Steepness and altitude
- Couloirs and faces named separately
- A glacier raises the category
- An altitude limit in the conditions
Firn ski extreem and your insurance
Extreme skiing on spring snow is about steep faces and couloirs where a fall cannot be stopped. For insurers that is a different category from ski touring, and rarely insurable without more.
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Work out for yourself what it would cost.
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- We compare the offerings of several insurers
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A premium indication, not personal advice. Prefer to talk it through? Call 072 - 509 24 56.
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In brief
Extreme spring-snow skiing is skiing in steep terrain: couloirs and faces where the descent begins on a rope, where there are crevasses in the glacier and where a slip has immediate consequences. Spring snow makes such slopes briefly skiable, but during the day it turns into heavy, sliding material.
Insurers place this in the highest risk category. On ordinary travel and winter sports cover it is excluded, and an extension for ski touring or off-piste does not cover it automatically either: many conditions name extreme skiing, steep-face skiing and expeditions separately. Accident policies also often exclude this category, including for permanent disability.
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What is covered with extreme spring-snow skiing?
Three things determine your cover: the steepness of the terrain, the techniques used and acceptance in advance.
Rope, ice and protection
As soon as climbing technique is needed, it becomes mountain sport.
- Abseiling in to the entry point
- Crampons and ice axe
- A regular partner or a guide
Written acceptance
Without confirmation in your name there is no cover.
- State the routes and the area
- A separate module or an expedition policy
- Also for a single descent
What is covered
| Situation | Standard | With extension |
|---|---|---|
| A descent in terrain steeper than a black piste | No | Provided that |
| Medical expenses after a fall in the face | No | Yes |
| Search, rescue and helicopter recovery costs | No | Provided that |
| Payment for permanent disability | No | No |
| Descending solo, without a partner or guide | No | No |
| Skiing during an avalanche warning or in a closed area | No | No |
What is actually covered is set out in the policy conditions and the insurance card (verzekeringskaart) that you receive before you take out cover.
What does your premium depend on?
- Steepness and nature of the terrain: a face, a couloir or an open slope
- Use of climbing technique: rope, ice axe, crampons
- Altitude and area: the Alps or high mountains outside Europe
- Guidance: a mountain guide or your own roped party
- Duration and number of routes: one-off or a series of descents
- Sums insured: above all for rescue costs and disability
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.
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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 determine whether any policy still contributes after an accident.
An off-piste extension does not cover extreme terrain
Insurers apply several levels within mountain sports. A module for ski touring or off-piste often stops exactly where the extreme work begins: steep-face skiing, couloirs, descents with rope protection and expeditions appear as a separate exclusion in the conditions. Have the routes stated by name and area. The duty of disclosure in Article 7:928 of the Dutch Civil Code rests with you and not with the guide.
Two policies fall away at once
In a fall in steep terrain you sustain both medical expenses and permanent injury. If the sport is excluded, that affects the travel cover and the personal accident cover, including the payment for disability. If you go despite an avalanche warning or into a closed area, there is also Article 7:952 of the Dutch Civil Code: intent and recklessness are never covered. In the event of an accident, call the emergency assistance centre first.
Frequently asked questions
This is what people ask us most.
Can this simply be insured with an extension?
Not always. Some insurers stop at ski touring and off-piste and name extreme skiing separately in the exclusions. Where it is possible, it is done through a separate module or an expedition policy, usually with details of the area and the supervision.
What counts as extreme terrain?
Conditions speak of descents requiring climbing or protection technique, of couloirs and faces, and sometimes of a slope angle or an altitude limit. Ask which description your insurer uses and have your routes tested against it.
Does my accident insurance stay in place?
Often not for this sport. Accident policies exclude dangerous sports, including extreme skiing and mountain sports off the beaten track. That affects precisely the payment for permanent disability, which weighs most heavily in this kind of accident.
Who pays for a recovery in the high mountains?
Without cover, you do. A helicopter recovery from a face calls for specialist resources and is invoiced on the spot. With cover, the emergency assistance centre arranges the guarantee of payment; always call first and keep the mountain rescue report.
Every situation is different. For these situations we have a separate page.
- Travel insurance with or without cancellation coverThe main page
- Glacier skiing and your insuranceCrevasses, off-piste, recovery costs
- Heliskiing and your insuranceOff-piste, avalanche risk, recovery costs
- Firn blaettern and your insuranceSpring snow, off-piste, wet avalanches
- Ski touring and your insuranceClimbing skins, avalanche risk, high mountains
- Ice climbing and your insuranceFrozen waterfall, falling ice, recovery costs
- Off-piste skiing and snowboarding and your insuranceOff the piste, avalanche risk, rescue costs
- Deep-powder skiing and your insuranceDeep snow, beside the piste, avalanche risk
Read more
Planning a steep descent?
Have it recorded in your name in advance what is included. We find out which insurer accepts this category.
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.