. . . BUT CHECK YOUR INSURANCE!

LOOK before you leap on the pistes – and look even harder if you’re on a sled being pulled by huskies. That’s the advice from medics who spend each winter on standby to fly holidaymakers home after an unwelcome accident in the snow.

‘A decade ago, most people went on ski holidays to ski,’ says repatriation doctor and Holiday SOS author Ben MacFarlane. ‘Now we also go snowmobiling or do dog-sled races – and with every new activity we risk another new injury.’

With the right travel insurance policy, you can relax knowing your insurer will pay for any treatment you need in the resort. It will also fly you back to the UK if your injury is particularly bad. But how do you find the right one?

‘The biggest mistake is to go to a comparison website and to choose a policy based on price alone,’ says Fiona MacRae, of advice website Travel Insurance Explained. ‘We tell people to turn things on their head and start by asking what you need to be covered.

‘A policy that covers everything you want to try may cost more. But it’s money well spent if you need to claim.’

Here are three top tips from the insurance world. ONE: Don’t assume that the ‘free’ insurance you get with your bank account covers ski holidays. Fiona MacRae suggests buying a standalone ski plan. TWO: Check the ‘permitted activities’ section carefully and don’t assume that every policy is the same. THREE: Read and follow the rules. Plans may be cheaper if you agree to wear a ski helmet. Get injured without one and your claim can be refused.