Travel insurers cracking down on skiers who have a tipple and then hit the slopes
Insurers are cracking down on reckless behaviour from skiers who ignore warnings on the slopes or fail to wear a helmet.
The terrible head injuries suffered by Formula One ace Michael Schumacher - who was wearing a helmet - have highlighted the dangers of skiing.
Every year around 10,000 Britons hurt themselves so badly while on winter sports holidays that they need hospital treatment. Serious head injuries and deaths are mercifully rare, but broken bones and knee ligament tears are much more common.
No cover: Insurers are clamping down on skiers' claims where the policyholder has been drinking alcohol
And the number of accidents is climbing as many resorts become more crowded and increasingly sophisticated equipment means even relative beginners can hit speeds of up to 30mph.
Thousands of these winter sports fans face huge bills if they fail to take proper insurance, or get caught out by small print.
While basic medical costs in most European Union countries are covered by the European Health Insurance Card, this does not include other popular destinations such as the U.S.
Being airlifted, or treated in a private resort hospital anywhere in the world, will also probably have to be covered by insurance. Yet one in three skiers takes no cover.
And if you are forced to pay a medical claim from your own pocket, it can be astronomical.
Even relatively minor injuries such as a broken ankle can leave you with a £22,000 bill. A knee injury can cost £16,000 to treat once rescue from the slopes is factored in, according to insurer Aviva.
Head injuries make up around a fifth of all accidents - with the cost of a serious blow as high as £100,000.
The bill for being airlifted, or stretchered off a mountain by rescuers, can be as much as £9,000 in the Swiss alps. Because of the exorbitant costs, insurers are getting tough.
Bob Atkinson, of website Travelsupermarket.com says: ‘Increasingly insurance companies are expecting people to follow the rules and regulations. If you fail to read or ignore clearly laid out conditions in your ski insurance policy, do not expect them to protect you.’
And insurers are clamping down on claims where the policyholder has been drinking alcohol.
Hundreds of deaths on the slopes each year are linked to alcohol - yet glance at any social media website and you’ll see dozens of videos of skiers young and old joking about skiing while intoxicated.
Research by insurer MoreThan has found how one in three skiers have more than seven units of alcohol in their blood - the equivalent of two large glasses of wine. The drink drive limit for a man is four units.
But many insurers now have exclusions in place that mean they will at least question a claim if you have alcohol in your blood and will refuse to pay out if they think you were under the influence.
And if a doctor deems alcohol played a part in your accident, it is highly likely you won’t be covered.
Other firms are toughening up on skiers who hit the slopes without the right equipment.
A study last year by John Hopkins University in the U.S. shows how helmets cut the risk of serious injury in accidents. Research from insurer Direct Line found how the head experiences a force of two tonnes in a crash without a helmet.
Essential Travel is the only UK insurer which expects customers to wear a helmet.
Other firms’ policies are less clear-cut. Some refuse to pay out if you fail to stick to local rules, such as in some parts of Canada which demand you wear a helmet. In Italy, anyone under 14 must wear a helmet.
Other companies are now threatening to throw out claims when the policy-holder did not have the correct equipment or clothing - so a claim for hospital costs if you suffered hypothermia would not be covered if you went onto the slopes without a ski jacket.
Experts also warn holidaymakers to beware of exclusions when skiing off piste - this is excluded by most policies unless you hire a guide.
You may think off piste means skiing in wild untouched areas. However it can simply mean not being on the official slopes - so if you are cutting across from one run to another, and get injured, you may not be covered.
If you ignore weather warnings issued by a resort before going off piste you may have a claim thrown out. Be wary though because guidance can be confusing - as often resorts warn that the weather or snow conditions can be bad, but rarely actually tell you not to ski.
Chris Radford, director of off-piste skiing website Henry’s Avalanche Talk, which studied ski insurance policies, says: ‘Insurance policies require you to follow resort advice, but resort advice will rarely tell you not to go out.
‘Instead it is down to you to make the judgement call depending on how well prepared, knowledgeable and how good a skier you are.
‘But if your claim is thrown out on the back of that decision, the consequences can be devastating.’