Alpine Climbing Life Insurance
From our foundation, over 22 years ago, we have been offering Life Insurance, Income Protection and Critical Illness Cover for climbers and mountaineers.
Alpine climbing is commonly associated with thoughts of climbing in the European Alps on mountain such as:
- Mont Blanc
- Jungfrau
- Eiger
- Matterhorn
However, the ‘fast and light’ style has been used to tackle peaks in the Greater Ranges and more remote areas.
Whatever style of climbing or mountaineering you pursue please speak to Summit Financial Services about financial protection to meet mortgage commitments or provide for a family should an accident happen.
Life insurance company for alpine climbing
Our long association with climbing means that we have a good understanding of climbers and mountaineers and their needs. We are happy to discuss climbing grades (trad, sport, UIAA, French, Bouldering, Via Ferrata), geographic location of your climbing activities, altitude and climbing styles.
The fast and light climbing style of alpine climbing can be technically and physically demanding. Requiring a mix of stamina, climbing skills on different terrain (glaciers, snow, rock and ice), ropework skills, moving at speed and recognition of the effects of altitude and acclimatisation.
Through close association with many who enjoy the outdoors we understand that some people require financial protection for a range of other activities, for example:
- Canoeing / kayaking
- Skydiving
- Sailing
- Skiing
- Cycling
However, this list is not exhaustive and we can offer cover for a wide range of other sports as well – please contact us to discuss your needs. Such requests for cover, for other extreme outdoor sports, led us to develop a service for a range of other active outdoors sports under the umbrella of Sports Financial Services (www.sports-fs.co.uk). In addition, if you are engaged in a hazardous occupation, you can also speak to us about the availability of cover for that as well.
Insurance company for alpine climbing
Working for a long time with climbers means we have built a strong recognition of climbers’ needs and are happy to discuss the different aspects of climbing in order to understand your needs and determine the various financial protection products that are available to you.
Even if you have existing cover in place, it may be worth a quick conversation with Summit Financial Services to discuss your current cover and obtain a no-obligation quotation.
Different insurers come to the market over time and others may change their terms. This may mean that different terms are available in the market place than when you first applied for cover.
We will be happy to discuss rates and the availability of cover for alpine mountaineering life insurance, critical illness cover and income protection even if it only to provide you with peace of mind that the cover you have in place is comparable with current market offerings.
Alpine climbing
Alpine climbers can face a number of skills and challenges, for example:
- Developing skills and techniques in different types of climbing (e.g., rock, ice, snow)
- Crossing crevassed terrain and developing crevasse rescue skills
- Assessing extreme weather
- Acclimatisation and assessing the effects of altitude on self and others
- Moving at speed as a factor in safe progress
- Avalanche awareness and risk assessment
- Map reading, navigation and route finding
- Use of huts
- Use of cable cars
- Use of technical equipment (e.g., technical axes, crampons, rope skills, ice screws, skis)
Very early morning ‘alpine starts’ may require a head torch and a flexible approach to clothing and equipment that can cater for different environments throughout the day. Packing appropriate clothing and equipment for alpine climbing is a skill in itself. The type of clothing and equipment an alpine climber may consider, may include, for example:
- Base layers
- Fleece mid layers
- Trousers
- Windproof
- Waterproof jacket and trousers
- Gloves
- Hat
- Gaiters
- Boots
- Sun glasses / goggles
- Climbing Sack
- Helmet
- Ropes
- Harness
- Slings
- Karabiners
- Quickdraws
- Wires/Rocks
- Cams
- Pegs
- Ice screws
- Belay Plate
- Prusik Loops
- Technical axe
- Technical hammer
- Crampons and straps
- Food and drink
- Spare clothing / belay jacket
- Survival equipment / first aid kit
- Map / compass / guidebook
- Watch
- Altimeter
- Phone
- Batteries
- Headtorch
Life Insurance options for alpine climbing
As a climber you may have different needs based on your lifestyle, level of climbing, type of climbing, occupation, mortgage protection and family needs.
There are commonly three types of financial protection that alpine climbers like to discuss:
- Life Insurance – typically a lump sum to pay off a mortgage, bills or support a family in the event of death
- Critical Illness Cover – typically cover to provide financial peace of mind in the circumstance that you are diagnosed with a specific condition detailed in the policy
- Income Protection – if you have concerns that an accident or illness may stop you from working for a period of time then an Income Protection policy maybe something to discuss with Summit Financial Services
Subject to the type of alpine climbing activities (or other sports) or occupational activities that you pursue there may be loadings, restrictions or exclusions applied to certain types of cover.
We work with the whole of market to find cover and are not restricted to a captive or select number of financial protection products. This includes working with many insurance companies to identify where your requirements and higher risk activities (e.g., climbing above certain heights, climbing grade, type of climbing, professional engagement with climbing, maximum altitude, climbing in remote areas and ice climbing) impact on the type of policies that are available to you.
Applying for life insurance for alpine climbing
Finally, we’ll take a quick look at how an application for alpine climbing life insurance, critical illness cover or income protection is processed. Typically, we’ll discuss your type and level of participation including discussion on grade(s), geographic locations and altitude limits of your climbing.
As with any enquiry for life insurance cover, we’ll also ask some common questions to better understand you, your climbing and your life, such as:
- Present occupation
- Need for cover in relation to any outdoor instructional work or hazardous occupation
- Your different type(s) of climbing (e.g., trad, sport, indoor, bouldering)
- Your climbing grade/s (e.g., sport grade, trad grade, French grade, UIAA grade, Alpine grade, Scottish Winter Grade, Via Ferrata grade)
- Where you participate in climbing (e.g., UK, Europe, Worldwide)
- Maximum climbing altitude
- Sports governing body membership (e.g., British Mountaineering Council, Mountaineering Scotland, Mountaineering Ireland)
- Current income (if enquiring about cover for Income Protection)
Further to questions about your lifestyle, health, climbing and occupation we will also discuss the duration that you require cover for and the amounts of cover required:
- Amount (£) of financial protection required
- The duration of policy – number of years cover is required for
- The type of policy you required – e.g., increasing, decreasing or level term cover
This combination of your climbing, lifestyle, health, recreation, occupation and other factors (such as those detailed above) will assist in the determination the financial protection options that will be available to your particular circumstances and the associated premiums.
Even if you have a policy in place elsewhere, we will be happy to hear from you even if this is only to provide you with the peace of mind of knowing how your cover and premiums compare with current market products.
To discover more about the benefits of cover for alpine climbers please call and speak to an experienced adviser today. You can call us for a free, no-obligation quote, on 0345 565 0937. Alternatively, to enquire online, please click the link above and complete the online form.
Finally, we work closely with our parent company, Suttons Independent Financial Advisers. So, if you require any further information about other financial services such as pensions, investments, mortgages or financial planning please visit www.suttonsifa.co.uk . Your adviser at Summit Financial Services will also be able to refer you to a contact at Suttons who best suits your interests.