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    Home / Travel Insurance / Ski & Snowboard / Ski & Snowboard Travel Insurance FAQs

    FAQs: Winter Snow Sports Cover Insurance

    Male snowboarder riding on slope

    The answers to your snow sports cover insurance questions

    Are the freshly powdered slopes calling your name? It doesn’t matter if you’re a seasoned skier or if you’ve never stepped foot on a snowboard, winter sports travel insurance cover is an essential to be considered for any ski or snowboarding trip.

    Unfortunately, accidents can happen no matter how skilled you are on the slopes – but our travel insurance with added Snow Sports Cover could help you should the unexpected occur on or off the snow-covered mountains.

    Got a question about our snow sports cover insurance? Want to know what’s covered or what to do if you require assistance on the slopes? We’ve got all your frequently asked questions right here.

    Ready to book? You can get a quick quote online or call us on 1300 72 88 22.

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    How do I buy Cover-More’s Snow Sports Cover?

    To protect your winter snow trip with our snow sports insurance cover, simply head to our website and complete your trip information to get a quote. You’ll need to know your destination, dates of travel, and if you want any other travellers included on your policy.

    Next, select the travel insurance plan that suits your holiday. You can choose between a Comprehensive+, Comprehensive or Basic plan, depending on the level of coverage you want and your budget. If you’re unsure about what coverage you need, you can compare our travel insurance plans here.

    After selecting your preferred plan, you will then need to select ‘Yes’ to our Snow Sports Cover. Here, you have two options available:

    1. Snow Sports, which provide cover for on-piste snow skiing, snowboarding, snowmobiling, and cross-country skiing.
    2. Snow Sports+, which includes the above cover as well as cover for snow skiing/boarding off-piste and heli-skiing on a guided tour with a licensed tour operator.

    At this stage, you can also select your level of cancellation cover or increase your luggage limits – which can help protect any of your own expensive ski or snowboard gear that you’re travelling with.

    Need help understanding which coverage is best suited to your trip? Call our team on 1300 72 88 22. We’ll happily guide you through policy options, as well as help you make a purchase if you wish to do so.

    Why do I have to pay more for Cover-More's Snow Sports Cover?

    A winter holiday isn’t your average holiday. When you’re shredding up the slopes on a snowboard or a pair of skis, the likelihood you’ll injure yourself increases.

    Plus, injuries that occur on the snowy mountains often require urgent medical attention, and it’s generally costly to evacuate people or bring in medical help because of the isolation and high terrain of snowfields.

    For these reasons, snow sports cover is considered a higher risk activity, and the premium for adding this option to your travel insurance costs more than a regular travel insurance policy without snow sports cover.

    What does Cover-More's Snow Sports Cover include?

    Like skiing in New Zealand varies to snowboarding in Japan, different travel insurance policies cover different winter sport activities. Because of this, it’s important to familiarise yourself with our PDS so you know exactly what you’re covered for while on the slopes.

    We have two options of Snow Sports Cover – all you need to do is pick the one that’s best for you:

    1. Snow Sports: this provides cover for on-piste snow skiing, snowboarding or snowmobiling, or cross-country skiing, so is ideal for people who are staying within resort boundaries on their winter snow trip.
    2. Snow Sports+: this increased level of cover includes the above covered activities, plus snow skiing/boarding off-piste and heli-skiing on a guided tour with a licensed tour operator. Those who want a more adventurous snow trip should consider this choice.

    You can read more about our Snow Sports Cover here.

    Other popular winter activities – such as husky dogsledding, ice fishing on an organised tour, ice skating, and tobogganing – are not included in our Snow Sports Cover insurance. These are classed as Adventure Activities and are automatically included in our travel insurance plans.

    Check out our activities cover page for more information on which ones are automatically included, and which more extreme activities – like ice climbing – require additional coverage via our Adventure Activities Cover or Adventure+ Activities Cover.

    Alternatively, call us on 1300 72 88 22 to discuss.

    Does Cover-More travel insurance cover overseas medical expenses if I don’t purchase Snow Sports Cover?

    If you’ve chosen to purchase our International Comprehensive+, Comprehensive or Basic plan, our overseas medical expenses benefit will apply for the duration of your trip, up to the limit described in your policy. However, if you are injured on the slopes, we will only be able to consider your claim if you have purchased our optional Snow Sports Cover for an additional premium.

    If you are injured while participating in snow sports without our Snow Sports Cover, you would be responsible for the costs of your medical treatment – which could be very expensive.

    What is not covered under Cover-More's Snow Sports Cover?

    Before you step foot on the mountain, it’s important to know what you are – and aren’t – covered for on the snow.

    Under our Snow Sports Cover, you are only covered if:

    • you are snow skiing, snowboarding or snowmobiling on‑piste, or cross-country skiing;
    • you are not participating in a professional capacity; and
    • you are not racing.

    With the upgraded Snow Sports+ Cover (which enables off-piste skiing), you are only covered if:

    • while heli-skiing/boarding, you are on a guided tour with a licensed tour operator;
    • when skiing or snowboarding outside piste boundaries, you are not going against local advice or warning;
    • you are not participating in a professional capacity; and
    • you are not racing.

    There is also no cover for sporting equipment damaged, lost or stolen while in use.

    We recommend you carefully consider if our snow sports cover insurance is right for you by reading the PDS for policy conditions.

    Does Cover-More travel insurance cover my own ski and snowboarding equipment?

    When you’re on a snow trip, you want to have fun – not worry about your personal items.

    It’s unlikely you’ll be heading off on a snow trip without using any form of ski or snowboard during your trip, so we can help protect your owned equipment while you’re away.

    This protection falls under our Luggage and Travel Documents Cover. This can provide coverage for personal items that are lost, damaged or stolen on your trip. However, this doesn’t mean you should be careless with your belongings. When you’re at home, you take care of them; it should be no different when you’re travelling!

    The benefit limit for Luggage and Travel Documents depends on the level of coverage you chose.

    PlanBenefit Limit*
    International Comprehensive+$25,000
    International Comprehensive$15,000
    International Basic$5,000
    Inbound Plan$15,000
    Domestic Comprehensive+$15,000
    Domestic Comprehensive$5,000
    Domestic Basic$Nil

    *Item limits apply. See PDS for details.

    If you’re travelling with valuable snow equipment, you may be able to increase the item limit on a specific item of luggage by paying an additional premium. This can be added during the quote process.

    Want to ensure your valuables are covered when you’re next hitting the slopes? Call us on 1300 72 88 22 or get a quote online.

    Does Cover-More travel insurance cover my rented ski and snowboarding equipment?

    At Cover-More, our Luggage and Travel Document benefit only provides cover for personal items that are lost, damaged or stolen on your trip (provided they are not in use when it happens). Unfortunately, it does not provide cover for any hired winter sporting equipment.

    When hiring ski equipment on a snow trip, you engage in a contract with your chosen ski rental company. Always ensure you’re aware of your rights and responsibilities prior to hiring the ski gear on your winter holiday, so you know what to do should something happen to your hired ski and snowboarding equipment.

    Does my winter sports equipment need to be "new" to be covered under Cover-More travel insurance?

    It doesn’t matter if you’re riding a snowboard that’s brand new or 10 years old – we don’t have any specifications regarding the age of your winter sporting items to provide cover for them as a luggage item. However, depreciation is applied to items that are more than 24 months old.

    If your item wasn’t recently purchased, our team will apply reasonable depreciation to the item when assessing the claim.

    Further details about depreciation calculations can be found in the PDS or on our luggage benefit page.

    Can I apply Cover-More's Snow Sports Cover to a portion of my trip?

    Unfortunately, no. When you purchase our travel insurance and add Snow Sports Cover, this cover is applied for the whole duration of your policy. This gives you flexibility with booking the ski or snowboarding part of your holiday if you’re yet to do so.

    Got a question that’s not featured here? Call our friendly team on 1300 72 88 22.

     

       Want us to protect your ski trip?

    Find out how with our snow sports cover insurance.