Skiers 'taking risks on the piste'

Many winter sports enthusiasts are taking a risk by going on holidays without proper insurance, according to research.

A large proportion of winter sports travellers are taking unnecessary risks, with one in four British skiers going on the piste this season without travel insurance.

In a poll by insurance provider esure, five per cent of the people who said they will go skiing without insurance this winter wrongly believed that their European health insurance card will fully cover them for medical care.

Some 27 per cent of the British people involved in the survey mistakenly thought that all annual travel insurance policies cover ski holidays as standard.

Over three million travellers are set to go on winter holidays this year and 17 per cent of these would be willing to try more extreme sports like ice-lake diving, off-piste snowboarding and tobogganing, according to the esure survey.

Jacky Brown, head of travel insurance at the company, said: "Any winter sports holiday comes with a certain element of risk. Whether on a nursery slope or a black run, accidents do happen and it's crucial to have medical cover to avoid footing a hefty bill.

"With the rise in high-adrenaline, adventure sports - such as heli-skiing and ice-lake diving - it's also important to check the insurance small print before booking and be mindful of any exclusions."

Travel Insurance - Holiday Extras insured over 750,000 people last year and were voted BEST Insurance provider and BEST website by the travel trade.