Get ready for the pistes

When travelling in Europe, always remember your blue health insurance card. It gives you the right to treatment on the same terms as the citizens of the country you are injured in.

If you want to be sure that transport home and treatment at private clinics are covered, you will also need travel insurance.

We also recommend liability insurance, to cover you in case you are responsible for others being injured on the pistes.

Call our 24/7 alarm centre on +45 7010 5050. SOS International is there to help Nordic travellers who become acutely ill or injured on their ski holidays, on behalf of their insurance company.

Unfortunately, we often find that cases are getting more complicated and complex due to local restrictions etc. at this time. For example, tests may be required before you can see a doctor, or you may have to go into quarantine if you or your family are taken ill.

If you are ill during your holiday, always remember to check and follow the instructions of the local authorities with regard to COVID-19.

You can read about it here: Covid-19 complicates even banal cases 

Part of our work at the alarm centre is to book transport home and ambulance flights for unfortunate skiers. Because if you are unlucky enough to break a leg, you’ll need extra space on the plane.

But due to the pandemic, we find that air traffic does not have the same capacity as it used to have. That can mean, for example, longer travelling time, or fewer departures to choose from if you are ill or injured and require transport home.

Get more travel tips during the pandemic: COVID-19 travel advice: Getting ready to travel abroad

Several countries have been shut down during the pandemic. That means that there can be private clinics and hospitals at the popular ski destinations in Europe that have not seen any foreign patients for some time.

SOS International expects that some of the private concerns will try to claw back some of their lost earnings when ski tourism returns.

Examples include unnecessary treatment such as examinations or scans, or by picking skiers up on the actual pistes. 

It is therefore very important that you call us at the call centre first if involved in an accident, or need help on your ski holiday. Thanks to our extensive network of hospitals and clinics, we can ensure you get the right treatment.

And remember to use your common sense, and decide whether treatment is necessary compared to what you can expect at home.

Once you’re on your ski holiday, you can be on your skis for long periods every day. But if you want to avoid injury, it’s important to take a break, to let your body restore.

Here is the best advice of SOS International’s physiotherapists:

• Do not overestimate your own skills
• Select a skiing area that fits your level
• Take breaks when you get tired
• Make sure to refill your energy tanks
• Take skiing lessons
• Be considerate of others on the slopes
• Skiing and alcohol are a bad combination

Read more here: Avoid injuries during your skiing holiday - start training now