Bumps and bruises are part and parcel of a winter sports holiday. But sometimes a slip on the slopes can cause a more serious injury. Here’s a breakdown of how much it typically costs in Europe and North America to treat the most common ski injuries, based on our claims history. (more…)

Winter sports travellers urged to get in shape and get the right type of travel insurance.

It might not be everyone’s cup of tea. But for some thrill-seekers, sliding down the side of a snow covered mountain makes for the perfect holiday. If you’re heading piste-wards this season, the Foreign Office has two bits of advice: 1) get in shape; 2) get the right type of travel insurance. And do you know what? We can help take care of one of those things straight away. (Hint: We’re not about to start demanding you do a load of press-ups.) (more…)

Everyone likes a challenge.

But during a winter sports holiday, it’s no good taking on the trickiest your resort has to offer if you’ve only just learnt to deal with the practice slopes. That’s how people get hurt. And crutches and plaster casts aren’t exactly the high-point of alpine fashion.

Fortunately, each winter sports resort has a rating system that will help you decide whether a particular run is within your ability, or if a little more practice might be required first. Here’s a guide to the signs and symbols to look out for, wherever your adventures take you. (more…)

Embarking on a fitness regime for your holiday might sound a little out of the ordinary. Then again, an alpine adventure is no ordinary holiday…

Everyone’s heard of pre-holiday diets and jogs around the park to try and shed a pound or two before donning the swimming costume. But an exercise programme with a little more wallop is recommended when you’re preparing for an alpine holiday. Being in better shape will help to prevent injuries and give you more stamina on the slopes, meaning you can make the very most of a ski or snowboarding holiday.

Here are some of the most common injuries to watch out for and some preparation tips to help avoid them.   (more…)

Winter holiday season is just around the corner, and you could be forgiven if your mind has already been drifting to dreams of the white stuff. (In which case, we won’t keep you long.) So where do you start? As with any holiday, there’s plenty of planning required – everything from your salopettes to your seat on the plane has to be sorted. It’s hard to imagine either of those things getting in the way of your adventure though, isn’t it? Too right.

However, one thing that could make or break your winter holiday is the type of travel insurance you get. Without the right policy, those lofty dreams of alpine hedonism could quickly turn into a bit of a nightmare. And no-one wants that. Here’s a breakdown of the things to check your policy covers before you hit the slopes.   (more…)

Why late season boarding can play havoc with your snow style

It’s half term for many schools next week. And that means a mass exodus for a spot of late season snow. But, as the European ski season comes to a close and the numbers start to drop, the number of skiers coming home in plaster rises significantly. According to World First Travel Insurance, the end of the ski season is the time when injury claims go up. The reason for this is quite simple: the pistes have had months of regular use and will have deteriorated since the beginning of the season, there is less snowfall and the temperatures begin to rise. This often leads to more ice, which, in case you hadn’t noticed, is very, very slippery.

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Pinch and a punch for the first of the month. And that means it’s a legitimate time to start thinking about Christmas. But before we all head off to get merry, here’s a final word on skiing travel insurance. It’s short and to the point. After reading a report in Saturday’s Daily Telegraph about drunken skiing invalidating claims, we thought we should clarify where we stand with drinking and skiing holidays and travel insurance.

For many, après ski is an important part of the whole experience. And alcohol is very much a part of ski culture. Why wouldn’t it be? But the days of drinking and skiing may be coming to an end. The Telegraph article cites American resorts imposing fines on drunken and dangerous skiers, whilst insurers can refuse to pay out if a skiing accident (or even falling over and injuring yourself on the way back from the pub) is deemed to have been the result of excessive alcohol consumption. This policy exclusion is to protect them against the increased risk of injuries following alcohol consumption.

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Going wild? Read the small print first.

It seems that you won’t have to go too far to get snow this week. Winter has well and truly arrived. It’s enough to turn our thoughts to winter sports isn’t it? Funny that, especially when we’ve been talking about it all this month in the World First blog. Perhaps we should have saved it until December and had a little punt on it being a white Christmas this year?

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New Club Med Ski resort opens in China

This week sees French all-inclusive giants Club Med open a purpose built ski resort in Yabuli, China. Yabuli is considered the best resort in China and is the place where the Chinese national ski teams do their training. It was also the location for the 3^rd Asian Winter Games in 1996. Yabuli has 31km of pistes, 18 lifts and plenty of additional activities, including snow park, a toboggan run, a skating rink and snowmobile trails.

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