Winter sports enthusiasts are being encouraged to make sure they have adequate travel insurance before heading off to the slopes, and not to wrongly assume that they’re automatically covered if they have annual travel insurance or travel insurance attached to their bank account or credit card.
Standard and packaged travel insurance products are unlikely to cover skiing or snowboarding, says insurance comparison website Gocompare.
Most (78%) single trip travel insurance policies only offer winter sports cover as an optional extra, for which an additional fee is payable.
A minority (7%) of policies cover winter sports as standard, while 15% exclude this cover.
Following a review of over 600 travel insurance policies, Gocompare.com has drawn-up a list of things winter sports enthusiasts need to consider when buying travel insurance, which includes making sure they have enough medical cover, cancellation cover and that skis and other equipment plus lift passes and lessons are protected.
It is also warning those heading to the slopes to check if they are covered for skiing off-piste and what they might be entitled to if the lifts are closed due to lack of snow or their travel is delayed by an avalanche.
Personally liability should also be included, it says, in case a skier accidentally injures someone else and it is warning skiers and boarders to take care not to invalidate a claim, for example by having an accident while under the influence of alcohol or by not wearing a helmet.
