UKC

Who's good for off piste (guided / European) cover these days ? Have checked out the BMC bu they seem a tad on the expensive side

First proper off piste looms so insurance is a bit of an unknown quantity

Ta!

In reply to GravitySucks:

These people are well regarded - not sure how their premiums compare with BMC.

https://www.snowcard.co.uk/ski-travel-insurance?gclid=Cj0KCQiAl8rQBRDrARIsA...

In reply to GravitySucks:

My Halifax Reward current account insurance covers off-piste skiing with a guide (bizarrely).

Without a guide I've used dogtag - they include "inbounds" off piste in their standard cover, and you can upgrade to other stuff like heli etc.

In reply to GravitySucks:

You could try skiclub.co.uk, covers off piste without a guide.

In reply to GravitySucks:
MPI brokers offer specialist off piste and touring insurance.

In reply to GravitySucks:
BMC annual European Alpine covers all my OP skiing and climbing. With insurance cheapest not often best

In reply to GravitySucks:

If in France - carte neige / carre neige, bought with ski pass for around €2.80 per day

In reply to rogersavery:
Does that no just cover you for rescue from the piste/mountain ? Not medical bills, repatriation etc. ?

In reply to Dark-Cloud: and not off piste either

In reply to kevin stephens:

Didn't think so

I'm with you, we have an annual BMC, not cheap and i have read some bad reports about payouts and dodging claims but everybody else i tried to talk to about UK based touring and offpiste, euro off piste, trail running at 3000M, climbing, via ferrata etc. etc. juts got more an more messy, one call the the BMC, told them what we were doing, yep you need that cover, sorted.

In reply to David Bennett:

I had the misfortune to use the skiclub insurance a couple of years ago when I broke my leg (off piste - with guide) in France.
All was handled well at the time and they offered help with repatriation, although I manged to struggle onto the coach and get on the plane.
There were problems afterwards as some of the hospital bank details had been mis-transcribed (not by me) and then I got threatening letters over non payment. Took a while (and a call to ski club chairman) to sort out.
Having said that it did what it needed to do and was cost effective.
After the shock of lying in the snow with a sticky out leg my next thought was "Thank God I'm insured".

In reply to GravitySucks:

Austrian Alpine club, £50 a year, brilliant!

In reply to GravitySucks:
BMC insurance does seem to be getting comparitively more expensive however their customer service and assistance in logistics are fantastic in the result of a claim. For me this peace of mind makes it worth paying a bit extra.

In reply to alex_arthur:

For anyone mountain biking it's worth bearing in mind that insurance for that tends to be v expensive (or else it just doesn't get insured) - BMC alpine covers that, as well as all our skiing for Feb 2018 so annual family BMC was only way to be sure we'd covered all the bases.

Seemed a bit bizarre that it was easier to get cover for most types of mountaineering than MTB but I guess the latter generates way more hospitalisations...

In reply to Dark-Cloud:


https://carreneige.com/static/images/doc/tableau-garanties-cn-en.pdf

seems to cover it? and lift served off piste

In reply to David Bennett:

should point out that you have to join SCGB to get their insurance, IIRC, which makes it pricey although you may get some advantages joining. However, I understand that a lot of their in resort guiding etc which I have taken advantage of, is no longer permitted in some EC countries, so not so good now, but you can get a few discounts.

In reply to Jim Hamilton:

Hmmm, i skim read it but it still don't see off piste mentioned ?

In reply to GravitySucks:

World Wide Insure used to cover it and were good at covering a claim (sporting but not ski related)

In reply to Dark-Cloud:


I can't see an actual policy wording, but mentioned here -

https://carreneige.com/en/our-offers/

In reply to Mikek:

>
You do not have to join the SCGB to buy insurance but you get a 15% discount as a member.
Resort leading is no longer allowed in France but still available in selected major resorts elsewhere. As a member, it's a good one stop shop for numerous retail and travel discounts.

In reply to Mikek: Yes I'm a member mainly for the discounts on holidays of 5-10% and since I have 3 or 4 holidays a year membership soon pays for itself. Guided skiing is available even in France where they use local ski school personnel to provided guiding instead of doing it themselves like in other EU countries. I think you can get their insurance without membership, membership just entitles you to a 15% discount.

In reply to John2:



They were good to us when my wife developed Pleurisy and couldn't come home as planned.
For general interest - be careful with sledging/toboganning - Snowcard will only cover you on organised (paid for) toboganning or toboganning on proper toboggan runs in the mountains, not on the little steep field on the edge of the village.

In reply to GravitySucks:

Doesn't help with your question but it amused me at the time

When I joined the Club Alpin Belge 20+ years ago, the insurance covered off-piste and ski-mountaineering/touring, but if you wanted cover on-piste you had to pay extra
I always said pistes are dangerous places

In reply to Toerag:

It does seem as though if you injure yourself sledging or snowboarding, or going down a pipe/park the Adventure "Plus" cover (for on and off-piste skiing) does not cover you, which is just crap.

In reply to Jim Hamilton:

See here (in French)


https://carreneige.com/en/faq/

they cover off piste and day tours in the area

In reply to GravitySucks:

+1 for Snowcard who unquibblingly reimbursed me for a hire ski lost off piste in deep snow. Where it got to is a bloody mystery. Not in the million square feet I excavated!

In reply to GravitySucks:

Also using Austrian Alpine Club, covers off piste, climbing etc., with or without a guide.

In reply to Dark-Cloud:

No!

Carte Neige and Carre Neige are completely different- although they do both have the word neige in them.

A Licence Carte Neige is bought October-October and you have to be a meber of a French Ski Club (although you can join lots for free) you can buy it online or in person. You get an email and print off the certificate.  There are different levels of cover that include recreational skiing- on and off piste (as well as training in summer), racing and race training if organised by an FFS club- including FIS races or elite for elite athletes.  For a 15 euro supplement it also includes climbing.

It includes:

Civil liability 

Legal defense 

Rescue fees- unlimited in France- limited to euro 15245 elsewhere 

Medical transportation- off the hill, to the hospital- back to hotel - back home if in UK / anywhere in Europe, back to hospital near home if home out of Europe. Plus sorts out car etc. 

Travel for accompanying family if need to be repatriated. or for someone to come and look after you. 

Ski lift / instruction 

Lost pass 

Skis 

Ski rental 

Medical expenses- public or private 30000-300000 depending on level of cover. But not for pre-existing conditions. 

Injury 

Death 

Repatriation in event of attack, dister, home loss. 

And will cover all skiing and fitness- hiking biking in Europe 

and climbing / mountaineering for an extra premium. 

BUT NOT- cancellation of holiday costs, travel difficulties/delay missed flights etc, lost / stolen possessions, or illness / injury not related to skiing- it isn't travel insurance - it is ski insurance.

It is really really cheap.

Carre Neige you buy by the day with a lift pass. It isn't the same as Carte Neige!

Other places to look at are MPI brokers- who include off-piste as standard as well as some types of racing (infurno etc) and for extra premiums will cover race training / international racing.

Or Fogg