One in four skiers and snowboarders are uninsured
Skiers and snowboarders are risking huge bills by forgoing travel protection or taking out inadequate cover, according to a new report
Of the 4,000 respondents to the survey by the UK’s Chartered Insurance Institute (CII), nine per cent had insurance but no winter sports travel, 10 per cent didn’t know if they were covered for winter sports and nine per cent had no insurance at all.
This was backed up by similar findings from insurer Aviva, which found that while six out of 10 British parents (57 per cent) said they would consider taking a winter sports holiday with their children, 55 per cent of parents said that they only sometimes take out travel insurance when they go on family holidays. Meanwhile, 47 per cent don’t ensure that they are covered for winter sports. This is despite more than half of respondents admitting that either they or a family member had had a near miss or accident on the slopes.
Adam Beckett, propositions director for Aviva, said: “A medical emergency is the most common reason for claiming on winter sports insurance, and the cost of treating minor injuries can be expensive – the average cost of a winter sports claim is around £1,000. The largest winter sports claim settled by Aviva in recent years was for a customer who suffered a hip injury while skiing in Austria, the cost of which was over £15,000.”
The CII identified an increasing trend for British skiers and snowboarders to fly to US ski resorts – Aspen in Colorado, Girdwood in Alaska and Red Mountain in Canada were all identified as UK destinations for the coming year. David Ross, director of communications at the CII, said: “No matter which resort you are in, there is always the possibility that things go wrong and if you don’t have deep pockets, winter sports insurance is a must.”
The differing costs between medical bills in the US and Europe are staggering. Insurer LV= said that its highest ski claim for repatriation between 2014 and 2015 in the US totalled £23,013, while in Europe it was £11,536. “The old adage ‘you only get what you pay for’ can often apply to travel insurance,” said Julie Constable, travel insurance product manager at LV= , “so a policy that looks cheap may not leave you adequately insured.”