Europe Annual Ski Travel Insurance

Relying On Your EHIC?

When travelling in Europe, the E1-11, which has now been replaced by the EHIC (European Health Insurance Card) was always a great additional cover for any mishap. But is it enough to mean you don't need to pay the £100 for specialist insurance?

The EHIC is a reciprocal health agreement between European countries (that includes Switzerland) that gives you access to state healthcare during a temporary stay. The EHIC does not cover mountain rescue, being helicoptered off the slopes, being flown back to the UK or specislist pain medication or splints. So in short, you are utterly mad if you rely solely on the EHIC when skiing.

What About A Normal Travel Insurance Policy?

Standard travel policies cover you when travelling abroad. As with specialist ski policies you can choose Europe, Worldwide or Single Trip - the choice is yours. But will a standard policy cover you for regular travel insurance?

What you need is a policy that covers all possible events from a multiple skier/boarder pile up through to a crash that means you need to be airlifted off the slopes. With breakages being common and crashes an every day event in some resorts, why leave this to chance with your standard policy?

Pretty much every standard travel policy will exclude any injuries caused by snow or slopes. If you're in a ski resort, there's no way they will believe that you are not skiing and so even if you're there as a spectator, you're going to need a specialist policy.

Buying Annual Ski Insurance

Ok single trip policies are just that - single trips usually up to 14 days. In fact if you are going for more than 14 days skiing you are going to need to check the policy very carefully to ensure you're covered adequately.

So, if you are going for 2 weeks or more, or fancy having a few weekends in Morzine plus a week with the family, buying what's called an Annual ski insurance policy is going to be very important.

Different insurance providers allow cover for a different number of days with a single trip policy, from 10 up to 21 in some cases.

If you buy an annual policy it's possible to get as many holidays as you wish, all with up to 31 days cover. i.e. you can go away every month for a week and be fully covered.

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Features To Look Out For

Children Free?

If it's a family holiday as well as some boys/girls weekends, then look out for you policy to include children onto the policy for free.

This could save you significant money when you do go away as a family.

Length Of Cover

Quickly make a mental note of the length of cover you'll need for different trips so you can ensure the policy 100% covers you for all of them - may as well maximise the savings. Check the small print very carefully!

Age Restrictions

Are there any age restrictions? Some policies may set them for example not allow those over 75 to get cover, or restrict the days if you are 65-75. Again check the fine print carefully.

All Destinations?

Annual insurance is usually split in to different World Zones. If you buy cover, then Europe, Worldwide including North America and Worldwide excluding North America are the usual zones you will see. Be aware of places like Russia and the Ukraine if you want to go as not all Europe zones cover those two countries.

There are also 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.