Trek Guide
The GHIC skips mountain rescue, and Tignes bills up to 1,377 euros for an off-piste helicopter. What UK skiers should check in their policy.
By Bishnu Adhikari · Oct 9, 2026
Your GHIC will not pay for mountain rescue on a European ski slope, and in France the resort's commune sends the bill, from €74 for help at the bottom of a run to €1,377 for a helicopter lift off-piste at Tignes this season. The UK Foreign Office…
Travel Himalaya Nepal · News
A GHIC gets you state hospital treatment on the same terms as a local, and nothing that happens before you reach the hospital. The FCDO's guide to preparing for winter sports abroad, last updated on 1 December 2025, says the EHIC and GHIC provide medically…
Travel Himalaya Nepal · News
On a French ski area the commune sets the rescue tariff by zone, and Tignes publishes one of the clearest: €74 near the base, €996 off-piste, and €916 to €1,377 for a non-medical helicopter, valid from 1 December 2025. The Tignes schedule…
Travel Himalaya Nepal · News
In Switzerland, Rega says the person rescued or their insurer pays, and its average helicopter mission costs around CHF 4,500; in Austria, state health insurance does not pay to bring a leisure skier off the mountain. Rega, the Swiss air rescue foundation…
Travel Himalaya Nepal · News
Most off-piste claims turn on two phrases, "with a qualified guide" and "within resort boundaries", so find them in your policy before you leave the marked run. The FCDO warns that "many insurance policies will not cover… skiing off-piste without a guide"…
Travel Himalaya Nepal · News
Carry the GHIC, and buy winter sports cover whose wording answers these eight questions in writing. Our general winter sports insurance explainer covers piste closure and equipment; this list is about the rescue. Skiing or snowboarding is named for every day…
Travel Himalaya Nepal · News
Treat the GHIC as the hospital half of your cover and the policy as the mountain half. The card can save you money once you are in a state hospital; it cannot pay the €1,377 helicopter, the per-minute medical flight, or the flight home. Choose the policy…
Travel Himalaya Nepal · News
No. The FCDO says the GHIC and EHIC will not cover mountain rescue in ski resorts, private healthcare or being flown back to the UK. Not on the ski area. The resort commune may bill rescue on pistes and across the lift-served ski area. At Tignes in winter…
Travel Himalaya Nepal · News
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