Sunday, November 30, 2008

A Look at Travel Insurance Winter Sports

By Jerremy Grey

It doesn't take very long for the mountains in many European countries to go from a pleasant green to white as the snow falls getting the resorts ready for a new season of skiing. Last season's poor snow record is already forgotten as large amounts of snow have already fallen across Europe and elsewhere.

Each year hundreds of thousands take to the slopes for the first time but unfortunately some will return home with an injury nor will it be just the first timers as the more experienced will take on new challenges as well. That is why it is essential to have the proper ski and snowboard (winter sports) to provide the necessary cover on and off the slopes and most travel insurance providers offer good cover for intermediate and beginners.

This is the vast bulk of the market and yes, accidents do happen but they are more likely to be in a controlled fashion, by that we mean on well groomed slopes, with assistance and help on hand. The problem area is when the skier or snowboarder gains in confidence and skill and wants to seek greater challenges and with it more thrills which generally means tackling ever more severe slopes but also to venture into what is loosely termed 'off piste'. This is why the travel insurance cover generally stops at this point and more specialized winter sports insurance is required to cover the more serious skier.

Conditions such as 'only with a guide or 'only within a specified resort area' are the norm, so when seeking that adrenaline rush it is important to know what you are getting yourself into first. It is often easy for experienced skiers to become complacent and forget they may only enjoy the slopes for a few weeks a year and when new challenges emerge they may not be quite ready for them.

To make sure you are properly covered for these more extreme sports activities, it is essential that winter sports insurance is obtained that offers protection to this level of activity. Some people have travel insurance that is included in their credit cards or bank accounts for example but these can often be cut down examples and may not include winter sports insurance as part of the package so checking this before your journey is an absolute must.

If all this checking is too much then I would suggest looking for an insurance company that has tailor made winter sports insurance packages as this may be ideal if you're an experienced skier. Injuries and accidents aside, a good winter sports insurance package will also provide remuneration should anything else unforeseen happen like the loss of skis or when the resort has been forced to close.

Winter sports insurance packages are more likely to be required by competent to expert skiers as their risk of injury is considerably higher even with their experience and the locations they are injured in are often more remote. Winter sports insurance is designed to help should the worst happen but this cannot be done if you decide you do not need the insurance cover and ignore common sense. - 15275

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