Skiing in France: a mistake could cost you thousands
137,000 winter sports accidents were recorded during the 2023/2024 winter season
The UK Foreign Office has a ‘Preparing for winter sports abroad’ page
Tomsickova Tatyana/Shutterstock
As the winter ski season starts in France, people heading to the slopes need to make sure they have the right travel insurance, experts warn.
Many people do not realise that standard travel insurance often does not cover the policy holder for winter sports such as skiing and snowboarding.
“Some travellers assume that an EHIC card or standard insurance will suffice, but it doesn’t always,” said Sean Doolan from UK-based Swinton Travel Insurance.
"Standard travel insurance policies usually exclude winter sports, so you will need a dedicated policy to stay protected."
Most regular travel insurance policies do not cover winter sports such as skiing and snowboarding, because they are considered high-risk activities.
And if something does go wrong, help does not come cheap.
A rescue on the slopes can cost up to €669, rising to €1,247 if off-piste, according to French ski resort Val d’Isère.
Add to that medical bills, accommodation and transport, or legal fees if someone else is injured, and the price can soon balloon.
Medical repatriation may be needed in more serious cases, which could require an ambulance, medical escort or stretcher on a commercial flight, or an air ambulance.
Repatriation costs from France to the UK could easily exceed €13,000.
Accidents are not uncommon on France’s slopes. There were 137,000 winter sports accidents recorded during the 2023/2024 winter season, according to mountain doctors’ group Médecins de montagne.
The majority of those injured were skiers (83%), followed by snowboarders (13%). Across all sports, men were more injured than women (54%), while the average age of those injured was 31.
Read the small print
Winter sport add-ons are usually available as an extra to your regular travel insurance, or you can take out a specific policy.
Make sure you read through your policy, or potential policies if comparing them, to check exactly what it covers. If in doubt, contact your insurer.
“Many insurance policies will not cover damage to rental equipment or skiing off-piste without a guide,” warns the UK Foreign Office on its ‘Preparing for winter sports abroad’ page.
Buying insurance with your ski pass
Most ski resorts will offer an insurance add-on when you buy your ski passes. These offerings are more focused on rescue and repatriation, but will not reimburse you, for example, for a cancelled trip, or accommodation costs.
This means they are usually advised in addition to other travel insurance. They are also a popular option for local French skiers and snowboarders who are not on holiday so do not have travel insurance.
Insurance options from providers such as Carré Neige and Snowrisk start from €3.50 per day. Again, check policy terms carefully to ensure they offer the cover you want.
Will my European Health Insurance Card cover me while skiing?
Yes and no.
The European Health Insurance Card provides “medically necessary state-provided healthcare that cannot reasonably wait until you come back to the UK” according to the UK Foreign Office.
It is up to the healthcare provider in France to decide whether treatment is “medically necessary”.
The Foreign Office warns however, that “the EHIC is not an alternative to travel insurance. It will not cover any private medical healthcare or costs, such as mountain rescue in ski resorts, being flown back to the UK, or lost of stolen property”.
So, while you should carry your EHIC card on the slopes in case you end up needing state medical care, still consider buying winter sport travel insurance too.
I am a resident of France. Do I still need winter sport insurance?
Medical costs and hospital stays are reimbursed for those who are part of the French healthcare system, i.e. residents of France.
However there are potential extra costs, from mountain rescue to compensating other skiers you have injured which means you may wish to consider taking out winter sport insurance even as a resident in France.
If so there are several options, which include winter sports coverage (assurance ski), available as part of insurance deals including health top-ups, home insurance, personal accident insurance etc and also stand alone deals which are not an add-on to other insurance policies.
