Money News

Uninsured skiers risk painful half-term break

Thursday 9 February, 2012

By Martin Fagan

A fifth of winter sports travellers will hit the slopes uninsured this half-term, says AA.

Thousands of families jetting away to the ski slopes of Europe this half-term holiday could face financial ruin by travelling uninsured, says the AA.

According to new research for AA Travel Insurance, nearly a fifth of travellers could come to a sticky and expensive end because they have no cover. Of those surveyed, 18% said they never buy travel insurance.

Previous research by the AA found that 33% thought travel insurance “wasn’t necessary”, 22% felt it was “too expensive”, 12% said they “always forgot” to take out insurance policy and 9% claimed they were “so healthy they didn't need it”.

A further 11% of travellers believed the free European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) is a substitute for travel insurance, but the AA says the card can't be relied upon to meet all medical costs and that medical treatment abroad - and repatriation to the UK - can be hugely expensive.

In Europe, a mountain rescue helicopter costs £20 a minute, the average cost of a four-day hospital admission is £5,000, emergency surgery for a fractured hip is £10,000 and organising stretcher repatriation from Switzerland to Gatwick costs £10,000.

According to AA claims data, comparable claims at the USA winter resorts are around 200% higher.

“More than a million people go on a snow holiday every winter, so potentially up to 200,000 are uninsured,” said Alan Purvis, director of AA Travel Insurance.

“Quite apart from the pain and inconvenience of fracturing a limb or dislocating a shoulder - both of which are common winter injuries - emergency treatment at a clinic or hospital, many of which are privately operated, could see you staring at a bill of at least £7,000.”

AA Travel Insurance warns that most standard travel insurance policies won't include winter sports at all. And while the majority of winter sports policies will meet most conventional winter travellers' needs, the AA says many will exclude activities such as off-piste skiing or tobogganing.

In a separate survey, it was found that 58% of all holidaymakers drag their heels over travel insurance, with 30% buying cover less than a month before their departure date.

According to Moneysupermarket.com, this delay means many who find they have to cancel their holiday due to unforeseen circumstances might not be covered.

Photo by Skistar Trysil