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Activities insurance policies...
 
It is a condition of booking any of our trips, that all clients have sufficient activities insurance. This is to protect you in case of any requirement for medical or hospital treatment, mountain search and rescue.
We highly recommend you get insurance immediately having booked, and in case you have to cancel or curtail your course due to injury or personal circumstances either before or during your trip.
Once you've arranged insurance, within a week of being confirmed on your trip, e-mail a PDF copy of your insurance certificate to us, so we have a paper copy on record for you, in case you need it.
Documentary proof of cover is provided at the course briefing. It must be written in English, and specify that it covers you for all the activites you plan to undertake. Ensure you take this with you.
At all times when on the mountain, you should carry your insurance card / details in a non-electronic format, as well as their contact details, in case any emergency medical treatment or rescue is required.
Your insurance documentation should specifically cover you for all the following activities. If the policy does not clearly state you are covered for these activities, you will not be covered for them, and will be unable to undertake any guiding. All of the policies must cover you for mountain search and rescue, and medical or hospital treatment, as well as in case of you cancelling your course place.

Mountaineering: e.g. Mont Blanc, Winter Intro, Matterhorn
Cover for; climbing with ropes, on glaciers, over 4000m

Rock climbing: e.g. Alpine Rock course
Cover for; climbing with ropes, on glaciers, with guide

Expeditions: e.g. Aconcagua, Kilimanjaro
Cover for; specific country, activity, altitude, and rescue

Trekking: e.g. Tour Mont Blanc, Walkers Haute Route
Cover for; hiking up to 3500m, non glaciated, with guide

Via Ferrata: e.g. Bochette Way, Intro Via Ferrata
Cover for; climbing with ropes, with a guide

Snowshoeing: e.g. Best of Mont Blanc, Italian Weekends
Cover for; snowshoeing off trails, up to 3500m, with guide

Off Piste: e.g. Chamonix Off Piste, Vallee Blanche, Verbier
Cover for; on glaciers, unmarked routes, with ropes & guide

Ski Touring: e.g. Haute Route, Monte Rosa, Gran Paradiso
Cover for; on glaciers, ski mountaineering, with ropes & guide

Heli-skiing: e.g. Mont Blanc, Winter Intro, Matterhorn
Cover for; on glaciers, heli-skiing, with guide, off piste

Trail Running: e.g. Chamonix Trail Running, UTMB recce
Cover for; hiking up to 3500m, non glaciated, with guide

Fell Running: e.g. Intro Fell Running, Lakes Night Runner
Cover for; regular travel insurance for belongings

Personal Training: e.g. UK based PT sessions
Cover for; regular travel insurance for belongings
Obtaining activities and travel insurance...
Note that we are not insurance brokers or agents, and receive no commission for any policy mentioned. This page contains links you may elect to investigate, but we cannot offer insurance advice.
Any of the links provided are not recommendations, but resources that you may find useful. The majority of the policies mentioned, have proved popular with our guests in the past.
The policies mentioned on this page, are not in any order, nor by recommendation. If you find alternative cover, please share the details with us, so we can add it to this resource for others.

Insurance companies are launching new products with some offering cover for potential COVID and / or FCO restrictions. Click on the logo on the left to see our COVID safety and travel policies, and insurance cover options.
If you have travelled abroad without insurance or suitable cover, you will not be able to undertake any guiding, until such a time as you obtain cover. Generally this will mean that you miss one or two days of guiding as an absolute minimum. Please make life easy for yourself, and arrange cover now!
To date we have never seen any bank or credit card travel insurance that provides you cover for mountaineering and glacier travel including the use of ice axe and crampons, or for off piste and ski touring that includes cover for skiing on any glaciers.
BMC Insurance
Snowcard Insurance

Other Insurers

American Alpine Club



Travelex (US clients)


Insure4less (Australia)


DogTag insurance



Global Rescue insurance



World Nomads insurance



Click on logo above to book this insurance
Click on logo above to book this insurance
'Alpine & Ski' cover is suitable for all our Alpine mountaineering trips including Mont Blanc or Intro courses.
'Alpinist' insurance is required for all our Alpine climbing trips such as Mont Blanc or Alpine Intro courses.
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'Trek' insurance is ideal for the Tour du Mont Blanc, trail running and winter snowshoeing trips.
'Trekker' insurance is ideal for the Tour du Mont Blanc, trail running and winter snowshoeing trips.
'Alpine & Ski' cover is suitable for all of our off piste and ski touring trips including Haute Route ski tour and all our Off Piste courses.
Off piste courses generally require 'Lift Served Freeride' cover, and ski touring courses should get 'Ski Mountaineering' cover.
£10 million medical and emergency expenses. £100000 rescue and recovery. £1000 hospital inconvenience expenses. £10000 personal accident. £2 million personal liability. £2000 personal belongings. £5000 cancellation. £100 delayed departure. £500 missed departure. £25000 legal expenses or advice. £5000 curtailment of journey or trip. £500 catastrophe cover. £500 personal money. £250 loss of passport. £1000 hijack.
£10 million: Emergency medical and other expenses cover, including repatriation to the United Kingdom. Up to £500: Physiotherapy and dental treatment cover. Up to £250: Early return home benefit. Up to £250: Car hire return benefit. Up to £100,000: Search & Rescue expenses. Up to £300: Ski / Dive / Golf / activity Pack. Up to £1000: Hospital benefit. Up to £25,000: Personal Accident cover. Up to £2 million: Personal Liability cover
UK residents only.
UK residents only.
We specifically advise against policies such as Austrian Alpine Club, as we do not consider that it provides sufficient medical cover, and there is no provision for cancellation. It is your responsibility to ensure that you have sufficient cover in place from the time of booking. In over 20 years of operations, we've found the vast majority of insurance claims made by our guests, relate to occurances that have happened before the course started, which is why we advise you get insurance the moment you book.

The details of the insurance policies detailed above are correct as of the date of creation of this page. You are responsible for checking if they have changed, and for making sure that you have suitable cover before travel. There are other insurers who you may use. We record the details of your insurance at the course briefing, in case of emergency. This does not signify us confirming that your insurance will pay out in event of a claim, but it is our record of you supplying insurance which you deem covers you...
We are not insurance agents, and so infortunately cannot advise on the suitability or guarantee of cover, of any activities insurance. If you've any questions, please contact the insurers direct. However, we have had experience of people with suitable insurance making successful insurance claims for their course and all associated travel costs, for wide ranging reasons including; injury to a knee before the trip, getting pregnant, and family emergencies. The insurance to suit you is out there. Get it NOW!!!
UK trips - Lakes / Scotland
If you participate in a Lake District or Scottish Winter course, there is NO requirement for you to have activities insurance as mountain rescue and NHS medical care is free. Double check if you are travelling from abroad, to the UK, for one of these courses, as you might find that there is a limit to medical cover. We reiterate that UK residents don't need activities insurance for a UK based course, but you may already have extra cover through private healthcare plan, or via your bank / card insurance.
Pre-course ropework
If you wish to practise any ropework or knots before your trip, you can watch the video below, and for more skills and ropework, please visit our key safety knots & ropework page; click here.
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Any further questions?
A key part of choosing a company is being able to come and talk about your plans with an experienced course advisor face to face. In an increasingly virtual world, we know our clients value speaking to real people, getting open and honest advice. The vast majority of our clients are British, and our office and outdoor store is based in Windermere in the English Lake District.



Get in contact to arrange a meeting, and come in for a coffee to discuss your course in person with a trip advisor.


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