Paying for being stretcherd off the mountain?

A snowHead

When my OH had to cut short a holiday in La Plagne to get back to deal with storm damage to our house (I stayed on. snowHead

) our insurance - I think it was snowcard - was very good about getting him home, refunding six-sevenths of his package cost they would not refund on the lift pass. They said to try in resort but I had no luck with my hard luck story about the roof blowing off my house in the UK and hubby having to go home to deal with it.

A snowHead

Sage, the maximum they will pay for an injury is £20 per day , it does clearly say that in their policy, and they have paid that out to us already. The other sums mentioned in the policyfor skis, lift pass etc only apply to stolen or lost items. No excesses were deducted as hubby used his EHIC card.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

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Sage, I agree totally, but I have looked at other ski policies recently, as our insurance needed renewing, and most pay a similar amount. The ski hire shop should have refunded the hire costs for the unused days, they did so for my sons when we had to go to Grenoble to stay near the hospital. My hubby has his owns skis so not a problem there. We used the EHIC card at the doctors and at both hospitals. I had to back to the apartment after the accident to collect the car so we could get the skis home, and put the card and the insurance details in my pocket. I will carry it with us in future though.

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Guys and gals, thanks for all the replies!

My insurance was taken through the Police Fed, which we pay for on a monthly basis. There is Winter Sports cover, but all the wording states medical treatment as opposed to anything else. When I've spoken to them they dont really give a straight answer. Unfortunately our lift passes were paid for through Skitopia, so we weren't given the option of paying for the Carre Neige. Anyway, my claim form is filled out, and ready to be sent off along with the invoice / bill. I guess its a case of waiting to see what they say! If "computer says NO!", then the flexible friend will come into play!!

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mustdash, if the policy includes winter sports cover and medical cover, I'd be surprised if they don't cough up for a blood wagon. It's the winter sports equivalent of an ambulance.

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mustdash, for future reference, you can add insurance to your pass at the lift office at the beginning of the week.

After all it is free

I want to share my experience of the cheapest result on comparison sites and hope someone is helped - I will keep it short. On Tuesday 10th Jan I fell in Avoriaz and suffered a v bad compound leg fracture. Air ambulance took me to Thonon hospital where I had surgery and my wife began her comms with our insurance co - Zurich Insurance Company Ltd, via their third party administrator, World Travel Protection. Our goal was repatriation - to get me back to the UK. After a few days of frustrating calls, she was assured that with the Fit To Fly document they had was all they needed and would be in touch with flight details. When they failed to come back to her, she reached out and was told that they could not call out, as they were so busy they could only take incoming calls, but now they required my medical record before they could organise a flight. We organised this and again, they assured her that now they had everything they required. Calling back a few hours later, she was told they required the air ambulance invoice to prove I had to be rescued by air. She said we had no way to get that and asked me to take over as she was getting angry (and not progressing my repatriation). I phoned and they said they required the incident report from the mountain rescue. I blew up on them, saying this was such an obvious ploy to delay as long as they could so they did not have to pay. Why could they not have told us on Tuesday EVERYTHING they required? I asked for escalation to a manager, but none were available. I called back 3 times that day, no manager ever available. Always a regretful empathetic attitude, so sorry, going to get a manager to phone me back straight away - but they never did. On my 4th call, I was told they were awaiting the medical report to be translated - I asked if they had a French team and they said yes, but the documents still needed to be translated before they could take action. I finally got put through to a manager and she said she was very sorry and they would look into it, but they needed to have everything in place before they could determine if this was a valid claim/payable claim, and they could not pay for any flight until this was completed...and we are still waiting for translation. But, she said I was welcome to pay for my own flight/extra seats for my leg, and try to claim it back later. My Fit To Fly paper said leg must stay extended and elevated. When I told the surgeon this was not possible in a Jet2 plane (my original return booking that I had just paid for 2 more seats on), he shrugged and said 'it is the insurance company responsibility - they use a special air ambulance'. I chose to just get out and take care of my own (extremely painful) repatriation (BTW-can't praise Jet2 enough!!!). So in closing, my take away is that this ins co/admin co did everything possible to avoid paying for expensive air ambulance reptriation. EVERYTHING. Not even trying to hide it - Blatantly delaying any progress on purpose. No doubt my complaint will eventually be met with token financial compensation - far cheaper for them than a private air ambulance! Will never use the cheapest option again.

Hmm. I wouldn;t assume that a more expensive policy would result in a better outcome. I was confused, reading your account, about the link between repatriation and an "air ambulance". Or was the air ambulance they were reluctant to pay for the one from the mountain to Thonon hospital? I've known of quite a lot of repatriations of people who need leg straight and elevated (often people answering to that description at Gva airport) but NONE who have been flown to the UK in an air ambulance. More likely a scheduled airline, like BA, with additional seats, and if necessary a private ambulance to and from the airport at both ends.
Or, if it can be arranged with the tour operator, additional seats on the original flight - if there's no obvious need for you to be repatriated earlier than the scheduled end of your holiday.

If there's any argument about the mode of transport chosen for you by the local piste rescuers (and helicopters cost a fortune), that's where the very cheap Carte/Carré Neige insurance you can buy with your lift pass can save a whole lot of hassle.

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Anyone know if there is a Spanish Pyrenees version of Carre Neige?

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@pam w, yes, I had three seats and private ambulance to airport and then from airport to home.

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@pam w, my brother-in-law was repatriated by air ambulance.

Yeah, a friend of mine was flown back by air ambulance from Austria a few years back after a particularly nasty fall, it was her and one other patient in the plane. Insurance picked up the lot.

You know it makes sense.

@pam w, I do think it depends very much on the insurer and also the medical opinion, not to mention the injury severity and type. I do know of several people who have had a private repatriation. Bilateral leg fracture or spinal injury for example.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

Hubby's private ambulance to airport was a Skoda being driven by someone on the phone to their boyfriend while driving in dense fog at 150kph. So even that is a lottery. His flight was BA business class.

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A snowHead

@Hurtle, Yeah, but he was very badly injured not just a broken leg

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

I was repatriated by air ambulance last March from Turin with a fractured pelvis & sacrum. Admittedly it was 9 days between accident & getting home to hospital but I’m eternally grateful that my policy plus the GHIC covered absolutely everything (some automatic & a small amount paid upfront & reclaimed). I’m unsure however whether it was the piste rescue or the GHIC that covered the helicopter off the mountain to Aosta hospital. I even got a small amount of compensation from them due to the delays so that covered the £60 excess. MrChuckles3 was well looked after with his travel arrangements too. All that for a £125 joint annual policy.

I’ve used the same company again this year & I’ve had to pay a bit extra (£80) but I think that’s across the board for everyone as winter sports cover has generally increased & I have medical stuff I have to declare. I’ve now had 3 ski claims in total now over the years & all were settled with no issue by the same company.

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I thought Zurich Insurance Company were on of the bigger/better Insurance companies - maybe not...?

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I always get worried when people tell me their cover is with a professional association or bank account, or is underwritten by a big name insurer and just leave it at that without checking the details. The problem is that the name tells you nothing about the cover. A big name insurer will provide a bank with cover for its clients, but it won’t necessarily be the same as their public retail product. The lesson is that unfortunately you always need to work through the policy with a fine tooth comb. This also applies to recommendations on forums: increasingly, larger insurers have a catalogue of cover items that, following your online or telephone Q&A, they then build into a tailored policy. So the cover one person has isn’t necessarily the same as another person will get.

Addendum: Ah, didn’t notice this was a resurrection post initially. Have edited the OP bit out.

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This sort of thread reminds us to READ our insurance policies. I have a reminder which arrived yesterday that it's time to pay the £237 it will take to validate my "free" bank insurance for a further year. I'm going to pay it, as I can't be bothered to spend days comparing other policies which will mean reciting my long list of medications again. They were pretty good when I broke my pelvis. I didn't want to be repatriated - was the last thing I wanted, but I had my own small place in France, all on the level, unlike a three storey house here. When I did go home they paid for two drivers to fly out and drive me and car home - they'd happily have paid for a flight but that would have left the car stuck out in France. They were quite flexible about costs that were within the "flight and ambulance" cost. They queries why i needed two drivers but I told them that saved the cost of an overnight on the way home. I liked the commonsensical way they dealt with it, but it was very cheap for them, overall. I had local insurance which covered the short ride in a blood wagon and the only medical treatment was an X ray and some anti-thrombosis medication I had to inject for 7 days. My French neighbour had crutches in his cave. A few very short ambulance rides, two cheap mid-week flights from Bournemouth to Geneva and a taxi transfer to Saisies.

After all it is free

A few years ago I fell on piste (in Verbier) and badly broke my leg.
Pisteurs...helicopter.
I just showed my lift pass which said Insurered: Nothing to pay, nothing to reclaim, nothing to do.
That would have been expensive...Heli cost alone at the time was chf100 per minute flying time.

Operation, X-Rays, MRI, Hospital for 2 days.
I just showed my EHIC, no paperwork to do, just got an invoice for chf64 when I left.
At that time it was about £40, didn't even bother claiming on my insurance.

So the lessons I learnt were:
1. Always (!) take out the lift pass insurance.
2. GHIC (these days) is all you need for medical charges in Switzerland, we don't bother with Travel Insurance on top of GHIC.

N.B. Lesson 2, GHIC, is only my opinion, and only refers to Switzerland where we have used it many times as a family for all sorts of minor, and not minor, medical events. France is an altogether different country!

Being from the US and expecting phenomenal bills for a single aspirin, I buy travel insurance, piste rescue insurance with the ticket, and off piste insurance from the Austrian Alpine Club.

Years ago on a non-skiing trip to Austria I got a top of the line travel insurance plan not because of the medical or lost luggage, but solely because I expected my travel partner to suddenly cancel on me. The price hurt, but included all the other stuff. It ended up being the best thing I've ever bought because I got an absessed tonsil and ended up being put in an ambulance and locked up for a week in the hospital and not allowed to fly for 2 weeks. Ya never know. Get the insurance.

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GHIC (previously EHIC) is also relevant elsewhere and makes sense to carry it. But it won't fly you and your broken leg home. And it won't cover everything the NHS would. It's good in a major hospital, but I don't think it'll cut much ice in a private resort clinic.

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Returning to the OP’s original post €200 isn’t much set against the price of a Ski holiday and considering the help given by the piste patrol (who may have been volunteers.) I carry local insurance so can’t comment on those aspects. However, I do remember that about 25 years ago my mate badly twisted an ankle after a fall while climbing in Glencoe with me. The MRT were called out tho’ we eventually got back without their help. We both donated £50 to the Glencoe MRT (so in total £200 in today’s terms). So, if it were me, I’d pay the €200 as a goodwill gesture…

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@pam w, GHIC works 100% in the Verbier medical centers as well as every single hospital in Switzerland (acccording to my doctor in Switzerland)
It covers everything the NHS would cover and believe me (I have too much first hand experience!) the Swiss medical system is MUCH more efficient than the NHS.
That's all I need to know.
The flying home stuff is a cost I can self insure...I needed 3 seats and easyjet were so helpful, I didn't even need to buy the extras as the plane wasn't full.

If I ever get a really nasty diagnosis in the UK I am getting out to Switzerland ASAP and waiving my GHIC as I turn up to the Swiss doctors.

@CathyAuLait, I can’t help for Spain, but I think different resorts have different insurance arrangements. That’s certainly the case in Andorra.

You know it makes sense.

..it is of course true that the UK MRTs are volunteers and do not charge for rescues…However, I am sure that while in the UK I have on average donated more than £60 per year to them. (E.g. by putting my change in the MRT box every time I finish a walk or a climb in a pub - AND I do a LOT of mountain walking in the UK as well as in the Vorarlberg). By comparison, the cost of my Alpenverein membership which carries basic insurance for walking accidents is around €65 or much the same as my average donations to the MRT in the UK…so there isn’t much in it. (& of course the Alpenverein Mitgliedschaft has other benefits.) Also, (see my post above) I would feel morally obliged to make a significant donation to a British MRT were I carried off by them..basically, I think responsible mountain users should be prepared to pay for the time of the MRTs whether indirectly as in the UK or directly as in Austria or elsewhere…

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

@Bergsteiger278, "..Returning to the OP’s original post €200 isn’t much set against the price of a Ski holiday..."

Maybe not in 2023 - but the OP's original post was in 2009.. !! wink

A snowHead

It wasn’t then either…I remember paying well over £3000 for three with Crystal BEFORE buying lift passes etc every year in Bad Gastein from 2003 - 2012 (whereupon I retired somewhat early and bought a place here..)

A snowHead

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

..and bear in mind (when comparing salaries) the practical every day cost of living in Switzerland is at least twice as much as in the Uk..(and also far higher than in neighbouring Austria where I live)..

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Whereas in the UK, people who have been low paid, therefore paid little tax, had kids go to "free" schools etc, reckon as they've "paid in all their lives" they should get instant health care on demand, for free. Only people who pay well above average tax are actually "owed" anything from the system and the feeling against having to pay privately for anything is very strong. People are going to have to change their ideas, some how.

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I fell in La Touissiere in 2012, dislocated and broke my shoulder.

Was stretchered off the mountain, then transported to the hospital in an ambulance (which was shared with a young girl who had a concussion) - no charge.

At the hospital we had to hand over a credit card, and hubby had to drive to the next town to buy a shoulder brace, we got all of that back from the insurance, but the issue we had was that we had driven, and husband was due to fly to Jordan from Lyon and I was supposed to be driving home from there. When we contacted insurance they said they would get me home, but not the kids. Husband could have parked at Lyon and then returned to Lyon to get the car rather than return to London, but he had no choice but to cancel his trip altogether and lose the income. When we got home we found out that we had been wrongly advised and that because his journey was seperate to mine and the kids then they would have got the three of us home - but by then it was too late he had lost the income.

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After all it is free

When my OH needed a triple bypass, in 2002, the waiting list was long and he was very impaired. We extended the mortgage to pay for the op - which cost about £18K. Question of priorities. Other people will have other priorities - borrow £18K to buy a car and wait for the surgery. The demand for NHS care is endless and growing. Something has to change.

@pam w, you were fortunate to be able to afford that, not everyone can extend their mortgage. As for paying in , the NHS is a socialist policy, those who can afford to pay in more to enable those less fortunate to have the same opportunities and healthy life as the rest of us.

@skimummk, if you choose to or need to jump the queue, why should the NHS still pick up the cost? Most people have to wait.

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Paying for being stretcherd off the mountain?

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