 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi,
I am just looking at our annual family travel insurance to cover winter sports too. I just unsure if the insurance covers piste assistance? in Italy, Pila - piste assistance is €3 per day from ski lift centre. Do I need this as well or do most insurance policies cover this expense? Thanks for any advice.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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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Thanks, yes started looking at various threads. My understanding now is to get an insurance policy with winter sports with high medical costs and carry the photocopy documents with you so that if any accident does happen on piste and you do need hospital you can bravely show them docs and they will take you! I guess you need to be able to swipe your debit card ? I always had ski insurance but never had to use it and getting older now I have started to wonder what is in the small print! 🤕
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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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The only way to be sure is read the detailed policy wording. One cheap way of making sure is join the Austrian Alpine Club UK branch. Costs me about £45 a year for Me and 2 kids and covers us all for search an rescue anywhere in the mountains. Added to this the club is a good bunch of people and puts on lots of events and training each year, last year I got a free 2 day outdoors first aid certificate course just for showing up at the AGM meeting.
Last edited by You need to Login to know who's really who. on Sun 12-02-17 18:18; edited 1 time in total
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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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I asked my insurers the same question, do I need Carré Neige.
MPI states no, all rescue is covered, plus off piste by default.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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It is pretty much inconceivable that a UK based insurer offering winter sports insurance cover would not include piste rescue - visions of crawling down the mountain with broken leg/torn cruciate/wrecked achilles and then along the high street to the doctor expecting cover to commence on arrival at clinic - I dont think so!
For peace of mind you could check the policy wording and in any event I would always suggest that anyone buying insurance reads at a minimum the Key Facts document which highlights the main benefits before purchasing a policy, piste rescue should be set out in the Key Facts document.
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Thanks all. Went for Debenhams delux With winter sports which seems to cover everything. Even get a Debenhams voucher. I will however call them to double check. three weeks today and we go!
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When you buy the local on-piste and evacuation insurance, my understanding is that this gets checked against your skipass when assistance arrives, so there's no further action necessary. But if you decline the local cover, then it's at that point that you must provide payment cover in the form of a credit card. Whether you do or don't have insurance, and how good or not it is, the only option is to pay at that point. Yes, you may get it refunded subsequently, but that's the process. I think some people imagine that waving an Insurance document written in English in front of a rescue person will somehow work, but it won't. If you think about it, this is reasonable, their focus is on assistance, injury, and possibly transfer ASAP, not the fine details of insurance cover.
So even if you do have insurance cover, you might still reasonably opt for skipass insurance, just to simplify the situation where you or a loved one might be seriously injured and you just want to organise, extraction and treatment with the minimum of fuss. This didn't strike me until I was involved in a couple of injury situations and realised that all the discussion of cover terms and insurance goes out the window when someone you're with is injured. And even why my colleague's wife rang up to notify their (well-known) insurer, it wasn't until she lost her temper that they fast-tracked the approval for funding the operation that by that time was already in progress anyway. As mentioned, if your partner or child is going into surgery, will you really be up to 'phoning the insurer and going through the 'press 1 for ..' process?
I'm particularly worried when people tell me "I've got ski cover with my bank account / store card / etc." - Fine, but expect to pay out a lot of money up-front with some delay before any refund, and expect a cheap / 'free' policy claims handler to start with "But we never received a call from you, as directed, so .....". Given a helicopter evacuation can cost upwards of £12K you may be faced with paying out upwards of £20K for evac and initial treatment before you even start talking to your insurer. And be absolutely certain you understand the Ts&Cs of repatriation cover, especially if this needs early notification.
And remember that like all insurance, the person you speak to regarding the policy is not going to be the same person or even company that handles your claim. I found this out with a major travel insurer who were all friendly and helpful on their helpline, but who simply outsourced all claims handling to the lowest bidder. When I submitted my claim for stolen passport, camera and clothing, they held up the £3K payment for 15 weeks, at one point citing that I hadn't answered the question of whether my pajamas we new or had been used as the reason for it being delayed. I can't imagine what tactics they'd use if it had been a £25K+ ski accident claim.
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