Columbus Direct offers a winter sports extension to its standard policy which covers you for all of the benefits mentioned above. The cost of the extension varies depending on the length of the holiday and is limited to recreational skiers.

All of iTrek's plans automatically cover you medically while skiing and snowboarding, as long as you are within resort boundaries. Their policies include unlimited cover for cancellation and medical expenses, as well as cover for standard things like your luggage, credit cards and travel documents, travel delay, family emergency and rental vehicle excess.

Travel Insurance Web provides great value ski insurance, snowboarding insurance and general winter sport travel insurance including great ski benefits for international travelers.

Insure4Less can provide winter sports cover for an additional premium. This removes the winter sports exclusion relating to overseas medical expenses. There is no extra cover offered for piste closure and ski equipment.

Skiing and snowboarding in Australia can be very different to a snow holiday overseas. Rescue efforts and the cost of treating common ski injuries vary significantly depending on which country you are holidaying in. For example, medical treatment in popular ski destinations such as Canada and Japan are among the most expensive in the world.

If you're holidaying in Australia and have access to medicare, you will be covered for a range of medical costs, however you won't be covered for emergency search and rescue, theft or damage to your equipment and cancellation costs should problems arise.