Planning to head to Canada or the Alps in search of powder? Or is skiing in Japan with a side of Tokyo sight-seeing more your scene? Perhaps you prefer to stick closer to home, and are zipping across to New Zealand, or simply driving to the Australian ski fields?
No matter where you're planning to hit the slopes, don't forget to sort out travel insurance before you go.
Our experts have examined thousands of quotes for travel insurance that includes snow sport cover, to help find you the policies with the best prices and best cover.
On this page:
- Do you need travel insurance for skiing?
- Which winter sports and activities are covered by travel insurance?
- How much does travel insurance for skiing cost?
Do you need travel insurance for skiing?
Travel insurance is a necessity for any overseas snow trip. And definitely worth considering if you're heading to the Australian slopes. Skiing and snowboarding are usually an optional extra in travel insurance, meaning that you'll need to opt in and pay the extra fee to make sure you're covered for any mishaps.
Even in countries like New Zealand where there are reciprocal medical arrangements with Australia, travel insurance is a must for things like ambulance cover and medical repatriation if you're seriously hurt
As always, medical cover is essential if you're heading overseas. And, given the expense of most alpine getaways, you'll want a good level of cancellation cover too.
Medical cover for winter sports
Any snow sport, including skiing and snowboarding, comes with a level of risk, and if you do get hurt outside of Australia, your cover for medical care and medical evacuation is vital.
Even in countries like New Zealand where there are reciprocal medical arrangements with Australia, travel insurance is a must for things like ambulance cover and medical repatriation if you're seriously hurt.
Mountainous environments are prone to extreme and unpredictable weather events that can disrupt travel ... avalanches and blizzards can block roads and shut down resorts
If you're buying travel insurance for your trip to the Australian fields, you'll notice that domestic policies don't include medical cover. This is because you're covered by Medicare (and maybe private health insurance) as usual.
Natural disaster cover in alpine regions
Mountainous environments are prone to extreme and unpredictable weather events that can disrupt travel.
In addition to causing serious injury, avalanches and blizzards can block roads and shut down resorts, restricting your access and delaying travel.
Do a 'find' (Ctrl F) on your PDF and search for 'natural disaster' to check for cover or exclusions. Don't rely on ChatGPT or other AI tools to do it for you (we've tried it, it's not always right).
Cancellation cover
You'd be hard pushed to find a snow holiday that doesn't break the bank, so if you want to be able to recoup costs should you need to cancel, a comprehensive travel insurance policy will have your back.
Which winter sports and activities are covered by travel insurance?
Cover for skiing and snowboarding is usually an optional extra that you need to add to your policy when you buy it – and that's the case with all the policies we mention in this article.
This option covers you for skiing and snowboarding on-piste. If you need cover for other winter activities, skiing or snowboarding off-piste or outside resort boundaries, cover varies policy to policy – so cross-country skiers and snowshoers take note!
Cover for skiing and snowboarding is usually an optional extra that you need to add to your policy when you buy it
Cover for snowmobile use and tobogganing can also vary, though we found that when skiing is covered these activities usually are too.
The price scores for skiing are calculated using quotes for the destinations listed, with the winter sport option selected.
How much does travel insurance for skiing cost?
The cheapest travel insurance for snow sports
We used our extensive database of travel insurance quotes to find the cheapest policies for snow holidays to various destinations around the globe. Note that these don't provide the most extensive cover, so make sure you read the policy details to understand the cover they do and don't provide.
We used our extensive database of travel insurance quotes to find the cheapest policies for snow holidays to various destinations around the globe
The cheapest policy that provides snow sport cover for travel from Australia to New Zealand, Japan and Europe is Tick Travel Insurance Basic, with its Winter Sports option. This policy provides unlimited cover for medical care and repatriation, and the option to choose your limit for cancellation expenses. It also covers medical costs and additional expenses in the event of a natural disaster.
The policy with the lowest premium for a snow holiday to the USA is Medibank Medical only, and for Canada it's AHM's Medical Only. These policies both provide unlimited cover for medical care and repatriation, including for natural disasters.
The best value travel insurance for snow sports
If you're happy to pay a little bit more to make sure you get great value for money from your travel insurance, we reveal the best value policies below.
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