Bobsleigh Insurance Cover

Bobsleigh

Bobsleigh, or Bobsleighing, is also known as bobsledding and involves you hurtling down an ice covered half pipe in a fiberglass sleigh. The idea is that you get down the descent as quickly as you can. As you can imagine from the description it is considered as high risk by insurers.

The Risks

Common injuries include stumbling while accelerating the sled, cuts, bruises, dislocations and fractures. When you are in the sled you can also hit the walls and turn over causing injuries to the head and neck. This is not a sport for the faint hearted.

Ski Insurance

It is staggering to learn that many Brits go skiing without taking out special winter sports cover. Many simply rely on their EHIC card and normal travel insurance.

EHIC is the European Health Insurance Card. It used to be called the E111 and is a reciprocal health agreement between European countries including Switzerland. This gives you access to state provided healthcare during a temporary stay in another European economic area. You can apply for EHIC through the EHIC online application form, this is free of charge, so do beware as unofficial websites will try and charge you.

You cannot however rely solely on this for a ski holiday let alone a holiday involving bobsleighs. The reason for this is that EHIC will not cover many of the things you may need should you have an accident on the slopes. So for example mountain rescue is not covered, nor is being flown back to the UK. Lost or stolen property is also not included. So for anyone skiing, EHIC alone may not cover you.

A normal travel insurance policy will also not cover you for a ski holiday. If you are unlucky enough to hurt yourself then those injuries can be quite serious. You may break a bone and need to be airlifted off the slopes which can run into thousands of pounds. Or you could cause a serious accident to another skier or boarder and be liable for their costs. Skiing and boarding are dangerous sports as is bobsleighing, you could endure life threatening injuries, so always make sure you take out specialist ski insurance.

Another consideration, if you are also skiing or boarding, is your equipment. The equipment you use for skiing and boarding is expensive. If someone steals your board or skis then that could set you back thousands of pounds. This may not be covered under most general travel insurance policies.

Bobsleigh Insurance Considerations

Are You Professional And Competing?

Most of the policies we found stipulate that you cannot be professional or taking part in a bobsleigh competition. Most insurers define professional or competitive as meaning that you are being paid for an event or receiving sponsorship money. So do be honest about what you are bobsleighing for or your insurance could be invalid.

Safety

Most insurance companies also make it clear that if you do not wear safety equipment or heed safety advice then your claim could also be invalid. Always ensure you follow all safety advice.

Make Sure You Are Insured For Bobsleighing

Even if you have opted to ski all week and just have a go one evening on a bobsleigh you must ensure it is covered on your insurance. It is classified as an extreme sport by most insurers so your normal ski insurance will not cover you for this activity.

Specialist Insurance Provider

Many providers of ski insurance do allow you to add bobsleighing onto your cover but do compare them with specialist bobsleigh insurance providers. The latter do understand the needs and requirements of those bobsleighing and can be worth checking out.

Cover Required

Do look for cover that gives you up to £10m for bobsleigh accidents, personal liability up to £1m if you can get it and cancellation cover as if this is your only ski trip you want to get money back if it is cancelled. Also ensure that the value of your equipment is covered should you lose your skis or board.

A final tip is to really check the small print of any policy. What looks cheap may for example come with a high excess making a claim not cost effective. For example some cheaper policies set excess levels at £200, lose your gloves and the policy isn’t really worth it.