Insurance

Well it depends on the terms and benefits that your insurance can cover. Better ask an insurance agent about it. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by tori 

Hi,

 

I need to ask aout insurance,

In case I buy the ski pass and run down the mountains,

Am I insured, for a risk of injury?

Am I insured for the htird party, in case I hurt on the slops by accident a third person, am I insured for that by the resort?

 

Thanks

I think you are asking "If I buy a ski pass, does it include insurance?".

The answer is "no".

To minimise your chances of needing insurance, do what you can to avoid getting injured or injuring others in the first place.  The best place to start is here:

http://www.snowsafe.org.au/downloads/SnowSafe_ARCode2008.pdf

This code is global and applies at all ski resorts anywhere you go.  Good luck.

And it costs a bunch here to get hurt.  

Just came back from a trip to Austria where I was hospitalized for 6 days.  The small bill for surgery and hospitalization was truly an eye opener for how expensive it is here.  I just started laughing when I got it.  Had to confirm that the bill was the WHOLE bill.  

I will say, though, that the wait time initially while my throat was closing up at the emergency room beat anything I've seen in the states over the years.  

To elaborate-- in the USA ski patrol will get you to an ambulance--or a helicopter if you're hurt badly--for free.  The ambulance ride or helicopter and any medical care you need require health insurance.  If you are hurt badly and need emergency care it will be provided if you don't have insurance but you will be billed for the care and may have to declare bankruptcy if you can't pay the bill, and you may have a hard time getting follow-up care after the emergency is stabilized.  If you're not an American then your coverage would depend on the health care coverage of the country you're from.  You don't need the rescue insurance that is common in Europe.  Even rescues outside the resorts are usually (but not always) done for free. And obviously if you're not an American and you receive emergency care the hospital would have a hard time collecting after you went home.

If you hurt someone else and are sued you would have some liability coverage under your homeowner's insurance or renter's insurance, if you have a policy, although the amount may not be much. People who have a lot of assets to protect often have umbrella policies which provide more coverage for liability.  As a practical matter if you are poor very few lawyers will bother to sue you. Lawyers who do personal injury lawsuits are paid a percentage of the judgement and only if they win.  They aren't paid by the person suing, so if they see that you have no money to pay a large judgement they won't make any money suing you so they won't bother.  And again, if you're not an American they would have a real hard time suing you.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kneale Brownson 

Unlike Europe, you Do NOT need insurance to have the Ski Patrol help you if you're injured in North America. You DO need your own insurance to cover the hospital/physician costs. You DO need your own insurance to cover your liability for injuring someone else.

Alpine evacuation insurance is ridiculously cheap in Europe. 

I was just in Austria and for the first time in my life (60), I bought trip insurance, the pricey kind that covered EVERY contingency.  God was looking down on me as it was needed.  I ended up in the hospital needing surgery.  The bill was a "mere" $7000 for six days in the hospital, all of which except $50 was covered by the insurance AS PRIMARY insurance, not back up to my regular stuff, which would have considered it "out of network" with a $1797 deductible and then only paid 80%.  That trip insurance was WORTH EVERY DIME even though by US standards $7000 for the operation, all the doctors, all the IV's and the hospital stay was a pittance to what it would have cost here.  

I used a company called Travel Insured, which has been VERY SLOW to pay, but has paid MOST of it so far even though it's been like pulling teeth.  You might want to choose another one.  Naturally make sure it will cover your skiing.  

...oops, didn't realize I'd posted in this thread already....  But, at least I provided additional info.  I paid $381 for two people, which gave me $50,000 medical, comprehensive up to 150% of a number expended in advance that I provided when I booked, along with car insurance, luggage, etc.  I was horrified at the price AT THE TIME.  Turned out to be cheap.

Rescue insurance was about 5 euro/d when we were in france 2 years ago. I didn't read the fine print so I don't know if you would need it if you stuck to groomed pistes.  There aren't real ski area boundaries in Europe--you're either on a groomed piste or off piste and you could think you're in a ski area and still be billed for rescue.  As far as medical care it depends on your insurance. Travel insurance could also cover stuff like air ambulance evacuation to the us if needed, the costs of changed travel plans, etc--again, all depends on the policy. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrtee 

Thanks. Great info. Did the insurance also cover ski patrol costs? I heard that if you get hurt oon the mountain the will charge you for the rescue

It would appear to.  The policy is 20 pages long, but basically that is part of transporting you to the hospital.  There is also the ability to pay for "Sports coverage" in case you are planning on skiing in areas outside the norm (extreme skiing).

"Emergency Evacuation means Your medical condition warrants immediate transportation from the place where You are injured or sick to the nearest Hospital where appropriate medical treatment can be obtained. Transportation means any land, sea or air conveyance required to transport You during an Emergency Evacuation. Transportation includes, but is not limited to, Common Carrier, air ambulances, land ambulances and private motor vehicles."

Here's what I got.  Now, it must be said that I made FEW reservations with deposits.  I like to travel without an itinerary, so the insured value of the trip was my airline tickets and the two hotels I booked at either end of the trip.  So, the affected the level of the "comprehensive" and therefore the price.  Sorry it's not so legible.