Travel Insurance and Skiing Off-Piste - The Alps Claim British Lives

Travel insurance will not be of much help to the British man killed while snowboarding in the French Alps at Val d’Isere. Apparently, he went off-piste and took a wrong turn which sent him on a plunge of more than 100 feet (approx. 30m).  He ventured off into an area where even the expert ski guides would not go.

Many people take out travel insurance with winter sports coverage but fail to read the policy - and conditions of cover. Most policies will not cover for off-piste of out-of bounds skiing when warnings or advice have been ignored. The same goes for other reckless behaviour which puts your life in danger. If travel insurance is included as part of a ski holiday package always check that winter sports coverage is included. Likewise, be suspicious of any travel insurance offered ‘free.’ The onus is on you to check your policy for the rules regarding off-piste or out-of-bounds skiing, plus to observe any warning or prohibited entry signs. For more information see our Ski Advice section: Ski Advice.

A second fatality occurred in the Italian Alps when a British man and his friends used foam from a ski barrier as a sledge. They hit a safety barrier at the bottom and one man hit his head - ironically on a wooden post which was exposed because the padding had been removed! He died of severe head injuries at the scene and others were injured.

The above victims were not reckless teenagers but middle-aged, educated, professional men. The families of the deceased have to suffer terrible personal losses - and potentially further financial losses if their travel insurance policies are invalidated because of the nature of the accidents. To obtain a quote for ski cover click on: www.travel-insurance.net/ski-insurance.

This entry was posted on Friday, February 8th, 2008 at 7:41 am and is filed under Ski Holidays, Travel News .

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