What is Winter Sports and Ski insurance?
What does our Winter Sports & Ski Travel Insurance cover?
With our ski insurance add-on, you receive the same level of protection you get with our standard travel insurance policies, but with additional cover for unique risks associated with winter sports. You can add winter sports cover to your policy to protect yourself and your equipment when taking part in sports like skiing and snowboarding.
With our ski travel insurance, you get all the great benefits of our Silver or Gold policies, depending on which level of winter sports insurance cover you choose. You can choose either a Single Trip policy, an Annual policy or a Backpacker policy, depending on how you travel. These policies will include cover for:
- *Not available with Bronze level cover
- **Only available with Gold level cover
- Terms and Conditions apply.
Our Winter Sports & Ski add-on
gives you even more cover
Annual Multi-Trip Silver with Ski
Single Trip Gold with Ski
Backpacker with Ski
Frequently Asked Questions
When you head away on a skiing or winter sports holiday, you’ll likely encounter risks that you wouldn’t on a regular trip; these things aren’t usually covered by a standard travel insurance policy.
But, with specialist winter sports travel insurance, you’re covered against things like piste closure, avalanches and emergency medical expenses. Plus, your equipment is covered, so there’s no need to worry about it getting lost or damaged.
Whether you’re taking on the thrill of a Black Run in Klosters or snowboarding in Whistler, our winter sports insurance covers you, so you can test your skills or learn a new hobby with confidence.
The best winter sports insurance policies cover you for far more than just skiing. When you purchase our Winter Sports and Ski add-on, you’ll be covered for the following activities – providing that you’re not taking part as a professional, or as part of a race or competition:
- Bigfoot skiing
- Cross-country skiing
- Glacier skiing
- Mono-skiing
- Skiing
- Sledging
- Snowboarding
- Snowblading
- Tobogganing
Please note that off-piste skiing and snowboarding are only covered by our winter sports travel insurance policies when you are skiing within the ski-area boundaries of a recognised ski resort, and following ski-patrol guidelines.
Whether you’re looking for travel insurance for skiing in France or somewhere further afield, at Allianz Assistance, we’ve got you covered.
If you’re looking for travel insurance for skiing in Europe, select the European country you're travelling to for our Single Trip cover.
For our Annual policy, you should choose our ‘Europe’ cover. This means you’re covered in the European countries listed in our policy documents, so you’ll get to enjoy some of the most popular places in the world for a winter sports break – like St. Moritz in Switzerland, Borovets in Bulgaria and Chamonix in France.
If you choose ‘Worldwide (excluding USA and Canada)’, the area of cover is anywhere in the world except the USA and Canada. This is a great option if you’re looking to travel to some of the world’s most impressive resorts, like the four ski resorts within an easy drive of Queenstown, New Zealand. If you prefer, you can even take a holiday to Niseko in Japan, which is widely regarded as being one of the snowiest places on the planet.
If you choose ‘Worldwide (including USA and Canada)’, the area of cover is any country in the world, so you can explore far-flung ski resorts like Whistler Blackcomb in Canada.
Although the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) or Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) can currently help to protect you on your break, it doesn’t offer comprehensive cover.
For example, neither your EHIC nor your GHIC will cover the cost of medical treatment in a private hospital, mountain rescue or repatriation to the UK. As a result, if you don’t have winter sports cover and you have an accident in a ski resort, you’ll have to pay for mountain rescue and repatriation to a UK hospital, which could cost tens of thousands of pounds.
We’re sure that you’ll take all possible precautions before you hit the slopes, but unfortunately accidents do still happen. So, before you embark on your winter sports holiday, you should pack your EHIC or GHIC and consider taking out travel insurance too. This way, even if something does go wrong, you’re covered.
Winter sports safety tips
Taking part in winter sports like skiing and snowboarding comes with some risks, so make sure you take steps to prevent accidents on the slopes.
- Wear a helmet - Protect yourself from serious head injuries when taking part in winter sports, many ski resorts make helmets mandatory for these activities
- Wear appropriate clothing - You'll want to invest in a good waterproof ski jacket and trousers to keep you warm enough and to help you stay dry when you land in the snow.
- Stay in the roped areas - Going outside of the designated resort boundaries can put you at risk of getting lost or caught in an avalanche, especially if you're inexperienced.
- Wear sunscreen - Though most of your body will be covered, you'll want to avoid the dreaded skier's sunburn on your face so be sure to keep topping up the sun lotion for any exposed areas.
How to ensure you have the right cover
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If you have a pre-existing medical condition that we are unable cover under our own policies, you may be able to obtain an alternative travel insurance policy through one of the providers featured in the MoneyHelper directory of specialist travel insurance providers for people with serious medical conditions. Do take time to study and compare the terms and conditions to ensure you have the cover you need. To contact the Money Advice Service for further details of the directory
Call: 0800 138 7777 (lines are open Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm)
or
Email: traveldirectory@maps.org.uk