Skiing, snowboarding and wintersports insurance

Whatever your style of skiing, we have a policy to suit your needs. Detailed below are the ‘ski styles’ available with a Snowcard policy. All Snowcard policies will cover you off piste and you don’t have to be with a guide (but do read our avalanche warning levels below to ensure you understand when you will be covered off piste).

Ski/Board

• Nordic XC (cross country): covers what is often termed ‘langlauf’ or ‘nordic’ skiing on marked tracks and trails.
• Dog Sledging: organised recreational holiday use of dog drawn sledges.
• Piste/Slack Country: refers to the most usual form of alpine or downhill skiing and snowboarding using the runs prepared as pistes and shown on a typical resort lift map. Slack Country is the term for unpisted runs shown on your resort map including unpisted links between runs. Slack Country runs are patrolled and are freely available to all skiers and boarders.
• Pipe and Park: refers to fun parks that feature in most resorts these days for freestyle skiers and boarders using half pipes, jumps, rails and skier cross tracks. If you take a Pipe and Park policy you are also covered for Piste/Slack Country skiing and boarding.
• Lift Served Freeride: is for skiers or boarders accessing runs that do not form part of a resorts marked pistes away from the crowds. Runs are accessible via lifts but may entail a short hike or walk to access the start of the run. An example may be the Vallee Blanche in Chamonix.
• Back Country Touring: covers remote ski touring using skins, often taking in overnight stays in mountain huts or travelling between resorts.
• Heli and Snow Cat skiing or boarding: is accessing remote off piste runs via helicopter or snowcat/skidoo.
• Ski Mountaineering: is the combination of alpine mountaineering taking in assents of peaks with skiing and ski touring. The higher rated policies automatically cover the lesser rated styles of skiing or boarding.
• Ski instructing and guiding: working as a guide or instructor. Note cover does not include professional liability for the advice you give, only your own personal emergency expenses.
• Race and race training: amateur competitive skiing but not for full time members of national senior squads or competition at major international events.
• Cresta: including amateur competition
• Expedition: if your skiing activity involves travel to remote worldwide destinations, including polar regions or for exploratory or expeditionary travel, full details must be provided to Snowcard before attempting to purchase insurance.

You are automatically covered for any ski style below the option you take.

Avalanche warning levels:

Skiing or snowboarding off piste carries additional risks in all snow and weather conditions. You must at all times follow the advice of the local piste authorities, especially with regard to areas that are open or closed and observe any instruction that specifically forbids off piste skiing. Before going off-piste you must read the local avalanche forecast and understand the warning level each day and any specific areas of danger. You should follow accepted safety standards with regards to carrying safety equipment. If conditions and your experience are such that you are unable to assess the risks then you should go with a guide.

There are 5 levels of avalanche warning. Before going off-piste you must read the avalanche forecast and understand the level each day and the specific areas of danger.

• Level 5 is the highest level and you should not venture off piste at all.
• Level 4 is a high level of warning and only the most experienced skiers should venture off piste and only then, fully equipped and having consulted with the rescue or piste authorities. You should not venture onto, or go under, or close to any steep slopes (above 28 degrees) unless under the direction of a professional guide.
• Level 3 means there is a considerable risk of avalanche and off piste activity is only suitable for experienced skiers, in a fully equipped group where an experienced risk assessment must have been made and the piste authorities consulted about your intended route.
• Level 2 is a moderate level and off-piste activity is possible providing advice is taken from the piste authorities on which areas have been made safe and are suitable for off-piste skiing.
• Level 1 is the lowest level of warning and although not a requirement, safety advice should still be checked for localised problem areas, not cleared of avalanche risk.