Wednesday January 25, 2006
Published on Guardian Unlimited
"I WAS SNOWBOARDING off piste the day of the accident. It was a sunny day, conditions were great and there was fresh snow, which covered the rock I collided with." Bryn Burson, 39, a database administrator from Brighton, is fully recovered now. But when he hit his rock on the Alpine slopes of Tignes, France, in January 2004 it fractured his pelvis and lower back.
Helicoptered off the mountain he spent six days in a French hospital before being able to fly home. He spent a further seven days in hospital in Brighton and it was seven more weeks before he could go back to work. "The cost of the helicopter alone was 3,000 euros," he says, but fortunately he was covered by his American Express ski insurance. "Without it I would have been liable for this cost plus getting me back to the UK."
An expensive break
More than 1.2 million UK skiers and snowboarders went on a skiing holiday last season according to the Ski Club of Great Britain. Most have insurance but 14% don't. Anyone thinking of skimping on ski insurance need only look at the cost of an accident to think again. Bradford & Bingley (B&B) insurance services say treatment for a broken leg in Europe can cost up to £3,000. In the USA it can be up to £25,000.
A third of winter sports claims last year were for medical costs, with the average cost being £1,200. Almost a third of claims were made for accidents occurring at French resorts. Skiers/snowboarders between the ages of 18-29 are most prone to accidents, followed by those aged 40-49.
While a European health insurance card (EHIC) - the replacement for the old E111 - can make things cheaper by letting you access medical treatment on the same terms as the locals, it won't pay for your rescue (£300 by skidoo, £2,000 by helicopter) or flights home. It isn't valid in all European countries either - exceptions include Bulgaria and Romania.
And don't think you can get away without it because you'll only be on the nursery slopes. B&B report that almost 25% of snowboarding accidents happen the first time someone tries the sport and 50% occur during a beginner's first season. As Bryn Burson says: "Travelling without insurance is just a risk not worth taking. An accident like mine can happen in a split second and without proper cover the financial implications can be horrendous." So what should you look for in a winter sports insurance policy? And how do you make sure you're fully covered?
Fiona Sweetman from the Ski Club of Great Britain says top of the list should be "at least £1m medical cover in Europe and £2m in the States and rest of the world". And while there are bargains to be had by shopping around online, she warns: "It's about getting the right cover for your needs. Don't just buy on price."
You will also need to insure against causing an accident. "Make sure you have at least £1m personal liability cover," says Sweetman. "Liability claims following accidents on the slopes have risen sharply and are becoming a major source of litigation."
Going off piste
After that you need to make sure you are covered for what you will be doing. "Are you covered for other winter sports, like tobogganing or heli-skiing?" she asks. Specialist insurance providers like the Ski Club of Great Britain take an "up-to-date view" on activities like off-piste skiing without a guide or heli-skiing and automatically provide cover says Sweetman. But many high street insurers don't.
"Winter sports insurance has become more refined as skiers are getting more adventurous," explains Richard Mason, director at website insuresupermarket.com. "Some policies won't cover you for activities such as ice-skating or tobogganing ... some, particularly the no-frills cover can be very limited."
With these policies, if you want to go off-piste or try activities like bobsleigh, heli-skiing or even snow-shoeing you would need to buy extra cover. However, if you only intend to go cross-country skiing some policies will give you a 20% discount.
Even if you take out full-frill cover it can have unexpected limitations, says Mason: "If you're taking part in ski school and plan to participate in end of school competitions, many policies won't cover you for that or any competition." Other things that will invalidate your policy include skiing past a "piste-closed" sign, or skiing piste: if you are one mulled wine over a country's drink drive limit you can render your insurance cover void.
Insuresupermarket.com also recommends insuring against theft or damage to your equipment - including cover for replacement hire - piste closure, theft of your ski pass, avalanche closure, and cancellation.
And again, when it comes to your equipment check your policy. Most won't pay out if your gear was left unlocked or in a car. Check how much your equipment cover is for too. Legal and General report that 50% of skiers think their luggage is worth about £500 when actually it's nearer £2,500. Many policies have a limit of £1,000.
Background checks
There are other traps worth keeping an eye out for. Laura Gleave, membership manager of the Ski Club of Great Britain, warns that people with a "pre-existing condition" should ask their insurer if they are covered or not. Pre-existing conditions include heart problems, high blood pressure, breathing problems or cancer. If you've been in hospital in the past 24 months for illness, that is also considered a pre-existing condition.
Gleave suggests any skiers who are concerned about a health issue should speak to their policy-provider about it, and if necessary go for a pre-holiday medical check-up. She says: "By going through the medical screening process this may allow the policy holder an option to have their particular condition written into their policy." If you don't want to do that, then a claim made for something relating to a pre-existing condition would not be paid by the underwriters.
Gleave also warns that when it comes to claiming for a cancelled trip, it is not just your own health you need to worry about: "Pre-existing conditions are not just those of the policy holder themselves but of any close relative, traveling companion or business associate that may affect their travel."
Providing the above doesn't apply to you it shouldn't cost all that much to arrange comprehensive cover. European seven-day cover from the Ski Club of Great Britain for example costs £30.50 for standard cover while a fortnight in Whistler costs £65.90. For anyone spending the whole season in the Alps the club offers four-month cover from £148.
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