Best and worst ski insurance 2026

What is ski insurance?

Ski insurance, also known as winter sports insurance, is a specific type of travel insurance tailored to cover anything that might go wrong on a skiing or snowboarding holiday. It typically comes as an add-on to standard travel insurance.

Winter sports cover includes ski and snowboard equipment, medical treatment and the costs that come with ski-related injuries – which aren’t usually covered by travel insurance.

1. Want the best ski insurance policy or insurer? Use our tables below, then go to confused.com, another comparison site or direct to the insurer.
2. Want the cheapest ski insurance policy or insurer? Follow the links to confused.com, or another comparison site, to get a list of policies. Then check what the policies scored by searching our tables.

Please note that this article is for information purposes only and does not constitute advice. Please refer to the particular terms and conditions of an insurer before committing to any financial products.

Best ski insurance

Here we’ve listed travel insurance policies that either include ski insurance, or where ski insurance can be added for extra cost. Click the links for our full reviews of these policies.

The Best Buy policies are Best Buys for travel insurance overall, not just their ski cover.

Ski insurance reviews

What does ski insurance cover?

Most ski trip insurance policies will cover the following:

Medical expenses

Getting injured on the slopes can be expensive. There’s the cost of the treatment, which – depending on where you are – may be covered by the new Ehic replacement, the Ghic. But there’s also the price of air ambulance rescue from the mountains and of medical repatriation if you need to be sent home.

Most ski insurance policies will cover emergency medical treatment costs up to the millions of pounds – but policies differ when it comes to paying for rescue services. Only a handful of policies we reviewed will pay out for search and rescue services (generally to far lower amounts than the costs of medical treatment) – although more will cover rescue costs where you’re being brought to hospital in the event of an accident or illness. 

Lost, stolen or damaged equipment

If your skis, sticks or snowboards are damaged, stolen or go missing, most policies will cover you for a few hundred pounds, although some go into the thousands. You can claim back the cost of your own equipment or for hiring replacement equipment.

Cancellation or curtailment

If you have to cancel or cut short your trip due to an injury, you can claim back the cost of what you missed. Cancellation limits range from £500 to £20,000.

Avalanche delay

Very specific to winter sports breaks, ski insurance will cover you if an avalanche delays your skiing.

Piste closure

You can claim for this if you can’t ski because the piste is closed. It will normally have to be closed for a certain amount of time first.

Other eventualities

Ski insurance can also cover events such as death, overseas funerals and legal costs for causing injury to others or damaging someone else’s property.

Check each policy carefully to see what it will and won’t cover before you decide on an insurer.

What does ski insurance not cover?

When considering specialised winter travel insurance, make sure you understand what isn’t covered.

Going off-piste

If you go off the main ski paths and have an accident, your insurance may not cover the medical costs for that situation.

Accidents under the influence

If you get an injury during apres-ski or while doing winter sports under the influence of drugs or alcohol, your insurance might not cover it.

Leaving equipment unattended

For some policies, if you leave your belongings in public spaces or in plain sight, leading to theft, your policy may not provide coverage.

Travelling against government advice

Your policy is unlikely to cover you if you travel against the advice of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). It’s worth checking the country that you’re travelling to by verifying travel advisories from the FCDO.

Not using the right equipment

Some policies require the use of specific safety equipment, such as helmets, for insurance cover to apply. Failing to comply may mean that your policy is voided.

Extreme winter sports

Certain extreme winter sports such as heli-skiing, glacier climbing and base jumping may not be covered by standard policies. Check whether your activities require extra cover or specialist insurance.

More on ski insurance

How we analyse ski insurance

Our editorial independence means we are able to work on behalf of consumers, not insurers. That means our reviews are fair and there’s no hidden agenda.

Our winter sports policy score is our rating of the winter-sports elements of travel insurance policies.

In February 2025, we surveyed 59 travel insurance companies about their levels of cover and analysed 140 winter sports policies.

Alongside the 67 elements of cover we assessed that aren’t specific to winter sports, for our ski cover scores we also reviewed if and how ski insurance is provided (as standard or as an add-on), limits for piste closures and avalanche cover, rescue cover, personal equipment – owned or hired – and for replacing a ski pass.    

Initially, we score specific product elements out of five, reflecting how competitive each provider is in that area compared with other insurers. Then, based on our assessment of which elements are more or less important for customers choosing and using policies, we adjust the impact that each element has on the overall score. 

Claims performance, service and price aren’t taken into account – just the levels of cover.

More questions on travel insurance? Take a look at our guides: