Winter Cover Travel Insurance help needed

pitry

Hello All, 

We travel a few times per year, so tend to buy annual cover with medical specifics.

We're going to Italy to stay at my family over Christmas and are looking forward to spend a few hours on the snowy Alps during the time we're there.

At most we'll be sledging on a Decathlon plastic sledge for a couple of hours and perhaps have a snowball fight, we're NOT planning any skiing, ski lifts, snowboarding etc.

We're currently covered via Admiral, but it seems they have changed their procedures and only offer an all inclusive Winter Sports upgrade which costs 80% of the annual fee I have paid a few months back.

They are adamantly not able to offer any basic cover for playing in the snow.

Are there any other providers that would only offer cover for snow on the side without us having to buy a completely new policy just for this holiday?

It seems an exaggerated amount of money when the risk is minimal, but it also seems that the policy won't cover if, for example, we park up somewhere up the Alps, get out of the car, slip and break our foot because there was snow on the ground and I didn't purchase "Winter sports cover".

Any help is truly appreciated. Thank you

JGB1955

Don't forget - you're being insured for a random snowboarder ploughing into you, taking you off your feet and disappearing into the mist as you realise you need evacuating off the mountain with a broken wrist/leg/other limb (happened to my husband).

heatherw_01

Anything can happen in the snow in the alps, even if not skiing. An avalanche for example, or a skiier hits you and you need medical care. 

pitry

To the two who commented, thank you.

I am Italian, I grew up near the Alps.
We're not going on those tourist slopes, it'll very likely be a friend's garden or the short slopes outside a baita, or if I wanted to splash out and donate a kidney, a kids snow play area, ultra safe. I don't come from a tourist location.

So no, I just want a basic cover to go on the snow, not to join thousands of crazy "morning after the apres ski night before" people who have zero regards for anyone else.

We're going to places I have been umpteen times, no avalanches risk, none of those things you've mentioned.

Just my current insurer doesn't do a basic  Winter Sports cover level anymore and the full cost is too much for what we are needing it for.

Do any other insurer still offer different levels of cover or have they all gone down the "full package and that's it" route? 

silvercar

Have a look at annual insurance, it may cover the basics in all weathers.

martindow

I think you may have complicated matters by talking about winter sports.  If you are not intending to take part in winter sports or be on the slopes I can't see that there would be a problem.  Normal travel insurance doesn't stop because there is snow on the ground. 

NoodleDoodleMan

Our travel insurance policy booklet through AXA gives a comprehensive list of specific winter sports which are excluded from standard cover and require a reasonably priced additional premium to be included - I assume this would be the case with most other providers ?

Admiral's "one size fits all" deal seems excessively restrictive.

pitry

silvercar said:

Have a look at annual insurance, it may cover the basics in all weathers.

I already have annual insurance.
We get one every year.

Just I hadn't planned to be in Italy in winter and it would be a waste not to go leisure sledging for a couple of hours.

pitry

martindow said:

I think you may have complicated matters by talking about winter sports.  If you are not intending to take part in winter sports or be on the slopes I can't see that there would be a problem.  Normal travel insurance doesn't stop because there is snow on the ground. 

Unfortunately sledging with a cheap plastic Decathlon sledge off the restaurant's car park, so technically off-piste, is classified as winter sports.
They don't differentiate on the risk unfortunately.
And I have been told that the cover, which is in effect their highest level, wouldn't cover if I hurt myself on the snow as that is implying "I went to a location with snow to practice winter sports".

Literally, I'm planning to visit some friends up on the Alps, have fun and eat lots of nice food, plus roll on the snow for a little while.
Perhaps I'll convert a plastic rug like in the old days so without a sledge, there would be no sledging, no? lol

pitry

NoodleDoodleMan said:

Our travel insurance policy booklet through AXA gives a comprehensive list of specific winter sports which are excluded from standard cover and require a reasonably priced additional premium to be included - I assume this would be the case with most other providers ?

Admiral's "one size fits all" deal seems excessively restrictive.

Sledging is only under the Winter Sports additional cover, they don't differentiate between agonistical and leisure.

They used to have 3 levels of cover for winter sports, listing exactly every sport in relation to their risk level. Non competitive sledging (kids slope) was always in their basic package, skiing was on level 2. Now they only have one package and they have quoted me nearly £100, that was nearly how much I have paid for the three of us with medical additions for the year in Europe & (part of) Middle East. I'll have to get a quote for a standalone policy for the trip, hopefully it'll be cheaper but I was pretty disappointed tbh. 

Bicycleman22

Admiral like nearly all insurers these days will insist that you use GHIC as a first choice for your healthcover in Europe, it will be in your policy book. It is up to you whether GHIC and the insurance cover you already have meets your needs..... Be aware though everything you have asked the insurer in relation to this will have been well and truly noted.