Group Ski Insurance Quotes

What is Group Ski Insurance?

Group ski insurance is quite simply a way of buying an insurance policy that covers the whole group in much the same way that you would buy insurance for a family. Many ski companies offer it or some will offer it free for example for the group ‘leader’.

There can be advantages to getting it as sometimes you will get higher cover on things like loss of baggage. There are however key things to look out for

EHIC

Our first advice is that whilst you should not be dependent on an EHIC card do make sure that if you are travelling in Europe all your party members have an EHIC card. 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

Also check that all group members want to be part of the policy. Some may want to rely on normal travel insurance policy but this will 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.

Equipment

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 will probably not be covered under most general travel insurance policies.

Watch For Excess Levels

With group policies the excess can be set quite high. The problem with this is that whilst it can make the premiums cheaper it can cause real problems when you go to claim.

Don’t Be Afraid To Bargain

If you are a large travelling group you will be an attractive proposition for an insurer. Don’t be afraid to go back to your preferred insurer and ask for a better deal.

Compare Quotes

Always compare quotes but as a group do ensure that you are covered for what everyone wants to do. There is no point not including off piste if half the group will ski off piste. Make sure all activities are covered.

Annual or Single Trip

Check if any group members are skiing again over the year as you may want to look at an annual or multi trip policy.

Level of Cover

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.

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.

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.

In terms of equipment and individual items get everyone in the group to say what the value of their most expensive item is so that you can ensure you are covered.