Ski resorts open early after record falls


by Keith McGregor - Date: 2008-12-23 - Word Count: 446 Share This!

Andorra in the Pyrenees is reporting the best start to a season for40 years with record snowfall. Despite the pound sliding against boththe Euro and the dollar, holiday prices appear to be lower than lastyear in many European countries, as much as 20% cheaper according tothe latest survey from Co-operative Travel and in North America, theprice of a ski package has also fallen sharply, by 11% in Whistler andLake Tahoe.

So it's not all doom and gloom for British travellers trying tomake their dwindling pounds go further. For those tempted for apre-Christmas dash to the slopes, conditions have hardly been betterbut before doing so, take heed of the advice from tour operators andspecialist winter sports providers and don't forget to take outadequate insurance. Recent surveys still show a high number of peoplegoing abroad without any travel insuranceat all. Whether this is just forgetfulness or a desire to livedangerously, it shows that many people view travel insurance as anextra expense which can be added or deleted depending on the holidaybudget. So what should people be looking for? Most travel insurance providers offer good cover for intermediate and beginners.

This is the vast bulk of the market. Yes, accidents do happen butthey are more likely to be in a controlled fashion, by that we mean onwell groomed pistes and with assistance and help on hand. The problemarea is when the skier or snowboarder gains in confidence and skill andwants to seek greater challenges and with it more thrills. Thisgenerally means tackling ever more severe slopes but also to ventureinto what is loosely termed ‘off piste'. This is where the unwarycan very quickly become unstuck and we are not talking about the snowconditions. Most travel insurancepolicies will have restrictions on ‘off piste' such as ‘only witha guide' or ‘only within a specified resort area' so when seekingthat ‘adrenaline rush' it is important to know what you are gettingyourself into first.

What's more, the increasing popularity of ‘half pipes' and‘free style' means that the potential risk of injury has increasedas more and more people are attracted to this immensely enjoyableleisure activity. To make sure you are properly covered for these moreextreme sports activities, it is essential that winter sports insuranceis obtained that offers protection to this level of activity.

The more expert you are, the more likely you will need morespecialist cover than provided by the usual high street provider.Mountain rescue and medical costs are expensive and if this requiresrepatriation then the costs mount up rapidly. It's probably too late,as you are being strapped to the rescue sledge, to wonder whether thetravel insurance you bought before the holiday is going to cover you.

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Related Tags: ski, record, resorts, open, early, after, falls

Keith McGregor is a partner of Strawberrysoup, a web design agency with offices in Chichester and Bournemouth. Strawberrysoup specialise in creative web design, content managed websites, search engine optimisation, search engine marketing and graphic design. Your Article Search Directory : Find in Articles

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