Don't 'ski' run into trouble this winter

Back

This winter season¹ almost 400,000² Brits will risk taking to the pistes with no travel insurance and could face huge bills in the event of an accident, according to new research from esure travel insurance.

Of the one in five (20 per cent) skiers polled who don't take out travel insurance, five per cent wrongly rely solely on their European Health Insurance card (formerly E111) for cover, 11 per cent choose to risk ski trips with no insurance cover at all, and 4 per cent just forget to buy it.

esure urges all skiers to make sure that they have adequate medical cover to avoid being left badly out of pocket if they become injured. Treatment could run into thousands of pounds with a helicopter evacuation alone costing around £1500 and repatriation costs topping £4000 from Europe and £8000 from the USA and Canada³. Even transport off the slopes on a blood-wagon would set you back approximately £200.

Mike Pickard, Head of Travel Insurance at esure, said: "No matter what your level of competency on the slopes, accidents do happen and huge medical bills can easily rack up. It's crucial to ensure you're fully covered with quality insurance that includes specific winter sports cover."

Top tips for skiers this winter season:

Don’t rely on a standard travel insurance policy: don't assume that a travel insurance policy automatically provides cover for winter sports. Most insurers offer this cover as an optional extra so check the small print.
Make sure the sizing is right if you borrow equipment: Over half of skiers (55 per cent) surveyed will be looking to borrow ski equipment and clothing from family and friends, rather than hiring or buying to keep their costs within a tighter budget. Make sure everything is the correct size – especially ski boots – as safety should be the utmost importance on the slopes rather than cost saving.
Check what activities are covered before you book: if you intend on participating in activities off the regular ski runs, double check which ones are covered as standard and call your insurer if you're unsure. Alarmingly, a fifth⁴ (17%) of UK adults polled would try out more extreme sports - such as ice-lake diving, off-piste snowboarding and tobogganing – even if they knew that they wouldn’t be covered by their travel insurance and would have to foot the bill if they were injured.
Take documentation with you just in case: if you become injured and need to make a claim, it will be more convenient if you have your insurance policy information and contact details to hand to speed up the process.
Read insurance policy small print before you buy: check limits, restrictions and exclusions to make sure you have ample cover – especially to cover medical bills.

-ends-

esure's press contacts:

Asia Manzoor, Public Relations Officer: 01737 641305
Niki Bolton, Corporate Communications Manager: 01737 235070
Emma Lloyd, Assistant Communications Officer: 01737 641309
Adrian Webb, Head of Corporate Communications: 01737 641000
Email: pr@esure.com

Notes to Editors:

Winter sports season: October 2008 – March 2009
ICM Research interviewed a random sample of 1007 holidaymakers aged 18+ by telephone between 10th and 12th October 2008. Interviews were conducted across the country and the results have been weighted to the profile of all adults. ICM is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules. Further information at www.icmresearch.co.uk. According to the research, 4 per cent of the UK adult population figure (45,890,000: source ICM Research) plan to go on a winter sports holiday this season and 20 per cent will have no insurance = 367,120.
Internal stats – esure travel insurance.
ICM Research interviewed a random sample of 1006 adults aged 18 + by telephone between 24th - 26th August 2007.

About esure:

esure was launched in 2001 and offers car, home, pet and travel insurance over the internet and by phone. esure also offers car insurance cover through the brands Halifax, Sainsbury's, Sheilas' Wheels and more recently home insurance through the Sheilas' Wheels brand.

Sponsorship:

esure has secured two of the UK’s most iconic sponsorships: the ITV National and Channel 4 Weather bulletins.

Bookmark with:

What are these?