we were high up the mountain over in les arcs. The owner asked if we had carre neige to cover the skidoo. We didnt and he tutted for a bit and called the skidoo anyway! My son had a glorious free ride all the way back over to vallandry but I think we were lucky.
I probably still wouldnt buy it on top of insurance, though, as its expensive for 5.
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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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Last season Bourg St Maurice hospital for A+E treatment an EHIC was enough with a small charge of €20 for X rays and a cat scan!
A few seasons ago an overnight in Moutier hospital was covered by the EHIC and again a small charge for X ray.
HOWEVER, the med centres in La Plagne - both Bellcote and Plagne Centre are private and will want credit cards or cash - nothing else is accepted, even from French nationals!
The 'sledge rescue' will take you there automatically.
Payment is made at the Lift co office in return for ski's if you need an ambulance to hospital, again private, your insurance co helpline will arrange payment. - Be prepared to wait whilst faxes are exchanged before they will transport you. Theoretically you could phone for a public ambulance but my French isn't up to discovering how that would work whilst being treated in a private medical facility.
I have seen a local lad being carried down by his mates to the main road and then phoning for help .....
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Poster: A snowHead
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We use Carte Neige as we mostly ski in France and Swiss accident/medical cover will deal with the rest.
It Champoluc however, we pay the € 1.50 ish a day for the local Snowcard - as when I smashed my hand a couple of years ago, although Carte Neige covered the costs (mostly anyway) we had to pay in advance and it was a hassle not worth not paying the marginal extra cost.
With the local cover you produced your lift pass and all bills evaporated.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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£400 seems a bit low. A sledge rescue in Courchevel back in 2010 cost me 500 euro, I'd be looking for a different policy.
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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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Though it is easy to just hand over your debit card and pay up front, be careful. The insurance company will convert this to pounds at the rate they want before they pay you back. In my case they chose a very bad rate and refused to pay me in euros.
I am still bitter about it.
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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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I sent in the claim we made in 2009 with copies of our bank and credit card statements to show the lousy exchange rate that had been applied at the time.
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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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So, was I just lucky?
Twisted my ankle and knee in cement a couple of hundred yards from the bottom of the Tete de Balme lift at Le Tour last March. When I got off the top of the lift, everything had swollen and stiffened (?) and skiing was out of the question.
I limped over to the secours hut where I was offered a pot of tea, then me and my gear was skidoo'd down to the top of the Charmillion gondola. Interestingly, on the back of the driver's jacket was a notice "don't scream, I am terrified too!"
I was not charged and the driver had no interest in my insurance. He indicated that there was no Charge for the service. Maybe he found my efforts at French endearing.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| under a new name wrote: |
@PeDaSp, re Carré Neige
| Quote: |
| it's NOT meant for foreign skiers |
From the description you posted, "9 – Does Carré Neige cover medical repatriation services ? Yes, if you live in a European country, with Carré Neige you can benefit from medical repatriation via Europ Assistance to your place of fiscal residence without the need for advance payment. * Geographic Europe"
So clearly it is meant for foreign skiers... |
Apologies if I have not made myself very clear; and thanks for your careful reading of the T&Cs of Carre Neige.
To clarify: Carre Neige was originally developed to cover French people skiing in French resorts. Such people didn't need Travel Insurance; which in any case is not normally valid in your country of residence. But they did need cover to be rescued off the slopes and taken to the nearest medical centre/hospital, where their normal French health-cover would kick-in (whatever that maybe).
Over time, this was cover was extended to cover residents of other countries in Europe, including the UK. And as you say, repatriation etc. is included. So someone in Germany driving for a couple of days skiing in France, would buy the Carre Neige cover.
But all folks from the UK that are taking ski holidays abroad (in Europe or elsewhere) are urged to get full Travel Insurance. Because as I have outlined elsewhere you need to be covered for public liability, theft, accidents outside skiing on the slopes, illness whilst flying or transferring, major hospital bills if you are badly injured, repatriation, liquidation of your tour operator, cancelation of your holiday due to a relative's illness/death, ski theft/loss etc. And note that even with your EHIC card, some of the best clinics and hospitals that treat skiing injuries are private and outside the scope of EHIC.
Inevitably, most UK Travel Insurance will cover skiing on the piste and maybe off-piste etc. But not all of course. And those that do, almost inevitably cover everything that the Carré Neige covers.
So in this sense, the Carre Neige is not meant for, nor was it designed for, foreign skiers who have Travel Insurance that covers them for rescue, repatriation etc. Because you are simply wasting your money and duplicating your insurance cover. And there is nothing that insurance companies like more than you duplicating your cover because it is money for nothing for them! e.g.: if you had Carre Neige and UK Travel Insurance, then in the event of a big claim (repatriation by private plane for example), both entities would most likely agree to split the cost.
And for smaller claims, many UK folks are likely to just claim on their UK Travel Insurance and not the Carre Neige they have purchased. Or indeed they may not tell their UK Travel Insurance they have Carre Neige and/or not even really understand what they were persuaded to buy at the ticket office.
And as so many folks here on Snowheads are on such tight budgets, it's only fair for them to clearly understand that they could be wasting their money. For a family of 4, they would be throwing away €68 for a weeks skiing.
But you could consider Carre Neige in these circumstances:
1. You are mad enough not to bother getting UK travel insurance.
2. You don't want the "hassle" of having to hand-over your credit/debit card and reclaim later from your UK insurance company etc., and you consider that is worth paying €16.80 per week's skiing per person for. But don't forget — Carre Neige has "claim forms" on its website, and many elements of the cover require you to pay for expenditure yourself and then claim it back.
3. You have a quote from a UK Travel Insurance company that does not cover skiing, and by the time you add the Carre Neige cost of €16.80 a week, you are still getting the best deal you can. But make sure that it's specifically skiing that is not covered, and not a skiing holiday as such.
4. Your UK Travel Insurance covers on-piste skiing, but not off-piste.
I hope all this helps, and no, I don't have anything better to do 
Last edited by You'll need to Register first of course. on Thu 20-10-16 21:22; edited 1 time in total
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my daughter (accompanied by my wife) was sledged down the mountain this feb in Megeve she was taken to the securitie des piste office in Bettex then blood waggoned to st gervais, we were not asked for any proof of insurance or payment at the time, they only took our home address with no proof required from my wife.
both my wife and daughters equipment was taken with them in the ambulance to st gervais which I picked up along with the patient!!!
we received the bills for these in the post a few weeks later, the sledge was around 400 euros and the blood wagon about 200 euros, which was passed on to and paid for by the insurance company.
we could not fault the treatment our daughter received by all the responders and medical staff in the doctors surgery and the hospital, in fact the female pisteur who took our daughter down the mountain even went and bought a pack of sweets for her whilst awaiting for the ambulance, funnily enough I bumped in to her in megeve a few weeks later when I went back out for a short ski trip, she remembered her and asked how she was doing.
also, i have to say our insurance company (top dog) and their agents were very professional, efficient (wife and daughter were flown home) and easy to deal with, and all upfront costs from the doctors and pharmacy were repaid to us within a couple of weeks of submitting the claim forms.
we had an EHIC card but only 80% of the hospital cost was covered by this and us paying the remaining 20% which was a princely sum of 9euros!!!
I assume if surgery was required and the costs were huge the insurance company would have needed to pay the hospital directly?
it serves as a reminder about how we are lucky to have the NHS!!!
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I hope your daughter has recovered fully and best wishes to you all.
Out of interest, I guess that the insurance company thought it was best your daughter got home ASAP and so paid for her to go home early accompanied by your wife? Normally, they try their very best to make you just take your scheduled flight at the end of the holiday. I hope your daughter was not badly hurt.
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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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thanks @PeDaSp, my daughters leg has recovered well and is looking forward to her first foray back on skis next week at the hemel fridge.
she was required to fly home with my wife, as we had driven out to the alps and the doctors advised that she would not be able to endure the long drive back home sitting in the same position for several hours, though they did not need to fly back until the end of the week at the same time that I drove back with our other daughter.
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@HammondR, most people are nice- especially / even in Chamonix!!!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| terrygasson wrote: |
thanks @PeDaSp, my daughters leg has recovered well and is looking forward to her first foray back on skis next week at the hemel fridge.
she was required to fly home with my wife, as we had driven out to the alps and the doctors advised that she would not be able to endure the long drive back home sitting in the same position for several hours, though they did not need to fly back until the end of the week at the same time that I drove back with our other daughter. |
Thanks! All such accidents are not a pleasant experience to say the least; but I'm happy to hear she is OK now and ready to jump back on her skis!
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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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@terrygasson, my hubby had emergency surgery on a broken neck in a French hospital, the cost of the surgery was NIL with the EHIC card, as it was a public hospital, and potentially life-saving surgery. The neurosurgeons were the same team that looked after Michael Schumacher in the same hospital.
There was a daily charge of about 18€ a day, but no charge to us at all for the op (although his account with the French authorities showed it as 10000€). I think including x-rays and scans, the cost for the week's stay was less that 200€.
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@Hells Bells, its good to hear at a stressful time you were not having to deal with any finance issues
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