Do I need separate insurance to ski?

We strongly recommend it. Ordinary travel policies do not always cover skiing, and some list it as an exclusion by default, so check your policy before you fly.

Does my lift pass include search and rescue?

No. Lift passes do not include it and the ticket windows do not sell it. Check whether your travel policy covers mountain search and rescue, and add it before you fly if it does not.

Hotels & Gear / Insurance

Ski Insurance: What Your Policy Needs to Cover

Q: If I am hurt at the resort, do I pay for the rescue?

Inside the patrolled area, ski patrol rescue is free. Once you pass through a gate into the backcountry, a search and rescue operation is charged, and under the official NISEKO Rules the minimum is 100,000 yen.

Skiing counts as a high risk activity and ordinary travel insurance does not always cover it. Checking your policy before you fly is a great deal better than finding out afterwards.

Three things to check before you go:

·Whether your policy lists skiing as an exclusion
·Mountain rescue and helicopter evacuation, which is the single most important line to confirm
·Equipment damage and third party liability, worth confirming at the same time

Accident cover

essential

Covers breaks, sprains and other on mountain injuries, including hospital and surgery costs. Medical care in Japan is expensive, and a single fracture with a hospital stay can run into thousands of dollars.

💡 Add winter sports cover when you buy your travel policy, before you fly

💡 Check the sum insured actually applies to skiing. Some policies exclude it by default.

Search and rescue

essential if you go through a gate

If you are hurt inside the patrolled area, ski patrol rescue is free. Once you pass through a gate into the backcountry, a search and rescue operation is charged. Under the official NISEKO Rules the minimum is ¥100,000.

💡 Your lift pass does not include search and rescue, and the ticket windows do not sell it either

💡 Check whether your travel policy covers mountain search and rescue. If it does not, add it before you fly.

💡 For your first time through a gate, go with a guide See backcountry guiding →

Trip cancellation

optional

Covers delayed flights, lost luggage and cancelled trips. Buy it or skip it depending on your situation.

💡 Your credit card may already include travel cover. Check the card you bought the flights with first.

💡 Most worth having alongside a hotel with a strict cancellation policy.

✦ From us: start by checking what your credit card already covers, then buy to fill the gaps. Accident and search and rescue are the two that matter. The rest depends on your budget.

Next step

Hotels→

Backcountry guiding: what to know before a gate →Lessons: private courses and pricing →

Or just ask us→

Cover varies by policy. This page is for checking yours before you travel.

Backcountry guiding →

Off piste lessons, and the risks that come with them

Gear rental →

Book Rhythm online, 10% off for Niseko lesson students