New “Carré Neige Season” Insurance for Ski Season Pass Holders – only €35 but there are caveats

This season “Carré Neige Season” insurance is available when you purchase your season pass. This cover is available for only €35 which is about half the price of the previous Carte Neige cover. Family Cover for €90 for up to 3 members of the same family is available too.

Previously the Carré Neige insurance cover referred to the daily optional insurance charge on your day/week ski pass and Carte Neige was the season insurance that was available from The Tourist Offices or Club des Sports.

The normal Carré Neige optional cover on your day/week ski pass is €2.90 per day for Adults or €23.20 for 8 to 21 days for Winter 2019.

 The new season product will cover search & rescue including via helicopter and without pre-payment and paper work issues but we note that “the off-piste ski area that is accessible via ski-lifts is covered” – that sounds a bit of a grey area to us… Also cover is only provided in the ski area you have the season pass with (includes linked areas), previously Carte insurance covered other French ski areas, ski touring and summer mountain biking too (the policy details here say Summer sports accessible with the “season pass” are covered).

Mountaineering is specifically excluded in the policy details but cross country skiing in France and neighbouring countries is included. Professional competition, motor sports (on land or in the air), hang-gliding, para-gliding, bobsledding, skeleton sledding, and ice hockey are excluded. The usual exclusions regarding being drunk or under the influence of drugs are also stated.

However search & rescue, initial transportation, repatriation, reimbursement of unused ski pass or lessons and medical, pharmaceutical and hospitilisation expenses are covered.

Whether this cover plus an EHIC is enough is often debated but a comprehensive travel policy including Winter Sports is always recommended (or specialist Season Worker cover) and you want your valuables covered too. How many season workers have a few grand of kit with them when ski gear, phone, laptop and cameras are all added up?

Thanks to Ewan and Ralph for the heads up on this.

Cover Details – Carré Neige Season Flyer

Carré Neige Season Table of Guarantees

Further info: www.carreneige.com

Winter Sports Travel Insurance & Seasonnaire Cover

One final thing – everyone is duty bound to assist in the French Mountains when someone is in need of help and ski patrollers & pisteurs do not leave people if they have no insurance or credit card – that is an Urban Myth. But big rescue bills and medical expenses costs can follow if you don’t have adequate cover.