Ski season insurance

Never skimp on any kind of travel insurance, especially if you are going off to ski or snowboard overseas. The cost when things go wrong can be huge, according to a recent survey by the Post Office, the average cost of an accident whilst skiing in Europe is well over £1,000. Worse news is that accidents involving evacuation and hospitalisation are very very expensive. In the French Alps even local medical centres can deal with well over 100 accidents per day in peak season! Obviously no-one can see into the future but having decent insurance might just save your season.

Policies may be offered to you as part of your course, gap year or employment. You are not obliged to stick with any of them and are quite entitled to shop around for either a better deal or a more comprehensive policy. That's not to say that the insurance that they provide is not up to scratch but it is advisable to check.

If you are insuring a season long trip or course make sure that there is no limit on how long any single trip can be, how many days are covered for activities (such as skiing would you believe it) and that if you are planning on doing a bit of ice climbing as well, that other activities are also covered.

Being covered is one thing, getting things sorted if something happens can be quite another. If you are going as part of a course, employment or organised gap year programme the company you are with will normally help you out. In any case, make sure you check that the policy provides a 24-hour international helpline number.