Winter Sports Travel Insurance Ireland

WINTER SPORTS TRAVEL INSURANCE

Please read carefully when you look for this sort of travel insurance cover, normally the terminology used with the insurers is: Winter sports travel insurance, winter sports insurance, ski travel insurance, wintersport travel insurance Ireland, and many others.

With the economy now on a steady road to recovery, many people are starting to travel again. One sector that travel companies are noticing significant growth in is the Winter sports sector. Once seen as a luxury of the rich and famous, winter sports are now more accessible to the average Joe blogs. And let’s admit it, who doesn’t love the thought of heading off to relax & break up those long dark evenings?

While heading off on a winter break sounds like total bliss, we also need to consider the potential dangers that come with it. Skiing and snowboarding come with a unique set of risks that we need to be mindful of. Each year insurers pay out hundreds of thousands as a result of injuries that occur on the slopes.

Most insurers will offer Winter Sports insurance as a supplement to their standard packages. It is usually possible to add this cover on mid-way through your policy. So even if you hadn’t contemplated doing winter sports when you were booking your annual insurance policy for your week in Alicante, it is not too late to add this on.

Selecting a Winter sports Travel Insurance

By definition, winter sports can be wide and varied in by nature. Many people immediately think of skiing and snowboarding when you mention winter sports but this definition can stretch to include activities such as off-piste skiing, tobogganing, snow sledging and ice skating.

It’s important to check with your insurer what activities they cover under their own definition of winter sports and this can vary from one provider to the next. In it likely that sports such as cat skiing, Heli skiing and ski acrobatics will be excluded from most standard policies.

When selecting a winter sports policy there are couples of key features to look out for.

1. Does this cover policy my ski equipment if it is left unattended? If so, are there any restrictions that apply.
2. Is there an age restriction on my policy? – Many policies will exclude cover for persons over the age of 65.
3. Does my policy cover me in the event of an accident on the slopes? – Is air transport provided if necessary?
4. What happens if I get to my ski resort and there is no snow? – Am I covered to be moved to a higher slope?
5. Are the kids going to be covered if they are skiing at a different school than their parents?

Benefits of Winter sports Cover

If you choose winter sports cover, many of the key features on your insurance will be extended to cover winter sports related mishaps. Such incidents might include an accident on the slopes, loss of ski equipment while in the care of your airline of carrier & repatriation in the event of an injury.

There will also be some other benefits that are unique to this cover, such as reimbursement of schooling cost or ski passes if you are injured and no longer able to participate or if you need to cancel your trip altogether.

What does winter sport Travel Insurance not cover?

As with most insurance cover, winter sports will have a list of exclusions and it’s very important that you familiarise yourself with these before you decide which insurer to go with.

Some of the important points to look out for are: Whether or not your policy covers loss or damage to hired ski equipment. Most policies offer covers for ski equipment owed by you but only a few will cover loss or damage to hired ski equipment. If you have any pre-existing medical conditions, be such to let your insurer know before you travel as non-disclosure could potentially invalidate a claim. It’s also important to make a note of the excess on the policy you choose; sometimes the excess can exceed the amount you can claim for. This is especially true of Cheap Travel Insurance policies.