Evacuation & Hospitalization

All Australian ski resorts are some distance from a hospital, if you need treatment it will involve an ambulance ride, or even evacuation by air. Make sure you have travel insurance to cover the cost.

Travel insurance is a great idea for lots of reasons. One snowinsurance.com.au customer who dislocated his elbow not only had his medical bills paid, but was compensated for the ski jacket the doctor had to cut off.

You’ll get an idea about what you can claim if you read some of these true claims stories.

But remember, if you injure yourself while deliberately putting yourself in danger (like ducking under the out-of-bounds tape to try that cornice, or skiing with a skinful of alcohol), you won’t be covered. Plus certain types of skiing are just not covered, including heli-skiing and ski acrobatics.

Back to the slopes, and what do you do if you make a wrong turn and find yourself on a run that’s way out of your league?

“Don’t be a hero.” Peter insists. “Slip-slide your way down the mountain. Or ask someone to get the ski patrol for you. We’d rather come and help than deal with an injury.”

At the end of the day, don’t try just one more run, you might find yourself at the bottom of an isolated trail with all the lifts closed.

The ski patrol always does a final sweep of the mountain, but it gets cold pretty quickly and that can mean trouble.

There’s more information and safety tips on the snowsafe.org.au website, including how to recognize and respond to hypothermia, and what to do if you’re lost.

One final tip: the greatest risk to your safety comes on the drive to and from the snowfields.

Take extra care on the highways, slow down on winding mountain roads, make sure you have snow chains AND know how to fit them.