Activities covered: The definition of winter sports varies from insurer to insurer, but, broadly speaking, it will include skiing, cross-country skiing, snow-boarding, ski-boarding and ice-skating.

Luging, tobogganing, bob-sleighing and ice-hockey are usually not covered.

Off-piste skiing is only insured if accompanied by a guide, although Crystal Ski allows people who want to ski off-piste unaccompanied to pay an extra EUR16 on single-trip policies and EUR24 on annual-trips policies.

Details of cover: A policy should cover loss or damage to hired and owned ski equipment, as well as any medical expenses that may be incurred.

If a policyholder is certified as ill or injured, they should be covered for the cost of any pre-paid ski pack. This usually consists of ski hire, ski lessons and lift passes for the resort.

Cover should also include some compensation for piste closure, avalanche closure and travel delay due to an avalanche, although this may be restricted to EUR225 - EUR235 for each complete 24-hour period of delay or closure.

Limits and excesses: If you bring your own ski equipment on a ski holiday, you will need to check the maximum amount the insurance company will pay in the event of loss and damage under both the "ski equipment" and "single article limit" sections of the policy. Topflight's policy covers loss or damage to owned skis up to a maximum of just EUR300 on its single-trip policy but EUR500 on its annual policy. This compares to up to EUR500 on all Crystal Ski's policies, EUR600 at Directski.com and EUR1,000 at Getcover.com.

Of these, Getcover.com also has the highest single article limit at EUR500; however, its excess in this category - at EUR85 - is more than the EUR50 and EUR75 payable under Crystal Ski and Directski policies respectively.