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Most travel insurance policies do not cover skiing or snowboarding unless you add a snow sports option. Without it, an injury on the slopes, a helicopter rescue or a broken board is generally excluded, however comprehensive the rest of the policy is. With it, you are covered for the medical risk and usually for ski equipment, lift passes and days lost to injury or closures.
The add-on is only half the story. Where you ski matters too: most policies cover skiing within resort boundaries and exclude off-piste or backcountry skiing unless conditions are met. That line decides more snow claims than anything else.
By Better Rate Mate Editorial Team ยท Last reviewed
Snow cover is sold as an option on top of a standard policy. The exact list and limits vary, but most snow options include some combination of these.
| Benefit | What it pays for | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Medical and rescue | Treatment for skiing injuries, including rescue from the slopes where the policy allows | Whether mountain rescue and helicopter evacuation are included or capped |
| Your own snow equipment | Skis, boards, boots and poles that are lost, stolen or damaged | Per-item limits and depreciation on older gear |
| Hired equipment | Replacement hire if your gear is lost or damaged, or the cost of damaged hire gear | Whether hire equipment is covered at all |
| Unused lift passes and lessons | Prepaid passes, ski school and hire you cannot use because of injury or illness | The limit and the medical evidence needed |
| Piste closure | Transport to another resort, or compensation, when lack of snow or bad weather closes the runs | Minimum closure period and which months are covered |
| Avalanche and weather delay | Extra costs when access roads or resorts are closed | Whether a forecast event counts as already known |
The most important definition on a snow policy is where you are allowed to ski. Cover generally applies on groomed runs within a resort's marked boundaries. Off-piste skiing, backcountry touring, heli-skiing and ski jumping are commonly excluded, or covered only if you meet conditions such as skiing with a qualified guide or staying within resort boundaries.
This matters most in places with a strong off-piste culture. Deep powder in Japan and backcountry gates in North America and Europe tempt people outside the ropes, and an injury there can leave you with no medical cover at all. If you plan to leave the groomed runs, find a policy that says, in writing, that it covers what you are doing.
The standard alcohol and drug exclusion applies on the snow as everywhere else, and apres-ski is where a lot of injuries happen. Racing and competitions are usually excluded. Some policies also include conditions about following resort rules and closures. Read the snow sports section of the PDS for the exact conditions attached to your option.
The snow option works the same way everywhere, but the surrounding risks differ by destination.
If you have an annual multi-trip policy, check whether the snow option applies to every trip in the year or only to trips you nominate. On a family policy, make sure the option covers every traveller who will be on the slopes, including children in ski school. Buy the option before you leave; it usually cannot be added once an injury has happened.
Usually not unless you add a snow sports option. Standard policies commonly exclude skiing and snowboarding; the add-on brings in medical cover for snow injuries and, on most policies, cover for equipment, lift passes and piste closures.
Often not. Most snow options cover skiing within resort boundaries and exclude off-piste, backcountry and heli-skiing unless you meet conditions such as skiing with a qualified guide. Read the snow sports definitions in the PDS.
Medicare covers public medical treatment in Australia, so domestic policies do not include medical costs. A domestic snow option can still cover your equipment, unused lift passes and lessons, and cancellation or closures, which is what most people claim for at home.
The same way as skiing: only if you add the snow sports option, and usually only within resort boundaries. Snowboarding is treated as a snow sport on most policies.
Most snow options cover your own equipment against loss, theft and damage up to a per-item limit, and sometimes the cost of hiring replacements. Older gear may be depreciated, so check how the policy values it.
