Most travel insurance policies don’t cover skiing: what to check before you go

Skiing and snowboarding injuries can be costly to treat, particularly if you need specialist care or mountain rescue. Yet winter sports cover is rarely included as standard in travel insurance policies.

Only 6% of single-trip travel insurance policies and 11% of annual policies include winter sports cover as standard. That’s according to Go.Compare analysis of Defaqto data from 923 single-trip and 923 annual policies.

Here, Which? explains what winter sports cover usually includes, and the common situations that can leave skiers uninsured

What does winter sports insurance cover?

Winter sports insurance is designed to cover things that standard travel insurance often doesn’t. Exactly what you get depends on the policy, but winter sports cover usually includes:

• Emergency medical treatment abroad: covers treatment if you’re injured or taken ill while skiing or snowboarding, including hospital care, scans and specialist treatment. Medical cover limits are often high, sometimes running into the millions of pounds.
• Getting you home if you’re badly injured: pays for medical repatriation if you can’t travel home as planned. This can include specialist transport or a medical escort, which can be very expensive without insurance.
• Rescue from the slopes: may cover the cost of being taken off the mountain and transported to hospital, such as by snowmobile or helicopter. Cover for rescue is often capped at a much lower amount than medical treatment, and some policies only pay out if you’re taken to hospital.
• Lost, stolen or damaged ski equipment: covers your skis, snowboard or boots if they’re lost, stolen or damaged. Many policies also pay for hiring replacement equipment. Limits vary, but are often in the hundreds or low thousands of pounds.
• Cancelling your trip or coming home early: can cover unused flights, accommodation, lift passes or ski hire if you have to cancel or cut your holiday short due to injury or illness. Cancellation limits can range from around £500 to £20,000.
• Piste closures and avalanche disruption: some policies offer compensation if you’re unable to ski because slopes are closed for a certain period, or if avalanches cause delays. Payouts are usually capped and only apply after closures last long enough.
• Accidentally injuring someone else: includes personal liability cover if you injure another skier or damage someone’s property on the slopes.

Even with winter sports cover, claims can be rejected if you ski off-piste without a qualified guide, are injured after drinking alcohol or taking drugs, leave equipment unattended, ignore safety advice or travel against UK government guidance. 

Our separate analysis of 160 travel insurance policies, covering both single-trip and annual policies, also found that only 6% include winter sports cover as standard, underlining how rarely it’s included automatically.

• Find out more: best ski insurance 2025

Will my GHIC help?

The UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) gives UK residents access to state-provided healthcare when travelling in EU countries and some other European nations. It replaced the EHIC after Brexit and is free to apply for.

If you’re treated in a public hospital or clinic, a GHIC means you should be treated on the same basis as a local resident. That can reduce the cost of medical treatment, or make it free in some cases.

However, a GHIC is not a replacement for travel insurance, and it won’t cover many of the costs linked to winter sports.

For example, a GHIC won’t usually cover:

• Mountain rescue or being taken off the slopes
• Private healthcare, which is common in ski resorts
• Medical repatriation back to the UK
• Lost or damaged ski equipment
• Cancellation, curtailment or piste closure

Find out more: The Ehic and Ghic explained

How to find the right winter sports cover?

Start by checking comparison sites to see which travel insurance policies offer winter sports cover, and whether it’s included as standard or needs to be added as an extra. 

Comparing policies side by side makes it easier to spot differences in price, cover limits and exclusions.

Once you’ve shortlisted a few options, dig into the policy details. Check:

• that skiing or snowboarding is explicitly covered
• which activities are included, especially if you plan to ski off-piste or try anything beyond standard runs
• cover for medical treatment, repatriation and mountain rescue
• equipment cover and cancellation protection

It’s also worth paying close attention to piste closure cover. With snow conditions becoming less predictable, policies vary widely in what they’ll pay out if lifts or slopes are closed, and for how long they need to be shut before cover applies.

• We’ve surveyed 59 travel insurance companies about their levels of cover and analysed 140 winter sports policies, including what insurers offer for piste closure. You can see which policies perform best, and which fall short, in our guide to the best and worst ski insurance.

• We also surveyed more than 1,000 people who had recently been on ski holidays, asking them to rate their provider – see our best ski holiday companies.

Can you get ski insurance if you have a pre-existing medical condition?

Yes, it’s often possible to get winter sports insurance if you have a pre-existing medical condition, but it can affect what you’re offered.

Insurers may charge more, as they can see a higher risk of needing medical treatment while you’re away. In some cases, they may agree to insure you but exclude claims linked to your condition, so it’s important to check exactly what is and isn’t covered.

If you’re struggling to find cover, or prices seem high, it can be worth looking beyond standard insurers. Both the government-backed MoneyHelper service and the British Insurance Brokers Association (Biba) offer directories of specialist insurers that may be able to help, particularly for more complex conditions.

You can find more about how to get the best cover when you have a pre-existing condition with our guide to medical conditions travel insurance.