Abseiling is a technique, not a seasonal sport: where you descend, on whose rope and under whose supervision determines whether your policy accepts the accident.
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In brief
Abseiling occurs in three situations: as part of a climbing or gorge trip, as a stand-alone activity in a climbing park or at an outdoor centre, and as a one-off during a company outing. For your travel or personal accident insurance that setting makes no difference. The policy conditions name descending on a rope as a special sport, and anything named as a special sport is excluded unless declared in advance.
When a claim is made, the first question is who rigged the rope. If you descend on a system belonging to a recognised provider, with inspected equipment and an instructor who checks how you are attached, most insurers can cover it. If you build your own anchor point, it counts as independent practice and stricter conditions apply. If the abseiling goes together with climbing or with a trip through a gorge, see also mountaineering and rock climbing and canyoning; those activities are assessed separately.
Abseiling for work falls outside every personal policy. Anyone who cleans facades, inspects silos or installs equipment on a rope is working, not doing sport. That belongs on commercial personal accident or disability cover. An overview of the broader category can be found under insuring high-risk sports.
The structure of the cover in three parts, with an overview per situation below.
The essentials
Declare in advance
What you do not declare is not covered.
Notify before departure
Surcharge or separate module
Also for one-off participation
Note all three
Three covers
They do not always run in step.
Medical expenses
Accidents and disability
Liability
Emergency assistance centre
In an accident
Call before you incur costs.
Arranging a guarantee
Salvage and repatriation
Keep all receipts
What is covered
Situation
Standard
With extension
Medical expenses after an accident
No
Yes
Rescue and salvage costs
No
Yes
Permanent disability
No
Sometimes
Liability towards third parties
Sometimes
Yes
Taking part in competition
No
Sometimes
Taking part without the required qualification
No
No
This overview is general in nature and is not personal advice. What is actually covered, including exclusions, limits and the excess, is set out in the policy conditions and the insurance card (verzekeringskaart) of the insurer; you receive both before you take out cover. Taking out cover without advice? Then read what execution only means for you.
Where things go wrong in practice
Four points that make the difference between a policy that pays out and one that does not.
A single descent during a company outing
Many people abseil exactly once, on a team day. For the policy that is simply sport, and therefore excluded as long as you have not declared it. The employer also has a duty of its own: an accident during an organised activity is tested against the standard of good employment practice in Article 7:611 of the Dutch Civil Code. That route only produces something for the participant after an argument. Your own accident cover works without your having to hold anyone liable.
Who placed the anchor determines the assessment
With a recognised provider the rope hangs on an inspected anchor and an instructor checks your descent system. If you tie your own anchor around a tree or a boulder, the insurer treats that as independent practice. If inspected equipment fails all the same, the manufacturer's product liability under Article 6:185 of the Dutch Civil Code comes into play. With a home-made anchor there is nobody but yourself. So declare in advance which of the two you intend.
Abseiling for work is not a sport
Rope access, facade maintenance and inspection work on a rope fall under the exclusion for professional activities that virtually every personal travel and accident policy contains. For work as an employee, the employer bears the duty of care in Article 7:658 of the Dutch Civil Code and insures that commercially. If you work for yourself, that calls for disability insurance (AOV) alongside business liability insurance. Your holiday policy does not fill that gap, however often you descend.
Where a descent really goes wrong
The descent itself seldom goes wrong. The mistakes are at the two ends. A rope that does not reach the ground with no knot in the end, rockfall from above, or clothing and hair caught in the descender. If basic measures such as a helmet and a back-up were missing, an insurer can rely on serious fault within the meaning of Article 7:952 of the Dutch Civil Code. That mainly arises on unsupervised descents.
What does your premium depend on?
Supervised or independent. Descending under a certified instructor is rated differently from a system you have built yourself.
Type of location. A climbing park with fixed anchors, a natural rock face and a cave are three different risks.
One-off or ongoing. One activity during a trip is insured differently from taking part all year round.
Country and accessibility. In mountainous country, recovery and rescue costs weigh more heavily than at a roadside location.
Sum insured for disability. After a fall, permanent disability is the item that weighs most heavily in the payout.
Your own equipment. Rope, harness and descender can be insured as luggage, with a separate limit per set.
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
How we arrange it
You request a quoteWe take stock of your situation, your risk and your wishes.
We compareseveral insurers, on premium as well as conditions.
You receive a proposalWith an explanation of the differences and the exclusions.
We arrange the switchIncluding cancellation, so there is no gap in cover.
Customers rate our service on four aspects: personal service, service delivery, availability and the outcome. The reviews are collected and published by NH1816 and come from customers who have actually taken out a policy with Finass Advies B.V. or reported a claim.
Does the exclusion also apply to abseiling in a climbing centre?
Indoors, on inspected equipment and under supervision, many insurers count it as ordinary sport. That is not certain: some policies name every form of descending on a rope, whatever the location. Ask about it and have the answer recorded in writing, because the difference between indoors and outdoors is by no means always spelled out in the conditions.
We are organising abseiling as a team activity. What does the employer arrange?
Choose a provider with inspected equipment and certified instruction, and record what has been agreed. In the event of an accident, the employer can be held liable under Article 7:611 of the Dutch Civil Code. Also point out to participants that their own travel or accident insurance needs to know about this activity in advance, even where it is part of the programme.
Are my own rope and harness insured?
Rope, harness and karabiners can be insured as luggage against theft and damage from outside. Wear, ageing and writing off equipment after a heavy fall are excluded. That is damage through use and not a sudden event. Keep purchase receipts, because without them the value cannot be established afterwards.
I abseil for a living. Can that be included on my personal policy?
No. Work on a rope falls under the occupational exclusion in personal travel and accident policies, however often you do it. That calls for a commercial solution: accident cover through the employer or, if you are self-employed, disability insurance alongside liability insurance for the work you carry out.
Finass Verzekert is a trading name of Finass Advies B.V. We advise on and arrange non-life insurance on the basis of an objective analysis of several insurers, and receive commission for this from the insurer, which is included in the premium. You pay no separate advice fee. Before you take out cover, we establish your wishes and needs.
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