 Poster: A snowHead
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There seems to be a lot of Snowheads who cannot get their heads around which ski insurance is appropriate for them.
Basically it falls into probably 2 categories.
1st category
If you are just going on an ordinary ski holiday then the likes of "Insure & Go" etc will do you. It covers off piste within the resort boundaries so if there is a need to cross from one piste to another over "no mans land" then you will be covered.
Keep away from any policies that say 'Off piste with a guide' as you will not be covered for this eventuality.
2nd Cat.
If on the other hand you like to do "Itinerary's" you probably will need some policy with less ambiguous wordings.
Although a lot of "itinerary's are marked on the piste map, and will be covered by the above, skiers being who they are, often create their own routes which take you away from these marked routes which leaves the insurance company able to say, you were away from the resort boundaries therefore not covered.
Also a lot of Itinerary's are skier made & not on the piste map.
An example is the off piste from the back off the "Grand Pre" lift down the Rocher du Charvet in Tignes. Its not classified as an Itinerary on the piste map so technically you are doing off piste out of the resort boundary.
So unless you have adequate cover you will be stuffed in trying to claim any rescue costs. Its a lovely run that is not too difficult & a lot of people do it 'BUT' if you come a cropper you could have money problems without the correct cover.
The insurance cover you need for Cat 2 are the likes of Snowcard, Ski Club GB, BMC.
If you do Snowcard go for "Adventure Max" It will cover you for virtually anything you are likely to do.
It covers 4 weeks skiing for circa £100 ie £25 per week. Plus you have cover for your summer hols thrown in.
Peace of mind will make you ski better as well!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Another cover you could go for is the Austrian Alpine Club for £42 It covers for any rescue costs Wordwide. I spoke to a lady at the insurance HQ in Innsbruck who said there is virtually no restrictions as to where you are, re an accident/rescue/hospitalization and any reimbursement, as long as its within the policy limits to costs. So if you combine this with say, an Insure & Go type of policy which will give you cover for cancellation, baggage, on piste accidents etc it will give you fairly comprehensive cover both for on & off piste skiing. the combined cover will cost circa £95
One draw back is, for an off piste accident you will be dealing with an insurance company based in Innsbruck????
As I said, peace of mind will make you ski better so don't cut costs. It could be a false economy if you are landed with thousands of pounds worth of helicopter/hospital fees. You will be paying £1000 for your holiday so whats an extra £50 or so.
AND don't forget your EC healthcard it will save you paying any excesses, as most insurance company's forgo this charge if you use it for your reciprocal health treatments.
In a nutshell. Ordinary straight forward family/friends ski trips just go for a good quality Insurance Company which covers off piste without a guide within resort boundaries. £60 annual
Anything else go for specialist cover. £100+ annual
Hope this info is helpful for anyone with unsure thoughts as to what cover they need.
Incidentally I don't have any connection to any of the companies mentioned.
Happy Skiing
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Fri 5-08-11 17:07; edited 1 time in total
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Ski Insurance Maize |
Does that cover you in corn snow?
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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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I do enjoy the strong aroma of a freshly opened tin of spam
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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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Bode Swiller, wrong tin, it was corned beef.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Maybe I should get an English spell checker!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Blame Gates!!!!
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alisterhod, you really can't blame Gates, or spell checkers, you know. These mistakes do crop up, don't worry about it.
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Dear oh dear. Bet nobody knew it was this simple, let alone corny (and ubiquitously mis-spelled in ways which wouldn't touch the sides of a spell checker in any version of English.) Too little time...
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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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| alisterhod wrote: |
Another cover you could go for is the Austrian Alpine Club for £42 It covers for any rescue costs Wordwide. I spoke to a lady at the insurance HQ in Innsbruck who said there is virtually no restrictions as to where you are, re an accident/rescue/hospitalization and any reimbursement, as long as its within the policy limits to costs. So if you combine this with say, an Insure & Go type of policy which will give you cover for cancellation, baggage, on piste accidents etc it will give you fairly comprehensive cover both for on & off piste skiing. the combined cover will cost circa £95
One draw back is, for an off piste accident you will be dealing with an insurance company based in Innsbruck???? |
The major flaw in that plan of seperate policies is you are covered for rescue costs off-piste by your Alpine policy and they will get you down and to a local hospital. But if you've broken a couple of legs or damaged your back in the process and need repatriation with medical supervision your standard travel insurance policy that doesn't cover off piste still won't pay as the injury related to an incident off-piste. So you're off the mountian ok but it could still cost you 10k (or whatever) to get home.
Better to go for a travel policy that does cover you for what you want to do.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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But if you've broken a couple of legs or damaged your back in the process and need repatriation with medical supervision your standard travel insurance policy that doesn't cover off piste still won't pay as the injury related to an incident off-piste. So you're off the mountian ok but it could still cost you 10k (or whatever) to get home.
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Yes - and in the midst of a crisis, who wants to be trying to deal with a host of different insurance companies, all trying to pay as little as possible? Overlapping policies can cause a fair few complications.
It's more complex than the OP suggests - the reason so many people struggle with which insurance to buy is because it's difficult, not because they're thick. Amongst the factors not mentioned are age, pre-existing illnesses, length of trip and overall number of days skiing during the year. All of which can be complicating factors. Policies also vary in their cover for lost gear (e.g. whether they cover skis which aren't locked when left outside a restaurant). And that's without beginning to scratch the surface of the small print which applies to "off piste without a guide" which is by no means as straightforward as implied. It's quite possible to remain confused even after quite extensive correspondence/discussion with insurers trying to clarify the small print.
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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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| alisterhod wrote: |
Maybe I should get an English spell checker!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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No, but I do think you should fix the sticky exclamation mark on your keyboard...that must be really irritating.
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Gazzza,
| Quote: |
But if you've broken a couple of legs or damaged your back in the process and need repatriation with medical supervision your standard travel insurance policy that doesn't cover off piste still won't pay as the injury related to an incident off-piste. So you're off the mountian ok but it could still cost you 10k (or whatever) to get home.
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But AAC cover that as well so where is the problem - any accident not covered by the cheapo policy the ACC will deal with in it's entirety.
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You know it makes sense.
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An itinerary that is not on the piste map is not an itinerary. Itineraries are marked and avalanche patrolled.
There is no such thing as inside or outside the resort boundary in Europe since they have no boundary and all off-piste has the same status. In-bounds and Out of Bounds are an American concept.
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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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| snowball wrote: |
An itinerary that is not on the piste map is not an itinerary. Itineraries are marked and avalanche patrolled.
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Depends on the resort e.g. Verbier will carry out avalanche bombing on Chassoure, Gentianes and (I guess) the Plan de Fou itineraries as they have lifts running up them but they don't on any of the others. Although they will open/close them depending on conditions. Some do, some don't read the piste map or ask a patroller.
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Poster: A snowHead
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By avalanche patrolled I meant that if they were open they had been deemed to be safe. Unlike off-piste.
Of course there is also a small "freeride" area in a few resorts now which is avalanche patrolled in the same sense.
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FAQ
