Statutory health insurance does less for you on a foreign ski slope than many people think: co-payments charged to local patients stay with you, and it does not pay for the journey home to Germany. A mountain rescue costs extra as well; the figures are further down. That is why I advise choosing ski insurance before the trip, not on the slope. Below: which policies exist, what they usually include and which terms to look at when you compare.
What risks and dangers await you during a ski holiday?
A holiday in the mountains with family or friends brings joy and unforgettable memories. Unfortunately, few people think about the potential risks and dangers that may lie in wait on the ski slopes. For example:
- Collision with another skier on the slope or a fall on your own
- An avalanche or falling into crevasses hidden under the snow during freeriding
- Damage to equipment (both one’s own and that of others)
- Equipment theft
- Car crash
The right insurance is no less important than the right skiing or snowboarding equipment to ensure nothing interferes with a full and carefree holiday.
Recommended insurance for ski holidays
There is a huge variety of cover available, including separate options for insuring action cameras and equipment. There are ready-made packages for travellers that include all the necessary benefits and are priced for the dates of your trip, as well as standalone policies that remain valid for a whole year, both at home in Germany and while travelling. We have put together three main areas of cover that will come in handy on a skiing holiday, so that you can check for important options when choosing a policy.
The best choice
Medical insurance
Single trips or annual policy
Comprehensive insurance
One-off trips
Medical insurance
Annual policy
- The cover amount is unlimited
- Zero excess
- People living in Germany can take out insurance
- Age of the insured person up to 105 years
- Additionally, a spouse/partner and up to 7 children under the age of 25 can be included in the policy,
provided they live in the same household - Single trip up to 365 days or annual policy up to 1 year (maximum 65 days per single trip and up to 10 days for business trips)
What is included (key points):
Medical insurance includes:
- Outpatient treatment, including ambulance transport and rehabilitation
- Inpatient treatment, including an accompanying person for children up to 17 years of age
- Emergency dental treatment with basic materials
- Medicines and dressings
- Emergencies during pregnancy (premature labour, miscarriage, threatened miscarriage), as well as routine check-ups if pregnancy began after the start of the trip
- No excess
Tariff: Profi
- People living in Germany can take out insurance
- Age of the insured person without restrictions
- Single trip up to 365 days
What is included (key points):
Medical insurance includes:
- Outpatient treatment, including ambulance transport and rehabilitation
- Inpatient treatment, including an accompanying person for children under 18 years of age
- Emergency dental treatment with basic materials
- Medicines and dressings
- Emergencies during pregnancy (premature labour, miscarriage, threatened miscarriage), as well as routine check-ups if pregnancy began after the start of the trip
- No excess
Insurance payouts for third-party damage:
- Total insurance amount: €2.5 million
- Damage to rented property up to 25,000 euros
- Damage to host family property up to €25,000
- Loss of keys up to 250 euros
- Excess ranging from 10% to 20%, but not less than 50–200 euros
Emergency insurance includes:
- Credit for bail (up to €15,000) and legal assistance in the event of imprisonment (lending up to €3,000)
- Assistance in case of loss of documents and cards
- Assistance with rebooking and missed flights
- Zero excess
Insurance payouts for accidents:
- In the event of disability - up to €60,000
- Fatality — €20,000 per adult, €10,000 per child under 18
- Cosmetic surgery up to 10,000 euros
- Zero excess
Baggage insurance:
- Cover of up to 2,000 euros per claim
- 50 euro insurance excess
- The cover amount is unlimited
- Zero excess
- People living in Germany can take out insurance
- Age of the insured up to 100 years
- You can also include your spouse or partner and children under the age of 26 in the insurance policy,
- Annual policy valid for up to 1 year (maximum 65 days per trip)
What is included (key points):
Medical insurance includes:
- Outpatient treatment, including ambulance transport and rehabilitation
- Inpatient treatment, including an accompanying person for children under 18 years of age
- Emergency dental treatment with basic materials
- Medicines and dressings
- Emergencies during pregnancy (premature labour, miscarriage, threatened miscarriage), as well as routine check-ups if pregnancy began after the start of the trip
- No excess
- Search, rescue and evacuation: up to 15000 euros.
- Search, rescue and evacuation: up to 15000 euros.
- Search, rescue and evacuation: up to 15000 euros.
Medical insurance
Single trips or annual policy
- The cover amount is unlimited
- Zero excess
- People living in Germany can take out insurance
- Age of the insured person up to 105 years
- Additionally, a spouse/partner and up to 7 children under the age of 25 can be included in the policy,
provided they live in the same household - Single trip up to 365 days or annual policy up to 1 year (maximum 65 days per single trip and up to 10 days for business trips)
What is included (key points):
Medical insurance includes:
- Outpatient treatment, including ambulance transport and rehabilitation
- Inpatient treatment, including an accompanying person for children up to 17 years of age
- Emergency dental treatment with basic materials
- Medicines and dressings
- Emergencies during pregnancy (premature labour, miscarriage, threatened miscarriage), as well as routine check-ups if pregnancy began after the start of the trip
- No excess
- Search, rescue and evacuation: up to 15000 euros.
Comprehensive insurance
One-off trips
Tariff: Profi
- People living in Germany can take out insurance
- Age of the insured person without restrictions
- Single trip up to 365 days
What is included (key points):
Medical insurance includes:
- Outpatient treatment, including ambulance transport and rehabilitation
- Inpatient treatment, including an accompanying person for children under 18 years of age
- Emergency dental treatment with basic materials
- Medicines and dressings
- Emergencies during pregnancy (premature labour, miscarriage, threatened miscarriage), as well as routine check-ups if pregnancy began after the start of the trip
- No excess
Insurance payouts for third-party damage:
- Total insurance amount: €2.5 million
- Damage to rented property up to 25,000 euros
- Damage to host family property up to €25,000
- Loss of keys up to 250 euros
- Excess ranging from 10% to 20%, but not less than 50–200 euros
Emergency insurance includes:
- Credit for bail (up to €15,000) and legal assistance in the event of imprisonment (lending up to €3,000)
- Assistance in case of loss of documents and cards
- Assistance with rebooking and missed flights
- Zero excess
Insurance payouts for accidents:
- In the event of disability - up to €60,000
- Fatality — €20,000 per adult, €10,000 per child under 18
- Cosmetic surgery up to 10,000 euros
- Zero excess
Baggage insurance:
- Cover of up to 2,000 euros per claim
- 50 euro insurance excess
- Search, rescue and evacuation: up to 15000 euros.
Medical insurance
Annual policy
- The cover amount is unlimited
- Zero excess
- People living in Germany can take out insurance
- Age of the insured up to 100 years
- You can also include your spouse or partner and children under the age of 26 in the insurance policy,
- Annual policy valid for up to 1 year (maximum 65 days per trip)
What is included (key points):
Medical insurance includes:
- Outpatient treatment, including ambulance transport and rehabilitation
- Inpatient treatment, including an accompanying person for children under 18 years of age
- Emergency dental treatment with basic materials
- Medicines and dressings
- Emergencies during pregnancy (premature labour, miscarriage, threatened miscarriage), as well as routine check-ups if pregnancy began after the start of the trip
- No excess
- Search, rescue and evacuation: up to 15000 euros.
Auslandskrankenversicherung (travel health insurance)
Travel health insurance covers what statutory health insurance does not pay abroad. Even in EU countries and in countries with which Germany has a social insurance agreement, statutory health insurance only pays for treatment on the same terms as for people insured locally: any co-payments charged there are down to you. If you pay the bill yourself and submit it to your Krankenkasse (statutory health insurer), you will get back no more than the same treatment would have cost in Germany. In countries without such agreements, you will have to pay for all medical costs yourself, including in emergencies. Statutory health insurance does not pay for the journey home to Germany at all. So the first two things I check in a policy are whether treatment abroad is covered and whether the return transport is paid for.
Travel insurance can include many components:
- Medical insurance
Reise-Krankenversicherung - Accident
Reise-Unfallversicherung
- Cancellation of a trip
Reise-Rücktrittsversicherung - Liability
in relation to third parties
Reise-Haftpflichtversicherung - Luggage
Reise-Gepäckversicherung (travel baggage insurance)
Choosing travel health insurance
Unfallversicherung
Even for experienced skiers and snowboarders, the risk on the slopes remains a constant companion. According to ASU Ski (ARAG), an estimated 51’000 to 53’000 skiers needed medical treatment in the 2024/25 season. All it takes is a single misstep or a momentary loss of control to face the possibility of a serious accident on the slopes.
Accident insurance is relevant not only during holidays, so we recommend looking at this insurance not just as a temporary option for the dates of your trip. We looked at this type of insurance in more detail on this page. However, there are a few things to bear in mind when taking out a policy if you enjoy downhill skiing and snowboarding:
- Coverage of extreme sports. A German Unfallversicherung covers ordinary skiing and snowboarding by default: the standard terms exclude, for example, motor racing. But do check your policy for any restrictions on competitions or off-piste skiing.
- Validity of the policy abroad (particularly in those countries where you like to spend your skiing holidays).
- Search and rescue cover limit (Bergungskosten). An accident whilst freeriding, as a result of which you may require a search and rescue team, a helicopter, specialist medical care and equipment, gets expensive: according to Stiftung Warentest, the helicopter alone costs €60 to €90 per flight minute, and most good tariffs reimburse such costs up to at least €10,000. We recommend choosing a sum insured starting from 15,000 euros.
Unfallversicherung suitable for a skiing holiday
We found one of the best deals on the market, which meets all the requirements for a skiing holiday, with Die Haftpflichtkasse. Even the most basic package Einfach Gut covers up to 100,000 euros in rescue, search and evacuation costs.
If, however, you only need Unfallversicherung for the duration of your holiday, we recommend our ready-made travel insurance packages, which include everything you need for a stress-free and comfortable holiday and are designed specifically for your holiday period. Find out more on this page. The Verbraucherzentrale (consumer advice centre) considers a stand-alone Reiseunfallversicherung (travel accident insurance) not worthwhile, so it is better to cover disability with a permanent Unfallversicherung and to take the package mainly for the health cover abroad and the liability cover.
Travel insurance, including Unfallversicherung
However, standard packages often do not provide rescue cover that meets the requirements of freeriders. We have found a ready-made package created specifically for holidays in ski resorts, with rescue cover of up to 20,000 euros (tariff DSV Classic Plus)
Personal liability insurance
Liability insurance holds one of the leading positions among supplementary types of insurance in Germany. This type of insurance provides protection against the potential financial consequences of damage caused by you or your children to third parties through negligence – whether to a colleague, a landlord, a random passer-by or a rider on the slopes.
All the policies we have selected for you are valid worldwide during a temporary stay abroad, so you don’t need to worry if you accidentally damage someone else’s equipment during your holiday.
Frequently asked questions about Skiversicherung (ski insurance)
Do I need a separate Skiversicherung, and what should it include?
What does my Krankenkasse pay if I am injured skiing abroad?
How much does a mountain rescue cost, and what sum should I choose for Bergungskosten?
Does Unfallversicherung pay for treatment after a skiing accident, and is off-piste skiing covered?
Can I insure my skis and snowboard against theft and breakage?
Will insurance pay if I collide with another skier, and do I need it in Italy?
Do you need advice?
Fill in the form and we will answer all your questions and help you figure out the types of insurance that are right for you.
If you have any further questions, you can always contact us:
By email: [email protected]
On Telegram: t.me/Finber_support
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