An accident in the centre
- Health insurance for the treatment
- Accident cover for permanent injury
- Abroad, through the travel policy
Indoor climbing and your insurance
Climbing in a climbing centre is supervised, belayed and indoors. It therefore falls under ordinary cover far more often than mountain sports outdoors.
- several insurers compared objectively
- 9.5 customer rating for a new policy
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- Personal 072 - 509 24 56, weekdays 9–17
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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
For most insurers, indoor wall climbing is not a risk sport. You climb on an artificial wall, on a rope, with a belayer and under the centre's supervision. Injury then runs through ordinary accident or health cover, and damage to others through your liability insurance.
The distinction from mountaineering and rock climbing outdoors is sharp. As soon as you make the same movement on real rock, in a crag or on a via ferrata, you enter the category of mountain sports which many policies exclude. The climbing centre itself stays outside it.
Do watch three restrictions that apply indoors as well: climbing competitions, climbing without protection and damage to hired equipment. The last of these often falls under the care, custody and control exclusion on the liability insurance and is then not covered.
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What is covered with indoor climbing?
Three tracks: your own injury, damage to others and the centre's equipment.
A mistake by the belayer
If you drop someone, you are held liable personally.
- Assessment under Article 6:162 of the Dutch Civil Code
- A sport and game situation raises the threshold
- Report the incident to the centre
Borrowed equipment
Hired equipment is usually not covered by your AVP.
- The care, custody and control exclusion covers loans
- Your own rope and harness are covered by home contents
- Check the hire terms
What is covered
| Situation | Standard | With extension |
|---|---|---|
| Injury while climbing belayed in a climbing centre | Yes | Yes |
| Bouldering indoors above crash mats | Yes | Yes |
| Liability for injury to a fellow climber | Provided that | Yes |
| Damage to the centre's hired climbing equipment | No | Provided that |
| Climbing on real rock or a via ferrata outdoors | No | Yes |
| A climbing competition or the training for it | Provided that | Yes |
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?
- Risk class of the sport: indoor climbing is rated low
- Recreational or in competition: competition can carry a loading
- Climbing outdoors as well: rock changes the category
- Destination on climbing trips. Europe or worldwide
- Sums insured: mainly for permanent disability
- Excess: lowers or raises the premium
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 climbing indoors and mountain sports.
Climbing outdoors is a different category from indoors
Many travel and accident policies exclude mountain sports, air sports, diving below your certified depth and speed contests. Indoor climbing usually falls outside that, but a climbing trip to crags in France or Spain does fall under it. If you book such a trip, declare it separately and have it confirmed in writing.
The centre's waiver says nothing about your policy
Virtually every climbing centre has you sign that you climb at your own risk. Such a declaration governs your relationship with the centre, not with your insurer. Conversely, Article 7:952 of the Dutch Civil Code still applies: deliberate recklessness, such as climbing without protection or skipping the partner check, is not covered.
Frequently asked questions
This is what people ask us most.
Is indoor climbing a risk sport?
With most insurers, no. You climb indoors, belayed and under supervision. The exclusion for mountain sports is aimed at climbing in the mountains and on rock, not at an artificial wall in a climbing centre.
Do I have to declare it to my insurer?
For the climbing centre, usually not. If you go climbing outdoors, take part in competitions or go on a climbing trip, do declare that in advance; those are the situations in which the exclusions really come into play.
Am I liable if I drop someone?
You may be, under Article 6:162 of the Dutch Civil Code. In sport and game situations a higher threshold applies, but with a belaying mistake it is often met. Report the incident to the centre and to your liability insurer.
Is hired equipment covered?
Usually not. The care, custody and control exclusion excludes damage to items in your care, such as borrowed ropes or a hired harness. Your own equipment is covered at home by home contents insurance and, when travelling, often by the luggage section.
Every situation is different. For these situations we have a separate page.
- Travel insurance with or without cancellation coverThe main page
- Climbing and your insuranceMountain sport, klettersteig, rescue costs
- Ice climbing and your insuranceMountain sport, axes and screws, exclusion
- Ice sailing and your insuranceNatural ice, high speeds, liability
- Paragliding and your insuranceAir sport, canopy flying, liability
- Ski jumping and your insuranceThe ski jump, a competitive sport, outside piste cover
- Insuring mountaineering and rock climbingHeight, ropes, experience
- Ski touring and your insuranceClimbing skins, avalanche risk, high mountains
Read more
Do you climb outdoors too?
Have it recorded in advance where your cover stops. We find out which policy does include rock climbing.
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.