 Poster: A snowHead
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Was skiing in PDS last week and noticed that the avalance warning was at 4 (of 5) for most of the week. Due to the rain of course..
People should note that many, if not most, insurance policies will not provide cover if you are skiing in such conditions - even if the lifts are manned and the slopes packed.
We're not talking off piste here - standard piste skiing..
Read the small print is my advice - before you buy and before you travel at least. Know what you are covered for.
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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 thought on piste was always covered and it was only concerning off piste conditions if the warning was 4 or 5 ?
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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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Anyone going off piste in the conditions I was skiing in last week would need locking up..
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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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There was a good article in the Sunday Times yesterday about skiing in La Grave. He pointed out that the thrill was the challenge and the feeling of being pushed outside your comfort zone. I suppose off-piste skiing is risky regardless of avalanche risk, I think the article pointed out as many people are killed in La Grave from rocks as avalaches.
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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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professorpool,
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People should note that many, if not most, insurance policies will not provide cover if you are skiing in such conditions - even if the lifts are manned and the slopes packed.
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What's your evidence for this? It's a very bold statement to make and certainly none of my policies have contained an exclusion of this nature.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| professorpool wrote: |
Was skiing in PDS last week and noticed that the avalance warning was at 4 (of 5) for most of the week. Due to the rain of course..
People should note that many, if not most, insurance policies will not provide cover if you are skiing in such conditions - even if the lifts are manned and the slopes packed.
We're not talking off piste here - standard piste skiing..
Read the small print is my advice - before you buy and before you travel at least. Know what you are covered for. |
I have never seen a policy with such a restriction.
My policy for my last trip (a cheap policy from GoTravel insurance) says the following:
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Winter Sports
Guided cross country skiing, mono skiing, off-piste skiing and snowboarding, recreational racing, skiing, snow boarding and snow sledging.
The following activities are not included in the definitions: freestyle skiing, heli-skiing, ice hockey, luging, off-piste skiing or snowboarding in areas designated as unsafe by resort management, off-piste skiing or snowboarding where there is an avalanche warning in place, parapenting, ski acrobatics and stunting, ski bob racing, ski-dooing, ski flying, ski jumping, ski racing or training, the use of skeletons or bobsleighs, snow mobiling, tobogganing. |
Note that only off-piste skiing/snowboarding where there is an avalanche warning in place is not covered. And the same (rather more surprisingly) where the areas have been designated unsafe by resort management - which means we would have been covered for skiing on officially "closed" pistes.
Last year's policy (the default Thomson one since they were offering it for £5) is actually identical, but then it was underwritten by the same insurers.
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alex_heney, what danger level constitutes an avalanche warning?
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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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stoatsbrother, my question exactly. stuarth, BMC policies used to cover (haven't checked small print recently) all sorts of off-piste but not on (kin dangerous with all these loonies about). Is that yours?
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What is your source Professorpool? My policy has no such restriction....
Are you really saying your insurance policy says we won't cover you on piste if it's raining and/or the avalanche risk is a 4/5???
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| alex_heney wrote: |
| off-piste skiing or snowboarding where there is an avalanche warning in place |
This doesn't make sense - there's always an avalanche warning in place - even at Level 1 there's some risk.
Alarm level 1:
Low. An avalanche is likely to be triggered in the event of high levels of additional stress only on very few, extremely steep slopes. Generally safe touring conditions.
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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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| stoatsbrother wrote: |
| alex_heney, what danger level constitutes an avalanche warning? |
All
1,2,3,4,5.
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You know it makes sense.
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I explicitly asked GoTravel what they meant by "an avalanche warning in place", and they said level 4 or 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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RobW, does it explicityly say that in your policy? If not then they haven't got a leg to stand on IMHO
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Poster: A snowHead
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alex_heney, et al
anyone curious as to why 'tobogganing' rates up there with 'off piste skiing in.. unsafe areas'.....
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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professorpool, your link points to a page that says nothing about skiing on, or off- piste. To baldly claim that "many, if not most, insurance policies will not provide cover if you are skiing in such conditions " adding "We're not talking off piste here - standard piste skiing" without backing it up with some solid refernces is (IMHO) just a wind up. Who are you fishing for?
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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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Having looked at the small print of my insurance policy for this year, I think it says off piste provided you are not skiing somewhere you have been advised is dangerous. I'll check the wording but I thought this is very ambigous. Given that no level of risk says its fine to ski off piste.
I also noted that the www.skiinsurance.co.uk the policy I've taken out for the last two years had changed from covered if skiing with someone also insured for off piste skiing to only covered if skiing with a guide.
the point about checking the fine print is a valid one, even if you've taken out a policy in years previous.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| hamilton wrote: |
alex_heney, et al
anyone curious as to why 'tobogganing' rates up there with 'off piste skiing in.. unsafe areas'..... |
Uncontrolled sliding on snow with no braking mechanism other then limbs...frequently done when drunk, in the dark while evading piste bashers....attempts at jumps...
Or is this just my ill-advised past?
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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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fatbob, Yep, the most dangerous thing to do on a ski hol, IME...well, up there, certainly.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Boris wrote: |
| RobW, does it explicityly say that in your policy? If not then they haven't got a leg to stand on IMHO |
Err. You mean you don't have a leg to stand on if they contest it.
As somebody else pointed out, even level 1 could be construed as an "avalanche warning", although I had always assumed that they meant 3-5, as those are the levels at which the "high risk" or "very high risk" flags are shown.
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I've just looked at the small print on my poilicy with P.J. Hayman - it covers "skiing in recognised areas" and off-piste unless there is an avalanche warning in effect. I take the former to mean that if the chair lifts are open I'm covered for on piste skiing, regardless of the avalanche risk.
I've just put in a claim for my husband who broke his leg recently skiing on-piste. To date I've not been asked if there was an avalanche warning in effect, so I assume it's not relevant to an on-piste accident...
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Interesting - I am with Dogtag - who cover skiing off-piste, but say that cover does not apply for any skiing "against local authorative warning or advice"
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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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professorpool, When I made a claim on my insurance last year, I was certainly never asked about avalanche risk! Surely if the lifts are open, it is regarded as 'safe' 
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alex_heney, how can they contest it if they haven't stated exclusions in their policy?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Boris, If they say in the policy that off-piste is not covered if there is an avalanche warning in place, then they have stated an exclusion in their policy.
How one interprets the words "avalanche warning" is all that matters then. And it is possible (if not ethical) to argue that even level 1 is a "warning".
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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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| JT wrote: |
| fatbob, Yep, the most dangerous thing to do on a ski hol, IME...well, up there, certainly. |
Except getting caught by your Girlfriend banging the challet girl !! 
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OK, so nobody has found any small print suggesting that skiing on open pistes is ever excluded, no matter what the level of avalanche risk warning? But several that suggest that if you have an accident on a closed piste, you could be out of luck. That is, of course, if you ever managed to get yourself down! I have skied on closed pistes but only with instructors - but maybe the insurance co would not be too impressed by that. Does anyone know whether Carre Neige covers you on closed pistes. Will the local piste rescue services come and stretcher you off, or whistle in a chopper, on a closed piste?
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You know it makes sense.
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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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Interestingly our bog standard medical insurance here covered unlimited mountain rescue costs, as does our DSV ski insurance. Up to EUR 20,000 IIRC. As does our travel policy here. All just say "mountaqin rescue" with no exclusions. I've specifically asked both the medical insurance and travel insurance whether off-piste is excluded and they have all answered - "no, why would it be?". Answer: move to Switzerland 
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Poster: A snowHead
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I'm sitting here thinking I've never seen any advice about avalanche risks - where are these warnings usually posted? - I ought to know so that I can check for them
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Megamum, flags at the top and bottom of lifts generally.
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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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Flashing orange light on the piste board, often with the risk number next to 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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Thanks both - will look out for them the next time I'm somewhere snowy.
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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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| professorpool wrote: |
| AxsMan wrote: |
| professorpool, your link points to a page that says nothing about skiing on, or off- piste. To baldly claim that "many, if not most, insurance policies will not provide cover if you are skiing in such conditions " adding "We're not talking off piste here - standard piste skiing" without backing it up with some solid refernces is (IMHO) just a wind up. Who are you fishing for? |
Troll alert
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Yes, I think this whole thread was quite a successful troll by you.
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I work in the insurance industry..
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The holiday insurance industry?
I rather doubt that much.
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All the claims being referred to here are not reflecting claims made due to an avalanche. Might as well state "when my skis were nicked at the airport, the insurance company didnt ask if an avalanche warning was in place"..
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All what claims?
People here have been looking at their actual policies, not talking about whether claims have been met.
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To be honest, I've now lost the will to bother looking any further for the evidence.
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Probably because you know you won't find any.
Several people have looked at the small print of their policies (including me), and NONE have found any reference to avalanche warnings except with regard to off-piste skiing.
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My original post stands.
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In that case, you will be able to point us to at least one policy whihc does contain the exclusions yuo suggest.
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People unconcerned with their insurance cover or on the quality of advice given by buying it from someone other than an insurance professional can do as they see fit. |
I haven't seen any signs of people being unconcerned. What I have seen is a number of people going away to check, and find out whether yout troll was correct.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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alex_heney, Well said. 
professorpool, So it WAS just a wind up then - why do you bother?
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Err, OK... 
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Classic case of questions being answered incorrectly and points being twisted or ignored for no purpose.
Well done. Your contributions to the community today have been excellent.
What possible gain is there in starting a thread of the nature you infer? Ego? I can do that on one of my own sites if I so wished. I don't need to come here to do it.
If you have nothing better to do than flame a new user, I suggest you re-examine your own sad little lives.
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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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| AxsMan wrote: |
Have a nice day |
Thanks will do.
Off to charge an insurance broker a disgusting amount of money for my advice.
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FAQ
