Snowboarding travel insurance

No, not as standard. Snowboarding is excluded from almost every standard travel insurance policy and has to be added as winter sports cover. If you are not sure whether your policy includes it, assume it does not and check before you travel.

Sometimes, yes. Some insurers rate snowboarding separately because the injury profile is different — riders are more likely to sustain wrist, shoulder and collarbone injuries, and more likely to be riding in a park. Others price it identically. It is one of the things worth comparing rather than assuming.

Not always as standard. Jumps, rails, halfpipe and terrain park riding are excluded or restricted by a number of insurers. Tell us if you intend to ride park and we will place the cover with an insurer that includes it rather than one that quietly does not.

Yes, as long as you are with a qualified guide or instructor. Riding off-piste unaccompanied is excluded by most insurers, and it is the most common reason a winter sports claim is refused.

Yes. Cover applies to your own or hired board, bindings and boots for loss, theft, damage and delay in transit, and includes the cost of hiring replacements while you wait. If your setup is worth more than a typical single-item limit, tell us so we can raise it.

Yes, winter sports cover includes mountain rescue and, where needed, helicopter evacuation. Standard travel insurance without a winter sports upgrade does not. Rescue is a chargeable service in most Alpine resorts and is often invoiced on the day.

Not adequately. A GHIC gives you state healthcare on the same terms as a local, but it does not cover mountain rescue, helicopter evacuation, the private clinics injured riders are usually taken to, or the flight home. Carry one, but do not rely on it.

Yes. Season-long cover for seasonaires is arranged individually, standard annual policies cap both trip length and the number of winter sports days, so they rarely work for a full winter abroad. Call us and we will place it.

Yes, provided you declare it before you travel. That includes conditions that feel long settled, and it includes being on an NHS waiting list. We complete the medical screening with you by phone rather than leaving it to an online form.

Not usually for the activity itself, since treatment is covered by the NHS. It is worth checking your personal accident and liability cover, and any policy you rely on for your equipment.