Travel Insurance: am I covered for skiing/snowboarding?

Get ready to pack your snow gear and head to the snowfields. Skiing, snowboarding and participation in other specific snow sports while on your trip can covered, but only when you upgrade your policy (you may also have to pay an additional premium).

What’s covered?

When you upgrade your policy, there’s cover for the following winter sport activities (making sure, where you are required to, taking local advice and the required survival equipment):

  • skiing and snowboarding on all open and safe runs on marked trails within a ski resort
  • skiing and snowboarding on terrain that is on-piste and off-piste
  • skiing and snowboarding in a terrain park – but excluding free style, jumping, acrobatics & racing
  • cross country skiing and snowboarding
  • Nordic skiing on marked trails
  • Heli-skiing
  • Snowcat
  • backcountry skiing and snowboarding

How it works

If you’re unfortunate enough to have a skiing or snowboarding accident and hurt yourself, we offer cover for:

  • Evacuation: if it’s urgent and medically necessary (by the most appropriate means including helicopter when necessary and available). Cover is not included for search and rescue.
  • Emergency medical expenses: for treatment at the hospital or local medical centre;
  • Repatriation: A trip back home if you’re seriously ill or injured and unable to continue your trip and the attending doctor and our assistance team deem it medically necessary.

If you are in need of a medical evacuation or repatriation, you or someone with you must contact the 24/7 Emergency Assistance team immediately.

Who pays for medical treatment (and by this we mean either you pay upfront and claim later or we pay) depends on what’s happened to you and the necessary treatment required.

Also be aware that any medical claim or sporting equipment claim you make will have the policy excess deducted per person, per claimable event.

What’s not covered

Here are the main things that aren’t covered:

  • If you participate in a race or competition as well as free-style skiing / snowboarding, ski/ snowboard jumping, ski-flying, ski / snowboard acrobatics, ski / snowboard stunting, or ski racing or national squad training.
  • If you act with disregard for your own safety, gross negligence or actively engaging in any illegal act
  • Search and rescue at any time
  • If you go to an area which is marked or is known to be ‘closed’, ‘out of bounds’ or ‘unsafe’ by the relevant authority or authorised person.
  • Expenses caused where it was deemed that you were working (receiving either premium, wages, remuneration etc.) at the time the incident occurred.
  • any on-going medical expenses once you return to your home country
  • Any other reason listed under the General Exclusions in your policy wording.

This is only a summary of cover and does not include the full terms and conditions, exclusions and limitations of the policy. You should read your Policy Wording in full so you understand what is and isn’t covered. That way there won’t be any surprises if you need to use it.

If you have any questions, please get in touch.

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We’re here to help if you have a question about travel insurance. We’re available:

  • Monday to Friday 9:00am - 5:00pm (UTC/UTC+1)

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Phone

For policies purchase on or after 2 December 2018:


+353 21 237 8007

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For policies purchased before 2 December 2018:


+61 2 8256 1542