Can travel insurance cover skiing and snowboarding?
Arrived at the mountain ready to hit the slopes but there's no snow? While we can't guarantee the weather, amount of snow, or your skiing ability, our optional Snow sports cover is designed to help cover:
- Our 24/7 Emergency Assistance team is available to take your call and help from broken bones to sudden illness.
- Overseas medical expenses cover can help with with medical assistance, hospital care and evacuation and, in the worst case scenario, repatriation back home.
- Ski lift passes: The costs of pre-paid ski lift passes or ski equipment hire or tuition fees when you're injured or become ill during your trip and can't ski.
- Hire equipment when yours is lost, damaged or delayed: If your own equipment is lost or delayed in transit or damaged, our optional Snow sports cover may help cover the reasonable costs of hiring replacement equipment so you don't miss out on all the fun.
- If the weather closes the slopes: Yep, if the weather is so bad they close the slopes for more than 24 hours, you may be covered due to your inability to go skiing, although daily and maximum benefit limits and terms and conditions apply.
- Baggage: If your equipment is permanently lost, or irreparably damaged, you may also be able make a claim under the luggage and personal effects section.
- Cancellation due to illness: If you have to cancel or defer your ski tour holiday because you or a family member is medically certified unfit to travel, your non-refundable pre-paid travel costs for ski tours may also be covered.
There is no medical cover available on the Domestic Plan as Australian residents are able to access Medicare. Benefit limits apply to all these sections and you should remember if you haven't added the Snow sports cover option when you purchase your travel insurance policy, then these benefits may not be covered.
Why should I consider travel insurance for skiing and snowboarding?
Every year, tens of thousands of us go overseas to hit the slopes in the colder parts of the world. From ski schools in Canada to the wide-open runs of France, Australians can be found on pistes all around the world. Zooming down an icy hill on planks is much riskier than lying by the pool in the sun all day.
Each ski season, we receive hundreds of claims about broken bones, torn ligaments and dislocations from skiing accidents overseas. Injuries sustained from snow sports can be serious and the cost of staying in hospital in some countries, such as America or Japan, can be sky-high. Travel insurance can help in these scenarios, getting you emergency medcial assistance, evacuated if needed and, in the worst case scenario, repatriated back home. Cover varies between plans.
What if my skiing and snowboarding trip is impacted by Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Cover for some coronavirus related events is available on all our plans, but the benefits and benefit limits vary. Learn more about the cover available here.
Ski and snowboard travel insurance FAQs
What snow sports are covered?
Our policy covers common and not-so-common snow activities, on and off-piste. For some of them, you'll need to have booked the activity through a guided tour provider or a licensed operator to be covered. For instance, if you and some friends decided to ride snowmobiles in an area marked as dangerous, without a guide, and you have an accident, you may not be covered. The types of Snow sports included are:
- On and off piste skiing and snowboarding;
- Backcountry skiing and snowboarding;
- Snowmobiling;
- Cross country skiing;
- Tobogganing;
- Telemark skiing.
What Snow sports aren't covered?
Regardless of whether or not you’ve purchased the Snow sports cover option, we won't cover any claims arising from your participation in any activities on ice or snow other than the ones described as a Snow sport in the policy such as:
- bobsleighing/bobsledding;
- luge;
- skeleton;
- tubing;
- ski acrobatics;
- ski jumping;
- skijoring;
- snow kiting;
- snow biking;
- snow rafting;
- ice hockey;
- ice climbing;
- any activities on frozen lakes and rivers;
- any professional sporting activities;
- any form of racing (other than on foot).
What happens if I don’t take Snow sports cover?
Your policy won’t cover you for any claims arising from your participation in Snow sports such as skiing and snowboarding. We may cover you if you have an accident building a snowman though, depending on where you build it. Of course, cover is available for other things as per your PDS.
How do I make sure I have Snow sports cover?
You must add the Snow sports cover option when you purchase your policy – once you’ve chosen your plan, you will have options available to customise your cover – select Snow sport cover at this point which will add it to your policy and it will be shown on your Certificate of Insurance. This mean you have additional cover available under the policy for injuries, equipment and time lost (24 continuous hours) because you couldn't get out on the slopes.
Is Snow sports cover just for medical expenses?
The Snow Sports option may allow you to claim a benefit for piste closure for more than 24 continuous hours; lost lift passes; ski school; and hiring replacement ski gear if yours is lost, stolen or damaged (provided your claim payable under the terms, conditions, limitations and exclusions of the PDS).
Losses arising from injuries obtained in the course of skiing or snowboarding may be covered under our International plan’s emergency Medical assistance section – for our Domestic plans, expenses are not included as Medicare in Australia will often provide assistance in these circumstances.
This is a brief summary of cover only and does not include the full terms, conditions, limitations and exclusions. Read the PDS before purchasing.
Find out more about skiing and snowboarding
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