Annual Family Ski Travel Insurance

Is EHIC Enough?

Our first advice is that whilst it is good to ensure that you and your children have an EHIC card, don’t rely on this for all your ski insurance needs.

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. 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.

Standard Travel Insurance?

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, 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.

Choosing Annual Ski Insurance Cover

Annual ski insurance is a great option if you think there is a chance you will go on more than one ski holiday a year. Different providers will allow you cover for up to certain days. So for example some policies will cover you for each holiday up to 31 days, others may cover you for longer periods for each trip.

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Features To Look Out For

Children Go free

Some policies for annual cover will let you add children onto the policy for free. This could save you significant money as a family so do check them out.

Length of Cover

If you are selecting an annual policy do work out first how long each trip will be for. Each policy provider will state how long you are covered for each trip, so do check the small print.

Age Restrictions

Some policies will set age restrictions, others will not. Some annual policies will only cover you for trips up to 31 days if you are aged 66 or over.

Destinations

When buying annual insurance you can select Europe, Worldwide including North America and Worldwide excluding North America. Do check what area your destination falls into. For example in many annual policies for Europe they also include the destinations of Russia and the Ukraine. You may not however be sure what all your destinations will be. Some policies will add in flexibility so you can amend it if you need to.

Pre-Existing Medical Conditions

With some polices when you take out annual cover you will need to declare pre existing medical conditions. Some conditions are standard but some may require you paying more for your cover.

Medical Cover Levels

Do check that you have the right amount of cover. Remember on a ski holiday you may at worse require mountain rescue, hospital stay and then repatriation back to the UK. We would suggest that as such you get medical expenses up to £10 million. Also do check that you have a good level of personal liability. If you are deemed to have been responsible for someone else’s accident you may find yourself with hefty medical bills.

Equipment

Also ensure that you have cover for lost skis or snowboards. But also look for those policies that will cover your costs to hire replacement equipment. This will ensure that you can get back on the slopes as quickly as possible.

Ski School Fees And Lift Passes

Lift passes can be one of the most expensive outlays on a ski holiday yet many people don’t check that they are covered in an insurance policy. Make sure that they are covered and that you are also covered if you are injured and can’t finish any ski lessons. Children’s ski lessons can also be expensive so check you have cover for them.

Check Excess Levels

Some policies look cheap because they have high excess payments. We have found some as high as £200 which means that if your child loses their gloves, highly likely, this level of excess can be a real inconvenience.

Small Print Which Can invalidate a Policy

Do check the small print of any insurance policy. Many now say that you must wear a helmet and follow all safety advice. So don’t ski off piste with your child if you didn’t add off piste to your cover. Also check if you are covered for snow parks.