Insurance is something we all hate to think about, but something we hope is in place to save us if the worst should happen.  Since most ski schools require you to sign a Release of Liability Waiver prior to skiing, you should not attend a school unless you have adequate health insurance coverage in case of an accident.

Though a ski school may require that you sign a waiver form, which states that should you get hurt while skiing at that particular school, you can not sue the school, that form could become invalid should the authorities discover the school is running without the proper and adequate insurance.  Ski School insurance is much different than personal insurance you carry on your own boat.  It's more expensive due to the fact that the instructors are using their boats for commercial use and are thus running the boats much more often than you or I do with your family.

Having proper ski school insurance, not only validates the school as a professional establishment, but it also covers the owners of the school for accidents both on and off the water.  For instance, the waiver you sign may only come into play while you're skiing, or while you're in the boat.  What happens if you or your child gets hurt while staying with one of the instructors?

There's always been an unwritten rule in the sport that you don't sue the person that's trying to teach you something.  We all know the risks and dangers associated with watersports, so if you get hurt, you should use your own insurance to cover your medical expenses. And that's what happens most of the time.

But what if the catastrophic were to happen?, Back in the 1980s, Mike Seipel had a student fall out of his boat and was run over, thus killing him?  What happens if the parents of that child find out that the school didn't have the proper insurance or was practicing unsafe boating which caused the accident?  What happens if someone hits the ramp and has to stay in the hospital for an extended period of time, and they are also self employed?  If the individual has insurance to cover it, their insurance company will surely investigate the school and if they find out they don't have the proper insurance, they'll contest the waiver form and sue the school for damages and lost wages, and most likely end up putting them out of business.

Most ski school instructors that don't have professional ski school insurance will cover themselves several ways:  1 - Through their own personal boat insurance, 2 - Through their home-owners policy if they own a home and someone gets hurt on their property, 3 - Through their auto insurance if something happens to them while driving students from the airport or to functions.  Here's the problem with that.  If any of those insurance companies find out that they are running a business, those policies will not cover them.

As a parent, when you're sending your kids off to a school for a week or two, you want to feel rest assured that the school you're sending them to is professional and has taken every precaution to guarantee your child's safety.  

The only way to guarantee they are covered for all types of business related accidents (should they occur), is to have the correct type of insurance.

So before you attend a particular school, or send your children away, be sure to ask the following questions:

1. What type of insurance to you carry for your school?

2. How much liability to you carry for accidents that could occur under that policy?

3. Do you have a contact at your insurance company and a policy number you can give me to verify your coverage?