With the winter season now in full swing, it’s the ideal time for a ski holiday. However hopeful skiers have been advised to keep themselves covered while they go away. According to research from the travel insurance provider, esure close to 400,000 Britons will run the risk of going away without cover for the trip. This could see them with a huge bill in the event of an accident.
Their research also found that around 20 per cent of skiers do not take out travel insurance while five per cent, were found to rely, wrongly on their European Health Insurance Card for cover. Eleven per cent chose to forego travel cover entirely and four per cent were said to have forgotten to buy a policy.
Don’t run the risk
The insurance firm, esure stated that all skiers should make sure that they have relevant and adequate medical cover, so that they avoid being left severely “out of pocket”, should they get into an accident and become injured. Treatment for ski injuries could run up into several thousands of pounds, with a helicopter evacuation alone, costing around £1,500 and repatriation costs topping £4000 from Europe and £8000 from the USA and Canada. Even transport off the slopes on a blood-wagon would set you back approximately £200.
Mike Pickard, Head of Travel Insurance at esure, said: “No matter what your level of competency on the slopes, accidents do happen and huge medical bills can easily rack up. It’s crucial to ensure you’re fully covered with quality insurance that includes specific winter sports cover.”
Tips for ski trip cover
For those who will go away but maybe tempted to travel without cover, some tips have been provided to them to, inform them of how they can make the most of their trips by taking out a travel insurance policy.
Skiers were told, not to rely on a standard travel insurance policy, as some may not automatically provide cover for winter sports. A majority of insurers offer such cover as an optional extra, so be sure to check the small print.
Ensuring that the sizing is correct, if you plan to borrow ski equipment can be beneficial. Around 55 per cent of skiers questioned, said that they will be looking to borrow ski equipment and clothes from family and friends, rather than hiring or buying, as a means of keeping costs down. Make sure everything is the correct size – especially ski boots – as safety should be the utmost importance on the slopes rather than cost saving.
Checking out what activities are actually covered, by your policy before you book, can mean the difference between the validity, your policy being considered invalid, leaving you unable to claim; double check which activities are covered as standard and call your insurer for clarification, if you’re unsure. Alarmingly,17 per cent of UK adults, polled would try out more extreme sports – such as ice-lake diving, off-piste snowboarding and tobogganing – even if they knew that they wouldn’t be covered by their travel insurance and would have to foot the bill if they were injured.