Beside the piste or far from it
- Within sight of the piste
- Never in closed terrain
- Watch the avalanche bulletin
Deep-powder skiing and your insurance
Deep powder skiing means skiing in untouched deep snow, usually beside the marked piste. In doing so you leave the area that ordinary winter sports cover is written for.
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Work out for yourself what it would cost.
Enter your details; you will receive a proposal within one working day.
- We compare the offerings of several insurers
- An adviser checks whether the cover suits your situation
- We arrange the switch, including cancellation
A premium indication, not personal advice. Prefer to talk it through? Call 072 - 509 24 56.
- Independent advice
- Several insurers
- Switching arranged
- Help with claims
In brief
Winter sports modules generally cover skiing and snowboarding on pistes open to the public. As soon as you leave the piste, your cover depends on the wording: some policies cover deep snow directly beside the piste under supervision, while others exclude everything outside the markers.
The risk really is different. In deep snow, rocks, stumps and hollows lie invisible beneath the surface and the chance of an avalanche increases. A fall without witnesses can go unnoticed for a long time, which makes the search and rescue costs the most important item on your policy.
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What is covered with deep powder skiing?
Three factors determine your cover: where you ski, with whom, and whether it has been declared.
A guide or ski instructor
With supervision, more insurers accept the descent.
- Recognised guide or ski school
- Avalanche transceiver, shovel and probe
- Do not go into deep snow alone
Search, recovery and transport
Call the emergency assistance centre before you let costs be incurred.
- Arranging a guarantee
- Piste service or helicopter
- Keep the report and the invoices
What is covered
| Situation | Standard | With extension |
|---|---|---|
| Skiing on the marked piste | Yes | Yes |
| Deep snow beside the piste with a guide | Provided that | Yes |
| Off-piste without supervision | No | Provided that |
| Search and rescue costs after an avalanche | No | Yes |
| Skiing in a closed area or an area under warning | No | No |
| Taking part in a timed competition | No | Provided that |
What is actually covered is set out in the policy conditions and the insurance card (verzekeringskaart) that you receive in advance.
What does your premium depend on?
- On-piste or off-piste: this determines the risk class
- With or without a guide: supervision lowers the risk
- Destination: the Alps or further afield
- Duration of the trip: a week or the whole season
- Sums insured: mainly for search and recovery
- Experience: taken into account when underwriting
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
How we arrange it
- You request a quoteWe take stock of your situation, risk and 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.
Why arrange it through Finass Verzekert?
We look at the terms as well as the premium, and stay your point of contact when there is a claim.
Independent
We are not tied to one insurer and compare on the basis of an objective analysis of several companies.
One fixed adviser
You call or email someone who knows your file. No menu options, no changing call centres.
Switching without hassle
We cancel your old policy and align the start date, so you are never a day without cover.
Help with claims
We report the claim and monitor how it is handled. In urgent cases you can reach us on the emergency line.
9.5New policy
9.8Claims handling
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.
Where things go wrong in practice
Two points that make the difference between a paid and a rejected claim.
Off-piste is a separate item alongside the familiar exclusions
On top of that to mountain sports, air sports, deep diving and speed competitions the winter sports module has a limitation of its own: skiing off the marked piste. Read whether your policy prohibits that, allows it under supervision, or allows it only within a certain distance of the piste.
Ignoring a closed gate counts as reckless
If you ski into a closed slope or go into deep snow despite an avalanche warning, the insurer can rely on Article 7:952 of the Dutch Civil Code: no cover in the event of intent or recklessness. That applies even where the sport itself is included. Report a claim immediately (Article 7:941 of the Dutch Civil Code).
Frequently asked questions
This is what people ask us most.
Does deep powder skiing come under winter sports cover?
Only if the conditions mention off-piste. Many modules cover skiing on open pistes only. Deep snow directly beside the piste is sometimes still included under supervision; further away hardly ever without additional cover.
What is the difference from heliskiing?
With heliskiing a helicopter takes you to unpatrolled terrain. That sits in the highest risk class. Deep powder skiing usually starts from the ski area itself. The risk is lower, but the off-piste clause applies to both.
Are search and rescue costs included?
Not as standard. Searching, recovery and transport by helicopter are often in a separate module or in the winter sports extension. Without that cover, an avalanche recovery is entirely at your own expense. Always call the emergency assistance centre first.
Am I liable if I set off an avalanche?
You may be, under Article 6:162 of the Dutch Civil Code, certainly if you ignored a warning. Your liability insurance only covers such loss if the sport is not excluded and there is no question of recklessness.
Every situation is different. For these situations we have a separate page.
- Travel insurance with or without cancellation coverThe main page
- Off-piste skiing and snowboarding and your insuranceOff the piste, avalanche risk, rescue costs
- Glacier skiing and your insuranceCrevasses, off-piste, recovery costs
- Ski touring and your insuranceClimbing skins, avalanche risk, high mountains
- Heliskiing and your insuranceOff-piste, avalanche risk, recovery costs
- Monoskiing and your insuranceOne ski, on the piste, winter sports module
- Snorkel skiing and your insuranceTwo activities, deep powder, diving depth
- Mogul skiing and your insuranceMogul piste, knee injury, competition exclusion
Read more
Are you going into deep snow?
Have it checked before departure what your winter sports module does off the piste.
Prefer to call? 072 - 509 24 56, weekdays 09:00–17:00.
Claim on the road? Emergency line 06 - 55 20 40 72.
About our service
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.
You will find our licence, KvK and Kifid details and our complaints procedure at the foot of every page.
This page was compiled by Finass Verzekert (LinkedIn). Last updated on .
The information on this page is general in nature and is not personal advice.