While travellers can tend to be a bit overwhelmed for choice when it comes to general medical and travel insurance, companies offering high quality, specialised ski insurance are thin on the ground. Nonetheless, when comparing any company you need to take certain points into consideration.
For International Cover
The alpine regions have notoriously unstable weather conditions, with ridiculously pricey accommodation and related expenses. Policies should include cover for bad weather, avalanche and piste closure, lost deposits and cancellation fees.
While not wanting to frighten anyone off the slopes, given the location and access of many ski areas, and the high-risk nature of snow sports, critical overseas cover should include emergency rescue, including helicopter rescue, and evacuation, plus medical, hospital and dental cover, ski pack and unused equipment hire. Also Personal Liability, accidental death, permanent disability and loss of income should be included.
As with any travel, luggage can go astray and credit cards, documents and belongings lost or stolen. Each of the above should be factored into all travel insurance policies. The important point is to compare the cover assigned to each aspect, plus travel delay and alternative transport.
Confirm if off-piste cross country is covered and if deviations such as telemark are included. Sports such as heli-skiing, night skiing, snow-biking and half-pipe snowboarding are rarely, if ever, covered.
Australian Domestic Cover
If you’re an Australian or New Zealander and have access to medicare, whilst skiing in Australia, you are in luck. Medicare does cover a range of mishaps while up on the slopes. What it doesn’t cover however, is helicopter rescue, theft or damage to your ski’s or board and the cost of cancelling your ski trip and accommodation should problems arise. Cover for the above is simple and cost effective with direct ski insurance.
Which Company?
Ski-insurance.com.au are an online niche company that stands out for comprehensive cover. Premiums vary according to regions covered. Regions covered with this company include Worldwide; all snow destinations from the ultra expensive medical/hospital countries of the U.S, Canada and Japan, to Switzerland, Norway and more; Europe – all EU countries; Pacific region (taking in all New Zealand fields) and Australian domestic for the Aussie slopes.
Travel Insurance Direct offer ski insurance for the recreational skier providing protection against loss, theft, misdirection and damage to ski equipment, ski hire costs in the event the hire equipment is damaged and needs to be replaced, loss of prepaid lift passes, and un-used hire and ski class fees if you should suffer illness or injury.
1cover.com.au also offer a high level of uniquely tailored ski and snowboarding cover, similar to Ski Insurance, but including helicopter emergency rescue and cover for your board or ski’s if they are stolen or lost whilst you are taking a break from the slopes in a café or lodge.
Ski-Insurance.com.au are particularly unique in that they cover both recreational and the professional circuit skiers and snowboarders, and their policies have the Ski and Snowboard Association approval. If considering generic ski insurance however, you have three top notch providers to choose from.
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