Are you insured to ski in Val d’isere?
Rescues that happen Off-Piste in the winter are often not covered by standard insurance policies, leading to hefty bills for individuals injured in the powder. Even more sobering is that someone injured on the nursery slopes will often not be covered if they have had as much as a shandy at lunchtime.
Having an adequate cover is something Claire Bouteille, the British Consul based in Lyon, is passionate about. The British Consulate ran a poster campaign during the winter which highlights the risks faced during so called ‘dangerous’ sports like skiing. HAT has been working closely with the consulate on this campaign and its themes – one of which is making people aware of the fact that they need to think clearly about their travel insurance otherwise they could find themselves hurt and poor! See the poster here from that campaign.
An advertisement for a bank recently asked the question: Could your bank account withstand a broken leg in Val d’Isère ? It’s a valid question. Here Dr Alan Griffiths from the English Medical Centre gives the low-down on insurance should you injure yourself here.
Statistics show that 3 out of every 1000 skiers will injure themselves each day. The rate is about 50% higher for boarders, and once you start jumping in the snowpark it gets even worse. Nobody likes to think that they will be the one to get injured, but several times a day it does happen to somebody. A basic piste rescue costs anything from a couple of hundred Euros to several thousand Euros if a helicopter is involved. So it’s vital that you have good insurance cover should the worst come to the worst.
EHIC
The free European Health Insurance Card is NOT the same as a proper insurance policy. It just entitles European citizens to the same state cover that a French person would enjoy. In practice this means you are entitled to 65% reimbursement of your public health costs. You still have to fork out at the medical centre or pharmacy and then it’s up to you to claim your money back from the French social security system. Not very good for cash flow! More importantly, it does not cover any piste rescue costs, nor the cost of repatriation.
VIE VAL D’IS CARD
This provides seasonnaires with unlimited cover for piste and off-piste rescue as well as hospital and pharmacy costs up to 3000€ relating to snowsports injuries. It does not cover you for visits to the resort’s medical centres. It only costs 18€ for the season and also entitles you to discounts at various shops and restaurants around town, with 15% off at the supermarket.
CARTE NEIGE
This costs 50€ for the season and covers you for piste rescue, even if you are off-piste without a guide. If you take out option B for another 10€ it also includes snowsports cover for medical centre and pharmacy bills, as well as hospital bills. But beware, the maximum amount for medical costs is only 3000€. It is great for piste rescues as you just show the card and you don’t have to pay. You will still have to hand over your hard earned dosh at the medical centre and pharmacy, and then you have to claim it back from the Carte Neige people after submitting an EHIC claim if you are a European citizen : quite a convoluted process. The same cover can be bought on a daily basis with the Carré Neige liftpass insurance.
PROPER INSURANCE
For full peace of mind you cannot beat proper travel insurance policies. Unlike the Vie Val D’is card and Carte Neige, they have the advantage of providing cover for accidents that occur off the slopes (such as slipping over in the street and breaking your leg, ankle, wrist, coccyx…). They needn’t be expensive, and if you shop around you can get insurance for the season for as little as 200€. Always check how much the excess is (that’s the first part of a claim that you have to pay out of your own pocket). The cheaper policies tend to have higher excesses, and you may find that you have to pay the first 250€ of the claim yourself.
As everyone knows, insurance companies are renowned for not paying out if they don’t have to. So it is essential to CHECK THE SMALL PRINT. If you are planning to ski off-piste without a qualified guide, make sure you have cover for this.
At the end of the day, you cannot be over insured. So if there is any doubt about what you are covered for, you could combine a proper insurance policy with the free EHIC as well as either a Vie Val D’is card or a Carte Neige. Remember, it could be you coming down in the blood wagon this season!
Many thank to Henry Schniewind for this valuable information.
www.henrysavalanchetalk.com
