Notify it and have it accepted
- Notify us before you leave
- Surcharge or separate module
- Ask for written confirmation
Off-piste skiing and snowboarding and your insurance
As soon as you leave the marked piste, your cover changes. Many travel and accident policies exclude skiing and snowboarding in unpatrolled terrain.
- several insurers compared objectively
- 9.5 customer rating for a new policy
- AFM licence 12016589
- Personal 072 - 509 24 56, weekdays 9–17
This page in another language: Nederlands
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
The piste is marked, patrolled and protected against avalanches. Beyond it, none of that applies. Insurers draw that dividing line literally: the winter sports module covers skiing and snowboarding on open pistes, and places everything beyond it under mountain sports, one of the standard exclusions.
Two cost items mount up quickly after an accident off the piste: the search and rescue operation in unpatrolled terrain and the repatriation. These appear in the policy as separate sections with their own limits. It is quite possible for the hospital to be paid and the mountain rescue not.
Cover can sometimes be arranged, but subject to conditions: notify before departure, go with a qualified guide and carry the usual avalanche equipment. Closed terrain, or skiing despite an avalanche warning, remains excluded in all cases.
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What is covered off the piste?
Three things determine your cover: the notification, the supervision and the terrain.
Guide and equipment
Acceptance often depends on supervision and safety equipment.
- Recognised guide or ski school
- Avalanche transceiver, shovel and probe
- Following the avalanche bulletin
Rescue and repatriation
Call the emergency assistance centre before you incur any costs.
- Arranging a guarantee
- Costs of mitigating the loss are a separate section
- Keep the report and invoices
What is covered
| Situation | Winter sports as standard | With extension |
|---|---|---|
| Medical costs after a fall on the slopes | Yes | Yes |
| Medical costs after a fall off the piste | No | Yes |
| Search, rescue and recovery costs in unpatrolled terrain | No | Yes |
| Permanent disability after an avalanche | No | Provided that |
| Skiing in a closed area or during an avalanche warning | No | No |
| Taking part in a freeride 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?
- Risk class of the sport: off-piste sits high
- Guidance: a guide or your own group
- Destination: the Alps, North America or further afield
- Duration of the trip: a single week or the whole season
- Sums insured: above all for rescue and disability
- Recreational or in competition: freeride competitions are more expensive
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 determine whether your policy pays off the piste.
Just beside the piste is also off the piste
Insurers exclude as standard mountain sports off the beaten track, air sports, diving below your certified depth and speed contests. A line of powder ten metres beside the piste already falls under the first of these. A short cut through the trees between two pistes counts as well, and so does doing it just once.
Recklessness undermines even cover that has been accepted
Even where off-piste is included, Article 7:952 of the Dutch Civil Code still applies: intent and deliberate recklessness are not covered. Ignoring a fence, entering a closed slope or setting off despite avalanche danger is judged in that light. Report an accident immediately as well (Article 7:941 of the Dutch Civil Code).
Frequently asked questions
This is what people ask us most.
Does the winter sports module cover off-piste?
Often not. That module is written for open, patrolled pistes. Skiing in unpatrolled terrain falls under the mountain sports exclusion with many insurers and has to be reported and accepted separately.
Does a guide make a difference?
Often yes. Insurers that do include off-piste usually require a qualified guide and avalanche equipment as a condition. Without supervision it remains excluded. Have that condition confirmed in writing in advance.
Who pays for the search after an avalanche?
Only your insurer, if rescue costs appear in the policy and off-piste has been accepted. Without that cover, the deployment of rescuers and a helicopter is entirely at your own expense.
And if I ski in closed terrain?
Then there is no cover, not even with an extension. Ignoring a closed slope or an area under an avalanche warning is regarded as deliberate recklessness and falls under Article 7:952 of the Dutch Civil Code.
Every situation is different. For these situations we have a separate page.
- Travel insurance with or without cancellation coverThe main page
- Heliskiing and your insuranceOff-piste, avalanche risk, recovery costs
- Deep-powder skiing and your insuranceDeep snow, beside the piste, avalanche risk
- Monoskiing and your insuranceOne ski, on the piste, winter sports module
- Glacier skiing and your insuranceCrevasses, off-piste, recovery costs
- Mogul skiing and your insuranceMogul piste, knee injury, competition exclusion
- Ski touring and your insuranceClimbing skins, avalanche risk, high mountains
- Snorkel skiing and your insuranceTwo activities, deep powder, diving depth
Read more
Are you leaving the piste?
Have it established before departure what cover you have. We find out which insurer accepts off-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.