Injuries on the slopes are snow joke

Over 1.2 million* Brits will be waxing their skis and practicing their snowplough in preparation for their skiing or snowboarding holidays this winter.  And with more budding skiers than ever before hitting the slopes, Churchill Travel Insurance is warning of the potential dangers and costs facing those who take a tumble and injure themselves.

Winter sports injuries can be costly for those unfortunate enough to hurt themselves whilst on holiday. However, in addition to medical bills, skiers and snowboarders should also consider the costs of piste recovery and possible repatriation, which could add thousands of pounds to the total bill.

Annette Fox, spokesperson for Churchill Travel Insurance, comments: “It’s important for skiers and snowboarders to make sure they take out winter sports cover in addition to their standard travel insurance policy. If not, they may have to deal with some unpleasant surprises while on holiday – such as injury and illness or even damaged equipment or loss of personal belongings - when they really should be busy enjoying themselves and perfecting their parallel turns.”

Churchill analysed the costs associated with rescue and medical treatment for skiers and snowboarders to demonstrate how costly an accident on the slopes could be:

 

	Europe (France / Italy / Austria)	Canada
Air ambulance repatriation	£10,000 - £12,000	£38,000
Doctor or nurse repatriation (assisted travel when seriously ill / injured and it is not advised to travel alone)	£3000	£9,500 If the skier needs to be repatriated on a stretcher this would increase to £12,000
Piste recovery	£70	£210
Medical expenses	Hospital expenses are normally covered with the EHIC card.  However many doctors on the slopes are private and skiers are required to cover the costs of piste recovery (£70) and treatment in a local doctors surgery	Medical expenses for minor breaks and sprains cost £1570 - £3140   Medical expenses for serious conditions: £2,350 per day

* Figures are approximate and come from Churchill's claims data.

 

 

Fox added:
“Sometimes a skiing disaster can’t be avoided but being prepared for any unfortunate situations may make them a lot easier to deal with. Holidaymakers going to Europe should ensure they have applied for an EHIC in addition to their travel insurance, as it may mean they won’t have to pay the excess on their claim**.”

Notes to editors

* According to Mintel Popular Holiday destinations 2005 report, 1,222,000 people went on winter sports holidays in 2004/5.

** When EHIC (European Health Insurance Card) has been used and Churchill has been able to recover at least 75% of the costs paid, the policy-holder will not need to pay the excess on their claim.

Churchill Travel Insurance Winter Sports Cover:

Medical cover
- Up to £10,000,000 for medical expenses if a policy-holder is ill or injured on a trip
- Travelling expenses to return home to the UK
- Accommodation expenses if the illness / injury forces the policy holder to stay longer than originally booked
- A qualified medical person to escort the policy-holder home, if this is medically advised
- Travel and accommodation for one person to stay with the policy-holder and travel home with them if medically advised

Ski equipment
- Churchill will cover loss, theft of or damage to skis, ski sticks, ski poles, bindings, snowboards and ski boots which the policy holder owns or has hired out.

- If a policy holder’s equipment has been lost, damaged or stolen or has been delayed by more than 12 hours (eg sent to the wrong destination), Churchill will cover up to £25 a day up to a maximum of £300 for the hire of alternative equipment.

Ski pack (includes the hire costs for ski equipment, lift passes and ski-school expenses)
- Churchill covers policy-holders that are unable to ski due to serious injury or illness, that have lost or had their lift and ski passes stolen and any medical expenses if they are injured as a result of a skiing accident. If a policy-holder is prevented from skiing due to serious injury or illness, Churchill will pay £25 for each full day that the policy-holder is unable to ski up to a maximum of £300. Churchill will also pay out up to £300 to replace lost or stolen lift or ski passes.

Piste closure
- If poor snow conditions cause all skiing or snowboarding facilities in the resort to close, Churchill will cover the policy-holder’s expenses so that they are able to travel to a nearby piste or, if there are no alternatives, Churchill will pay compensation of up to £25 per day, up to a maximum of £300.

For more information please contact:

Frances Browning        
Churchill Insurance              
020 8313 5965                  
pressoffice@churchill.com