Ski Insurance Guide 2026/27: Do You Need It & What Must It Cover?

Do you need ski insurance if you have a GHIC?

Yes. The UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) gives you medically necessary state healthcare in Europe, but the NHS says it does not cover ski or mountain rescue, being flown back to the UK, or treatment in a private medical facility, and that it is not a replacement for travel insurance. In ski resorts, the first part of an accident (being brought down the mountain, and the clinic you are taken to) is exactly where those exclusions bite.

The NHS advises having private travel and medical insurance for the whole trip. Treat the GHIC as a useful extra, not your cover.

Standard travel insurance usually excludes skiing

GOV.UK warns that winter sports are not usually included in standard travel insurance policies. Check that your policy explicitly covers skiing or snowboarding, either as standard or as a winter sports add-on, for every day you will be on the slopes.

Check the small print: off-piste, helmets and rental kit

GOV.UK’s winter sports advice says many policies will not cover damage to rental equipment, or skiing off-piste without a guide, and many require you to wear a helmet at all times. In some resorts a helmet is a legal requirement; your policy may require one regardless of local law.

Before buying, check: off-piste cover (with or without a guide), helmet conditions, mountain rescue and helicopter evacuation, repatriation, cover for your own and rented equipment, ski pass and lesson refunds if you are injured, and piste closure cover.

Where a GHIC works for ski trips

A UK GHIC can be used in EU countries (including France, Austria and Italy), Switzerland (for UK, Swiss and EU nationals and some other groups), Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. Andorra is not on the NHS list of countries where the card can be used, and nor are Japan, Canada or the USA, so travel insurance carries all your medical cover there.

Before you go

Apply for or renew your GHIC for free through the NHS; cards last up to five years. Save your insurer’s emergency number and policy number on your phone and on paper, and tell your group where to find them. GOV.UK also suggests considering your fitness before you travel and a refresher lesson if you have not skied for a while.