Some ski travelers aren't as covered as they think.

A recent survey says three out of four British ski vacationers don’t check the terms and conditions when purchasing travel insurance and 56 per cent fail to buy coverage at all.

According to the Ski Club of Great Britain, what can often land skiers and snowboarders in trouble is not reading the small print and taking part and getting injured in activities they are not covered for. This has serious implications for ski and snowboard holidays.

Not taking out any insurance or improperly signing up for insurance can result in huge bills for medical expenses, transport from the mountain or repatriation to the UK.

In the light of recent travel chaos and accidents in the Alps, the Ski Club has warned skiers and boarders to take out appropriate insurance cover for ski holidays. The Ski Club’s new ‘Get Covered’ campaign warns of the risks of skiing or snowboarding without the appropriate cover for winter sports.

“Skiers and snowboarders often get caught out when it comes to insurance. Buying a travel insurance policy is often not enough. The Ski Club urges people to check that they are covered for wintersports and that they read the small print to ensure all activities they will be participating in are covered,” said Caroline Stuart Taylor, Chief Executive of the Ski Club of Great Britain.

The Ski Club offers the following tips for buying snow sports travel insurance:

Firstly, if you think you may be taking part in any extra winter activities such as off-piste skiing or snowboarding, tobogganing, ski touring, glacier skiing, heliskiing or even just hitting the snowpark, make sure your policy covers you for this.

Secondly, check what the provider means by off-piste. Does it cover off piste without a guide?

Thirdly if you, or your children, are taking part in fun races with the ski/ snowboard school ensure this is covered in your policy – many policies do not cover racing, even fun, recreational races.

If you are going on a ski mountaineering, hiking or trekking trip at high altitude check that your policy covers you. Many policies will limit cover to 3000m or less. If you are trekking above this height you will not be covered.

Check that you have legal expenses cover – this will cover your legal costs if someone injures you and you need to take legal action.

Don’t just go for the cheapest travel insurance policy. Cheaper policies, even those specialising in ‘wintersports cover’ may not actually cover the winter activities you’re planning.

The Ski Club of Great Britain offers insurance policies designed by experts especially for snowsports enthusiasts and designed to help skiers and boarders avoid the above potential insurance pitfalls.

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