One in ten Brits heads abroad every year without travel insurance, according to online travel insurance specialist www.essentialtravel.co.uk

Although only five per cent of skiers and snowboarders have to make a claim on their insurance policies, snowboarders incurring more injuries than skiers, the costs involved when there is an accident or need to claim, are typically much higher than those suffered during a summer holiday, warns Essential Travel.

The cost of assisting an injured skier on the piste is typically between £300-£400, whilst evacuation from the mountain by helicopter can leave you with a bill of £1500.

When an injury requires the repatriation of a wintersports enthusiast back to the UK, from Europe, using an air ambulance, the tally is more like £9000. Such expenses are not covered by reciprocal healthcare arrangements, which means the cost is yours alone, if you have no insurance policy.

Mountain resorts are not necessarily run on the basis of other foreign towns and cities to which you may have travelled. If you have previously accessed state healthcare in another country, be warned! This is rare to find in a ski resort, where most clinics are private, brandishing hefty price tariffs thanks to their location and the lack of competition. Your EHIC will not help you settle bills with a private clinic.

A frequent type of medical incident on the slopes is that of a torn anterior cruciate ligament. The surgery required to repair such knee damage can be very expensive, even in Europe. If you have a torn ACL, or bad break, in the USA, the cost of treatment could leave you with a huge financial headache that you need to settle before the hospital will discharge you. A broken fibia and tibia is likely to result in a bill of over $25,000 from an American hospital.

In France, Carte Neige is a great way to get you off the mountain and into the surgery but is no help, once you’re off the slopes.

So don’t forget your travel insurance this winter – and remember to check the small print if you’re out for a long trip or will be going off piste to see what you’re actually covered for.