[Snow Ski Travel Insurance] Ski injuries? How to claim? (Includes exclusive travel insurance ratings)

Skiing offers players speed and excitement, often leaving a lasting impression after just one try. As Hong Kong does not have large ski resorts, many people choose to ski overseas. However, skiing is still a high-risk sport, and both beginners and experienced skiers may be injured. In minor cases, this may mean a sprain; in more serious cases, it may involve ligament damage, with a long recovery ahead.

To reduce the risk of injury, skiers can not only take all necessary protective measures, but also purchase travel insurance that provides coverage for skiing and other high-risk sports, so that even if they are injured while skiing, they can receive prompt protection. In this article, we have identified a number of travel insurance plans that cover skiing, and compared their medical and emergency assistance scores as well as personal accident scores.

Japan and South Korea have long been popular skiing destinations for people in Hong Kong. In recent years, many have also gone to European countries such as Switzerland, France and Italy, or to Australia to ski. As many Hong Kong people do not have many opportunities to practise in daily life, and may even be skiing for the first time, their skiing skills are limited. If beginners go to more difficult ski resorts, the risk of injury also increases.

Taking alpine skiing as an example, injuries resulting from skiing mostly occur when falling¹. When a skier falls, the impact is concentrated on the knee joint, with medial collateral ligament tears and anterior cruciate ligament tears being the most common. In addition, the shoulder and wrist joints are also areas where skiers may be injured, as people tend to spread their arms to protect the body when falling, which can lead to wrist fractures, clavicle fractures and anterior shoulder dislocations.

Going on a skiing trip overseas should be an enjoyable experience, but if a traveller is injured, it can certainly put a damper on the holiday. Therefore, you may wish to consider purchasing travel insurance that covers skiing, so as to deal with accidents during skiing and the subsequent medical expenses.

If a skier is unfortunately injured, local medical treatment is often needed immediately, and surgery may even have to be performed locally. In such cases, the travel insurance “medical cover” can play an important role. As shown in Table 1, MSIG iTravel Go (Single Trip, Plan A) and Allianz Travel Insurance (Gold Plan) offer “medical cover” of up to HK$2 million, while their overseas hospital cash total benefits are HK$12,000 and HK$10,000 respectively, both of which are among the higher cover amounts in the market.

Many skiers, even if injured abroad, may prefer to return to Hong Kong for treatment, or even surgery, due to unfamiliarity with the place or language barriers. Therefore, policyholders should also pay attention to the “follow-up treatment cover in Hong Kong”. This benefit amount varies depending on whether the claim arises from an accident or an illness. In most travel insurance products, the “follow-up treatment cover in Hong Kong” is far lower than the “medical cover” available at the travel destination. As such, if a patient only undergoes surgery after returning to Hong Kong, the travel insurance cover for the surgery costs in Hong Kong may be quite limited.

However, there are still a small number of travel insurance products in the market that offer a high “follow-up treatment cover in Hong Kong (accident-related)”, as follows: 

In addition, travel insurance may also provide cover for bonesetting, chiropractic treatment and physiotherapy, allowing the insured to choose different rehabilitation treatments after returning to Hong Kong. It is worth noting that travel insurance products may not necessarily cover all of bonesetting, chiropractic treatment and physiotherapy at the same time. You may compare and choose ski travel insurance according to the rehabilitation treatment method you prefer.

As for personal accident cover under travel insurance, it mainly provides a lump-sum payment to the insured for accidental death, permanent disability, serious burns and similar injuries sustained during the trip.

Compare travel insurance in depth 

Even if travel insurance covers skiing, you should still pay attention to the insurer’s underwriting requirements to avoid paying the premium only to find, at the claim stage, that you are denied cover for “breaching the rules”. Below are some common underwriting requirements. Please note that the requirements of each insurer may differ, so you should compare them carefully.

• Participate in skiing activities as a leisure or amateur skier
• When skiing, you must not exceed the specified altitude (metres)
• Ski only on recognised slopes, at ski resorts, or on slopes below certain levels; off-piste and cross-country skiing are not covered
• Skiing must be carried out under the guidance of an instructor
• Do not ski after drinking alcohol or while under the influence of medication 

Tip 1: Collect the relevant documents

If the insured person is injured while skiing, apart from seeking medical treatment promptly, they should also collect the required documents to ensure a smooth claims process when making a claim to the insurer later.

The documents include:

• Diagnosis and treatment certified by a recognised doctor, including the insured person’s name, symptoms, date of consultation and treatment, and receipts
• Original clinic or hospital bills itemising all charges
• A medical certificate issued by a doctor confirming the severity of the disability
• Police report (if applicable)
• For death benefit and emergency return, a death certificate and coroner’s report are required

Tip 2: Pay attention to the claims deadline

Insurers generally require the insured person to submit a claim within 21 to 31 days after the incident giving rise to the claim. The insured person should provide the relevant documents specified on the form for the insurer’s review and approval. If the required documents take longer to prepare, the insured person may contact the insurer in advance to make further arrangements.

In addition, many travel insurance policies not only cover skiing, but also provide cover for high-risk activities such as diving, skydiving and mountain hiking. For details, please refer to the following article. 

Further reading:
【Scuba Diving and Skiing Insurance】 Does travel insurance cover high-risk activities? What should you look out for when purchasing one?
【Personal Accident Insurance Comparison 2025】 Which insurer offers the best physiotherapy and bone-setting cover? Which personal accident policy pays out the most? (Includes exclusive actuary ratings)

Ski injuries are most commonly caused by loss of speed control, accumulated fatigue, improper equipment settings, and incorrect reactions when falling. Below are some practical prevention principles:

• Do a brief warm-up before getting onto the snow; if your reactions slow or your leg strength drops, rest early and avoid pushing on when fatigued.
• Control your speed and choose slopes of suitable difficulty carefully, ensuring you can stop and turn throughout; if visibility is poor or the slope is icy, slow down proactively or switch to an easier route.
• Make sure your equipment fits properly and is set correctly: ski boots should fit snugly, your helmet should be fastened securely, and the binding DIN should be adjusted by a professional according to your weight, ability and boot size.
• Learn how to fall correctly and protect yourself: when falling, avoid bracing with your palms, and release your ski poles where it is safe to do so to reduce the risk of wrist and thumb injuries.
• In the 2–4 weeks before departure, do basic strength and balance training (legs, single-leg stability, core) to improve knee stability and reduce the risk of sprains and ligament injuries. 

Note: 
1. Be cautious when skiing to avoid accidents
Last updated on: 23 April 2026

This English version of this article has been generated by machine translation powered by AI. It is provided solely for reference purposes. In the event of any discrepancy or inconsistency between this translation and the original Chinese version, the Chinese version shall prevail.