How does Rest Less make money
We make money through advertising and commission from affiliate links, which enable us to offer Rest Less as a free service to our users. The content on this page may use affiliate links, which track traffic from our website to a third party provider and enable us to receive a commission or payment from any traffic we refer.
* Affiliate links on this page have an * next to them. We place enormous importance on our editorial independence and the integrity of our content which means that we will never change how we write about something as a result of an affiliate link.
If you’re heading off to the slopes this winter, make sure your travel insurance is up to the job.
It’s crucial that you have the right policy for your skiing holiday as medical treatment could cost tens of thousands of pounds if you have an accident while you’re away, and not all policies cover winter sports as standard.
Christian Bennett at Multitrip.com said: “With many UK skiers hitting the slopes this ski season, ensure you’re physically capable and prepared. Also, don’t overdo it on your first couple of days while your body is still acclimatising to the higher altitude. Ease in gently.
“Winter sports carry significant risks, and the high proportion of medical injury claims underscores the importance of having comprehensive travel insurance in place. It’s not just about being prepared for extreme situations like needing to be airlifted off a mountain, even an ankle stress fracture can end up costing thousands in medical fees.”
Sun, sand and 20% off Admiral Travel Insurance
Ready to jet off to your dream destination? Use code RLSS20 for 20% off your travel insurance. Travel with less stress knowing you’ve got a safety net if something goes wrong. Terms and conditions apply. Offer ends 31 December, 2026.
Don’t rely on your GHIC alone
Many travellers mistakenly assume that if they are travelling with a Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC), they don’t need to take out separate insurance cover. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth.
The GHIC card gives you access to ‘medically necessary state-provided healthcare’ while you are in a European Economic Area country and certain other countries.
Medically necessary healthcare is any healthcare that can’t wait till you come home to the UK, so it might include things like emergency treatment and visits to A&E, as well as treatment for long-term or pre-existing medical conditions, such as diabetes or asthma.
However, it won’t cover all medical costs, nor will it provide you with any financial protection if, for example, your baggage is lost or stolen, or if you experience travel delays or have to cancel your holiday. Find out more in our guide Everything you need to know about the Global Health Insurance Card.
What ski insurance should cover
The main reason for taking out ski insurance is so that you have medical cover if you have an accident and need treatment, but you should also check whether any policy you’re considering buying covers the following:
Piste closure
Not all policies offer this cover, or if they do, they may charge an extra premium. But it’s useful if the resort is closed because of high winds, lack of snow or the risk of an avalanche. Some policies have quite a low limit, while others are more generous. Check whether a payout is triggered if the piste is closed for any reason or only due to avalanche risk. You should get the cost of ski pack hire and lift passes refunded. Look out for transport cover too. If the pistes nearest to you are closed but another resort several miles away is open, find out whether or not your policy will reimburse taxi costs. Some will, usually up to a limit of £30 or so a day.
Repatriation costs
Policies that cover winter sports should include cover for the cost of transport to a hospital, but check whether the policy would pay for you to be flown back to the UK if you needed treatment or further treatment. If this isn’t included, you could face a bill for tens of thousands of pounds if you have an accident and need to be transported home.
Sun, sand and 20% off Admiral Travel Insurance
Ready to jet off to your dream destination? Use code RLSS20 for 20% off your travel insurance. Travel with less stress knowing you’ve got a safety net if something goes wrong. Terms and conditions apply. Offer ends 31 December, 2026.
Off-piste skiing
Some policies cover off-piste skiing as long as you’re in areas considered safe by the resort management, but others don’t. Check whether the policy specifies that you have a guide with you as it may cause a problem if you’re just skiing with friends and don’t have a professional accompanying you.
Levels of equipment cover
Check levels of ski cover if you have top of the range equipment, and review limits for hired skis too if you’re going to be renting any equipment while you’re away.
Personal liability
It’s not just your own safety you have to worry about. There have been an increasing number of claims from people who’ve been injured by other skiers in recent years, so it’s vital that you have personal liability cover in place in case you have an accident that results in someone else being hurt.
The excess
The excess is the portion of any insurance claim you must pay yourself. Excess levels can vary widely and you can usually choose how big an excess you’re comfortable paying (make sure the amount you choose is affordable). The real sting comes in how many different excesses you have to pay; some companies only charge you one excess for each incident (so if you fall and break a limb, rip your clothing and damage your hired skis, you would still only pay one excess), while others may impose two or three excess charges. If you’re skiing with your family and have taken out one joint policy, find out if there’s an upper limit on how many excesses you have to pay should you all need to make a claim.
Claims and alcohol
If you enjoy apres ski as much or more than the skiing itself, bear in mind that ski travel insurance policies don’t generally pay out for claims that result from you drinking. That means if you have a fall and a doctor reckons that alcohol was a contributing factor, your policy may be invalidated. Find out some of the other reasons a claim might be refused in our guide Five hidden travel insurance rules that could catch you out.
Family policies
If you’re going skiing as a family then you can buy a winter sports travel policy that covers children, but it’s worth checking the upper age limit. While many have an age limit of 18, some cover ‘children’ aged up to 23 as long as they are in full time education.
Do your research
What you really want to know – as well as the level of cover you’ll get – is how fast the company you’re insured with is at settling claims. It may not be that easy to find out this information, but a few well-chosen questions should give you a clue.
Ask the insurer what documents they would want you to submit, whether you have to contact them before you spend any money and how they calculate the excess. The cost of documents such as doctor’s certificates can add up, especially if your claim is relatively small. Some companies insist you contact them as soon as possible if your claim will cost more than a few hundred pounds (often £500), which may be the last thing on your mind if you have a painful injury.
You can find out more about travel insurance and where to buy it in our guide Travel Insurance for over 50s – Everything you need to know.
Rest Less Money is on Instagram. Check out our account and give us a follow @rest_less_uk_money for all the latest Money News, updated daily.
Join the discussion
Read our full commenting terms and guidelines