 Poster: A snowHead
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If you're just skiing on piste, is ski insurance really necessary? Piste rescue doesn;t usually cost more than 50-100 euros and all health stuff is taken care of by your EHIC card in Europe.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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If you break a leg, how are you going to get home?
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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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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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And. Your flight home. Is covered! !!!!!??????
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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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DennisPennis, the EHIC card doesn't cover private medical facilities, only State treatment. So if the medical centre in resort is private then you wouldn't be covered. Last year it cost us about £1,000 in the resort's private medical centre for some x-rays, drips, drugs etc and a few hours of treatment, which wasn't covered by EHIC but our insurance reimbursed. You need to have both.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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And. Your flight home. Is covered! !!!!!??????
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| DennisPennis wrote: |
| If you're just skiing on piste, is ski insurance really necessary? Piste rescue doesn;t usually cost more than 50-100 euros and all health stuff is taken care of by your EHIC card in Europe. |
Are you sure??
My brother in Law dislocated his shoulder, walked into the First Aid station..... but had to be "taken off the mountain"... was sent a bill for nearly €1500!!
From memory it consisted of;
> Skidoo stretcher from 1st Aid Station to helipad (250m) - €150
> Helicopter to car park (3mins) - €550
> Ambulance from Car Park to Medical Centre (2miles) - €200
> Drugs (mild pain killers) - €75
> Ambulance from Medical Centre to valley hospital (10miles) - €400
None of which was covered by the EHIC.
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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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that helicopter was cheap compared to the skidoo 
Definately buy insurance to provide the additional coverage for winter sports.
Any SH hunches on the best/most comprehensive cover versus VFM?
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Ski insurance really doesn't cost much and I couldn't imagine going without it.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/Healthcareabroad/EHIC/Pages/Whatiscovered.aspx
# The EHIC is not a substitute or replacement for private travel insurance. You should always take out an appropriate private policy in addition to carrying your EHIC.
# It will not cover the costs of private healthcare or services that are not part of the state healthcare system.
# It will not cover the costs of being brought back to the UK.
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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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Gosh I was lucky, I ruptured my ACL skiing and I wa directly opposite the top of the ski lift but it was a down and up walk with a lot of skiiers going left to right very fast. Just as we were thinking OMG how are we going to get across in one piece we were offered a lift by the skidoo guy across to it. No charge was made. (We did have insurance just it would have been a lot of hassle).
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DennisPennis, in the spirit of your namesake... nice really silly question! Do you live under a bridge by any chance?
Anyway - the answer....
YES YES YES YES YES
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You know it makes sense.
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What about insurance for skiing in Scotland? I'm covered by my BMC annual thingy, but do you guys organise insurance for day/weekend breaks, or would rescue/etc be free in the UK?
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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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If your in France the Carte Neige covers you on the piste (and getting you off). I broke a bone a few years back and my CN got me to the hospital and my EHIC covered the medical expenses - BUT I did have to pay myself before I got a refund from the NHS.
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Poster: A snowHead
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I remember a ski holiday a few years back where one of the lads on the transfer bus broke his collarbone during the course of the week. He had no insurance only an EHIC card and was travelling alone. He was refused piste assistance as he had no insurance and took himself to the nearest state medical centre and back via taxi having walked in pain to the gondola station to get the lift back down to resort level. Although he couldn't snowboard for the rest of the week, he got his normal flight home and other holidaymakers had to help him out with his luggage. Fortunately, he had arranged for someone to meet him the other end to drive him home.
So, taking that as an example, it is possible but certainly not recommended. There's always the chance that there is no state medical facility in the vicinity of your resort and other holidaymakers might not want to help you out.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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There is a much bigger issue than covering ones own recovery/medical expenses. What if you lose control and take out someone else ?
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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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I would certainly always have insurance, and you do hear some dire stories from some places, but it is not that bad everywhere. Two seasons ago a friend in our party took a bad fall in the Dolomites, breaking his leg in three places. Piste rescue was done with no questions, he was loaded into an ambulance and carted off to "Krankenhaus Brixen". We had to take his gear back to the apartment then drove to the hospital where he was being treated. I got the job of cantacting his insurance company (whose first question was "was he on or off piste"!). When I asked the hospital for thier details to give to the insurance company the response was "you do not need insurance - with the EHIC everything is free".
Where he did need insurance though was for getting home - we had to drive home and leave him in hospital, and his insurance company got him home a week later, with leg in a cast.
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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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| geepee wrote: |
| There is a much bigger issue than covering ones own recovery/medical expenses. What if you lose control and take out someone else ? |
That is a point often overlooked, as is insurance cover on your gear, travel delays, cover against missing the trip though illness etc.
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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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Next question 
What alternative is there to Carte Neige? I'm going to be going to to Sierra Nevada in Spain a fair bit but it cannot be covered under holiday insurance.
I know some ski resorts have insurance with the ski pass.
I went up there once and they state the rescue charges on the board and slopes go right down to the car park.
I guess for emergencies you'll be air lifted elsewhere anyway. SPain has state healthcare and EHIC covers most stuff. I would get additional insurance if I could but Carte Neige and those guys don;t cover Spain.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Quote: |
Piste rescue doesn;t usually cost more than 50-100 euros
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More from this week's uber-fascinating training course (role-play exercises in French, just what I need) ... average cost of rescue in 2Alpes is 350€. Figure excludes helicopter rescue, which costs 700€+.
DennisPennis, in France, your EHIC covers you for 70% of what the state says your treatment should cost. (Note: this doesn't necessarily mean 70% of what you actually paid.) It would be up to you to pay for piste rescue, ambulance transport, the rest of your medical care and repstriation should you need it.
The deal in Spain will be broadly similar. Carte Neige does cover you for skiing outside France, but you would have to pay all costs (piste rescue included) up front and then claim them back. In French.
Why don't you just buy Anglophone ski insurance from a UK insurer which caters for UK ski holidaymakers? It's not difficult.
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Thanks.
Carte Neige only do France.
UK companies only cover holidays of 18-30 days duration.
I suppose there are specialist firms but seem few and far between.
Also, although I'm UK resident (tax), I don;t live in the UK so they probably won;t cover me, hence the specialist company needed.
Last edited by After all it is free  on Sat 11-12-10 11:42; edited 1 time in total
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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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| DennisPennis wrote: |
Thanks.
Carte Neige only do France.
UK companies only cover holidays of 18-30 days duration. |
Amex do 62 consecutive days.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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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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| Quote: |
Also, although I'm UK resident (tax), I don;t live in the UK so they probably won;t cover me, hence the specialist company needed.
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You might have saved us all a load of faff if you'd mentioned that in the first place. 
I take it you have looked for ski insurance in whatever country you do live in?
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You know it makes sense.
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It seems to be the usual thing though - it's called unlimited but only covers for 31 days to 60 days per trip.
That's both on snow sports ins., ski club, dogtag, etc.
I could get backpacker insurance but that comes in at a whopping £200+ for most.
?
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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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Dogtag: "Single Trip high cover levels for a single trip of any duration up to 18 months."
ski-insurance: "The policy provides cover for Single trip travel for periods from 1 month up to a maximum duration of 18 months."
insureandgo: "Cover for trips from 3 days up to 365 days in length"
snowcard: "The single trip policy will provede cover for one specific trip, which can be up to a maximum duration of 18 months."
Seasonnaires working five-month seasons regularly use all these companies and have no problem getting cover for more than 60 days.
However, all of this is irrelevant since none of them will insure a non-UK resident. You might get better advice if you told is where you were starting from.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| Lizzard wrote: |
Dogtag: "Single Trip high cover levels for a single trip of any duration up to 18 months."
ski-insurance: "The policy provides cover for Single trip travel for periods from 1 month up to a maximum duration of 18 months."
insureandgo: "Cover for trips from 3 days up to 365 days in length"
snowcard: "The single trip policy will provede cover for one specific trip, which can be up to a maximum duration of 18 months."
Seasonnaires working five-month seasons regularly use all these companies and have no problem getting cover for more than 60 days.
However, all of this is irrelevant since none of them will insure a non-UK resident. You might get better advice if you told is where you were starting from. |
Kind of a grey area as I'm UK tax resident, could be argued to be backpacking, even though I'm living in Spain for 6 months, and still have a UK address.
If I became tax resident in SPain, I think it'd be a different matter.
Backpackers insurance covers people away from the UK doesn;t it?
"This policy is only available to persons who have been resident in
the United Kingdom for at least 6 months in the last 12"
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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DennisPennis, if you're living in Spain and you plan to ski in Spain, I suggest you look for a Spanish insurer - there must be one which does ski insurance. Try calling the resort and asking if they sell insurance with the pass - if you're a Spanish resident that should be perfectly adequate.
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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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or ring some of the firms listed above and ask them about your specific circumstances, being sure to tell them the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, about your situation.
Where are you going, and for how long?
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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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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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It's normally the point of origin that matters rather than where you're from. For whatever reason UK policies usually state they only cover trips originating in the UK.
As for long duration winter sports as others have said, dead easy to find - I do it every year.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| snowsteve wrote: |
It's normally the point of origin that matters rather than where you're from. For whatever reason UK policies usually state they only cover trips originating in the UK.
As for long duration winter sports as others have said, dead easy to find - I do it every year. |
Point of origin is a grey area as well...after all with a long stay insurance you have to depart from the UK at some point.
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