Off-piste Skiing Travel Insurance

Due to the different risks that off-piste skiing presents, insurers very often consider it a separate activity to that of skiing on-piste. Hence your policy may not cover you for it, just as it might not cover you for professional rugby playing[i], elephant polo or cliff-diving (all of which are real exclusions from insurers’ policies!). Such a distinction may not be apparent without a lengthy read of the technical policy document or a long call-centre discussion.

In addition, the extra dangers mean extra accidents and Insurers naturally associate that with more claims being made at extra cost to them. As a result, the prices to include off-piste skiing are often higher.

Bought By Many’s offer

We think that’s a real shame as skiing into the off-piste can be both fun and a huge learning experience that moves people’s skiing on to new levels. As a result, we’ve partnered with Explorer Travel Insurance to bring our members an insurance policy they can be clear about, at a specially-discounted price.

Explorer's Winter Sports policy includes insurance for both on-piste skiing and off-piste skiing as standard. Whilst off-piste, you must ski with a qualified guide at all times but you are able to venture beyond resort boundaries if you wish (a common restriction on other policies).

So before you head into the soft stuff, just join the group to add your buying power for a better insurance deal.

Bought by Many

Bought By Many groups together people with similar insurance needs. That grouping gathers together the individuals’ buying power and gives an ability to negotiate discounts from Insurers that members could not otherwise get. Using this principle we are able to provide this policy from Explorer at a 10% discount.

Want to know more?

Then take a look at some of our other articles on travel insurance including off-piste cover, as below:

• In Insurers: Off-piste skiing, we identify a few insurers who cover off-piste skiing in their policies, to save you time.
• In Insurance Cover for Off-Piste Skiing, we point out how insurers construct their policies, so you know what to look for.

Best wishes...

From the Bought by Many team to Michael Schumacher and his family following his accident.

[i] Though our Rugby Insurance for Children policy might protect your family whilst playing back at home!

By David Woodfield

Top questions answered by us

• What are the risks of off-piste skiing?

  Potentially inspired by the notorious Aspen Extreme, a generation of skiers are moving away from the piste, replacing it with off-piste terrain with its bumps, trees and soft snow.

  Some of the risks faced off-piste are significantly different from those on-piste, including but not limited to:

  
  
  • Avalanches
  
  
  • Crevasses
  
  
  • Getting lost
  
  
  • Sufficient nutrition and hydration
  
  

  In addition, a large number of risks are the same as for on-piste skiing but, given that the skier is likely to be a greater distance from assistance, come with significantly greater consequences:

  
  
  • Any physical injury, which may then need helicopter evacuation
  
  
  • Equipment failure, which can leave you stranded
  
  
  • Collisions with rocks, trees or other hazards that can be more difficult to see
  
  

  These greater risks and their more serious consequences mean that it is crucial to have an insurance policy that you can be sure covers your off-piste activity. See our list of insurers covering off-piste skiing as standard for more here

  More information on the risks of off-piste skiing can be found here:
  

  
  
  • Piste-off - a general resource on the hazards of off-piste skiing
  
  
  • Henry's Avalanche Talk - a long-standing resource on avalanches and avalanche safety.