 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi All,
Off to La Plagne next week so thought I had better get some carre niege insurance. I purchased my lift passes through 'ski holiday extra's.com' and they offered me what I though was 'carre niege' insurance which I took (2.50 euros per day).
Now I have the policy docs, it seems to be something else - its with a french insuarnce company called assur ski and seems to cover you for everthing the carre niege does and more!
My question is has anyone else bought and had to use this insurance in anger? If I wave my policy at them in the unfortunate event of an accident, will they wisk me off the slope in the skiddo no questions asked (as they apprently do with carre niege cover) or demand payment first!!??
I guess I am covered either way but would rather not have to shell out for any unfortunate heli rides uneccesarily!
First time to france so this is all new!
cheers all!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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mystyc, it's just a different insurance company. Carré Neige is a brand name, not some special type of insurance.
Carré Neige (in English):http://www.carreneige.com/accueil.en.html?PHPSESSID=0f7040f6c324e95d6ac50e0a9d34e0eb
Assur'Glisse (not in English): http://www.grassavoye-montagne.com/menu/accueil_dossier/type_produit/25
And yes, it will get you rescued with nothing to pay upfront - that's what it's for and why lift companies sell it.
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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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cool, nice one Lizzard,
Time to hit the powder worry free 
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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 got bloodwagonned off the mountain without paying upfront in La Plagne with just the standard travel insurance I had.
I just explained to them that I had insurance (which I did) and it was fine, then while I was in hospital the insurers got an assistance company involved and they paid the evacuation bill. Would have been much easier if I had my policy docs on me to show to the pisteurs, so I will do that in future.
So my advice would be just to have your policy documents on you and you should be fine.
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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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bobmcstuff, what makes the difference between being asked for payment and not is the assistance company, not your insurance policy. Eg any resort offering Assur'Glisse will deal with Mondial Assistance, so if your insurance company uses them, you won't be charged (assuming your policy actually covers you for skiing, obviously). It's the assistance company which makes all the practical arrangements and guarantees payment to suppliers.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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They had no idea who my assistance company was though??
I didn't even know who I was insured with when they took me off, I just knew that I had insurance. They just took all my personal details off me and deposited me at the doctor's surgery in Champagny, and told me that if I didn't get it paid within X days they would get very angry or something. I probably still have the form somewhere (with my x-rays, which incidentally I did have to pay for upfront).
Basically at the point where I was evacuated, the pisteurs had no idea who my insurer was, all they really had was my word that I was covered through the company I worked for.
But then they were never going to just leave me on the mountain with a suspected spinal injury I suppose...
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bobmcstuff, the pisteurs at point of rescue do not give a stuff who your insurance company is or even whether or not you have one. They take whatever details you give them back to the office and pass them onto piste services. The people there then deal with the assistance company or charge you as appropriate. You were expecting what - that they were going to demand a credit card before they piled you on the stretcher? You think they carry a cash float, a card machine and the wherewithal to take cheques? 
There's such utter tosh talked about insurance and piste rescue on here, you wouldn't believe.
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Pisteurs cared enough to ask OH to ring our insurance company before helicopter arrived for me last April.
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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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| Lizzard wrote: |
bobmcstuff, the pisteurs at point of rescue do not give a stuff who your insurance company is or even whether or not you have one. They take whatever details you give them back to the office and pass them onto piste services. The people there then deal with the assistance company or charge you as appropriate. You were expecting what - that they were going to demand a credit card before they piled you on the stretcher? You think they carry a cash float, a card machine and the wherewithal to take cheques?
There's such utter tosh talked about insurance and piste rescue on here, you wouldn't believe. |
Possibly some of it by you assuming that what applies in LDA applies to the rest of French resorts. IME (admittedly some years back) a paramedic at Val D'Isere did check that that an off-piste skier with a dislocated shoulder had insurance before calling in a helicopter. IIRC he would have called in a sled otherwise (we weren't a long way from a piste). I accept that you a specifically citing what happens with piste rescue - and maybe there is then no problem anywhere in France, though it would be interesting to know if Lou's OH's accident was on piste. But I don't think that anyone reading this thread should assume that all will be well without good insurance backup if they go off piste.
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IIRC some of the stories about people being asked to pay "upfront" have related to private ambulances - to which the piste rescue service have transferred people. Most ski insurance will pay for that (if your accident was on piste or satisfied the small print for off piste  ) but EHIC won't, I guess.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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It would make sense that if a person was conscious and not critically ill and therefore not going to be in danger by being sledged down, that they would check whether you had insurance before automatically phoning a helicopter. Who would want to get stung from their own wallet for a 50 Euro a minute journey unless absolutely necessary?
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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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Does my bank insurance cover things like this, because that's the only insurance I take out when skiing??? What should basic ski insurance cover? Im intermediate and never go off-piste nor ski like a lunatic.
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Ricklovesthepowder, suggest you read it and see....
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You know it makes sense.
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Ricklovesthepowder, all policies are different and you should check what it says specifically about winter sports.
I guess you at least want to make sure you are covered for the cost of getting you off the mountain, medical treatment, and repatriation (i.e. paying to send you back to the UK sitting with your casted leg up across three seats on a plane or whatever if needs be). If you don't ski off piste, that shouldn't be too hard to find at a reasonable price. I guess there is also personal liability (i.e. if it was deemed that you caused an injury to someone else), cover for loss or theft of skis etc.
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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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achilles, my accident was on piste in France (Bellecote glacier La Plagne). They explained that the helicopter was necessary because of where I was - a stretcher transfer would have been a very long and tortuous one. The pisteurs were satisfied with a verbal confirmation via OH who spoke to insurance company on the phone. It was all done in a friendly and professional manner 
We didn't have to pay up front for anything to do with the 'rescue' bit. We did have to pay for the treatment at the med centre as it was private and EHIC was of no use - this was settled quickly on our return to UK.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Lou, Indeed the medical centre is a private operation and does not accept any insurance companies promise! Last season I had to sit in the waiting room there, I'm fairly sure they don't even accept the infamous carre neige (which is for piste evac), there were certainly some very fast French argumens but they all paid up by cashh or CC in the end.r
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Lou, glad it worked out so well for you and that you are back on skis already. I certainly would not have wanted to be in the position of having to decide whether I could afford to pay €€€€ or whether to endure a long and torturous stretcher down the mountain... Must remember to carry my insurance details on me!
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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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| Quote: |
I'm fairly sure they don't even accept the infamous carre neige
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they probably don't. I have Carte Neige (season version) and would only expect it to get me TO a private health facility.
I've made us a couple of small laminated cards with insurance details and contact telephone numbers (at the apartment, and for the insurance) and also noting that the OH is diabetic. If they found him in a heap by the side of the piste they could try some glucose before going for anything higher tech and expensive! The cards live in the arm pocket with lift pass, Carte Neige and EHIC. I think it's called Belt and Braces. 
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