UKC

Hi,

Heading off to California and Utah for 65 days next week and am looking for insurance recommendations - the BMC only covrer up to 45 days, and various other insurers need you to climb with an instructor etc etc!!

We might visit the High Sierra (which puts costs right up due to height) and will be going to Yosemite, Tuolomne and will be bouldering too (which insurance companies are hilarious about!) Also likely to mountain bike etc.

Have looked at Holiday Safe and Protectivity, though I'm not clear if they cover rescue. There's also STA though I'm dubious about that.

I'll phone a few tomorrow but just wondered who others had gone with, cheers.

In reply to ferdia:
if you go for the alpine level can you not select for up to 90 days cover?(there is a 45 day option also)?

edit: nvm, i just tried it and it seems the 90 day option disappears when you select Worldwide excl Cuba

In reply to ultrabumbly:

yes, annoying isn't it!

Try snowcard and the AAC. As for the BMC try ringing them.

In reply to duchessofmalfi:

Yeah, phoned the BMC and although they used to be a bit more flexible apparently the US has been completely ripping insurance companies recently so they now will not cover trips there longer than 45 days.

The BMC recommended Snowcard, Dog Tag and Sports Insurance Direct or something (who I think are behind Protectivity). Protectivity say they won't cover climbing without an instructor etc (!)

Currently having an interesting chat with someone at Dog Tag about what big walling is, and Snowcard only cover up to 60 days. Grrrrr.

Had a look at AAC (presume you mean American alpine club) looks like you can't purchase insurance if you are a UK resident, though perhaps you could get membership giving you $10,000 rescue cover. However, good old Austrian Alpine club may still be best, giving you a bit more cover at 25,000 euros. the medical cover is not great, but I guess that's where your additional travel insurance kicks in.

Any further ideas still welcome

In reply to ferdia:

The other thing you lack with Austrian alpoine club is third party liability insurance outside of Europe......

In reply to ferdia:

and the fact that the Austrian Alpine Clubs (OeAV) insurance is only valid for the 1st 30 days of the trip.


Gouda has been the de-facto insurance comp, when the "normal" insurance from OeAV or the likes isn't enough

In reply to ferdia:

what counts as "a trip" now according to the policy? Is there any scope to pop over to Canada for a touristy few days and reset the counter. I think when I last read the smallprint on one of their policies it mentioned something about a trip could be deemed to commence on either arrival or on something like the day of the first night of booked accommodation when at home. Maybe a motel in a non climbing area in another country would suffice as a demarcation unless they explicitly state somewhere that you must return to the UK. The FAQ currently states:

"The Annual Multi-Trip policy covers you for individual trips of up to 45 consecutive days. You can take as many individual trips as you like providing you don't spend more than 90 days abroad in any insurance period. If you select the Extended Period cover option, you will be covered for up to 90 consecutive days. You can take as many individual trips as you like providing you don't spend more than 180 days abroad in any insurance period."

Might be worth asking

In reply to ferdia:

snowcard!

In reply to ashtond6:

Hi snowcard seem to want you to climb with a guide - what's your experience?

In reply to ferdia:

ohh, I never noticed that

I've always used them for 3 month trips & for big walling - never had to claim

In reply to ashtond6:

I think it is recent (last few years maybe)as I too have in the past used BMC insurance for a full US VWP window, 90 day trips. I seem to remember at one time there was also perhaps no maximum numbers of total days in the year if you went for the highest level policy.