You know when you buy your lift pass, either online or from the friendly team at your local lift pass office, and they offer you an additional insurance policy, priced at roughly €3 a day? It’s called various things, such as Carte Neige, Carre Neige, Snorisk, etc and it covers any on-mountain rescue services that you might need. Over the years many skiers and snowboarders have used this policy to top-up existing travel insurance policies and it’s always been an effective add-on.
However, we recently we discovered in the small print, that Snorisk insurance is only valid for residents of the European Union. And unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last few years, you’ll know that today, Friday 31st January 2020, is our final day as European citizens. As we all speculate as to what that means for British travellers to France after the transition period, we can confirm, with thanks to Domaine Skiable de Morzine, that the terms of your Snorisk insurance will change.
Snorisk have changed their terms and conditions to account for the fact that British skiers are no longer European citizens. You’ll still be insured for the first two elements of your insurance, which are mountain search and rescue (including off-piste) up to a total of €15,000 and your primary transport off the mountain (from the place of your accident to the nearest medical centre / hospital and on to your resort accommodation on the same day if appropriate), but – crucially – British skiers and snowboarders will no longer be insured for secondary transportation – that’s any further transportation required to a more specialised hospital if required and any repatriation costs. For the avoidance of any doubt, always check the full terms and conditions of your insurance policy.
We’re anticipating a variety of questions and scenarios as a result of this change, all of which we’ll try to help you answer. But in the meantime, our overwhelming advice is that you have a fully comprehensive travel insurance policy that covers all elements of winter sports as an absolute minimum. Snorisk is still an excellent option to help cover any on-mountain requirements, but please make sure you back this up with extra cover for all eventualities. Source recommends a policy from the experienced team at MPI Brokers.
(With thanks to all the local Morzine business owners who’ve helped us get clarification on this issue, and Domaine Skiable de Morzine too!)
