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Insurance warning for skiers and snowboarders

Joanna Faith
Written By:
Joanna Faith
Posted:
Updated:
16/12/2019

Skiers and snowboarders should check they have cover before hitting the slopes as less than 1 in 5 annual multi-trip travel insurance policies include winter sports as standard, new research reveals.

Multi-trip policies are often more economical for regular travellers than single trip policies.

However, analysis by GoCompare found 84% of annual multi-trip travel insurance policies do not include winter sports cover as standard.

In addition, 41% of annual multi-trip policies provided by banks as part of packaged ‘added value’ or premier accounts, do not provide cover for winter sports.

Sally Jaques, of GoCompare Travel Insurance, said: “Many travel insurance policies, both single trip, and annual multi-trip policies do not include winter sports cover as standard, so holidaymakers off to the slopes this winter must check the cover their annual policy provides. If they have an accident, they may find their policy doesn’t cover them for rescue or medical treatments and that may leave them or their families with hefty bills to pay.”

According to the research, the average cost for treatment of a winter sports injury is approximately £1,200, while the average cost of a mountain rescue is £2,350.

The cost of an Air Ambulance flight from Europe to the UK would set you back around £12,000.

Jaques added: “Some annual multi-trip policies do provide a prescribed number of days of winter sports cover per year, so holidaymakers should check the policy wording or contact their insurer if they are unsure.

“It may also be possible to extend cover to include winter sports by paying an additional premium but if not, they should seriously consider buying another standalone policy which provides the extra cover they need rather than taking a chance and hoping they have an incident-free holiday.”