A note for those that want to try Skydiving in Europe......

You're a killjoy, Ken ;-)

This is a very good reminder to read that blasted fine print. Carefully.

I really want to soar over the Alps...but now Mr Killjoy ;-) might have put the kibosh on that :-(

Dang it.

Eileen,

I didn't mean to put a damper on your plans, but just to bring attention to the fact that it's important to read the fine print, and know what will be covered by travel medical insurance and what won't. It's definitely a "calculated risk" but it IS possible to soar over the Alps despite the fine print.

To provide an update, the young lady described in the story is now back in B.C. One of the local Air Evac firms gave her family a "deal" on the trip, which included the services of a Critical Care Flight Paramedic and a Critical Care Nurse. Now she'll have to figure out how to deal with the massive hospital bill.

I still plan on my paragliding adventure in Switzerland come September. I promised my friend and will not worry about it. Thanks Ken for the warning. Reading my travel insurance policy now because I never gave it a thought.

If the parachute doesn't open I doubt the medical insurance will do much good, even if the activity is covered. Look for a policy that will cover the cost of shipping the remains home.

This just in from Switzerland: Today a woman from Sacramento was severely injured while paragliding. Dressed in cowboy hat and boots, and yelling "Yee-hah" all the while, she buzzed over a pasture and tipped over several grazing cows, ringing their bells. She then dipped too low near a dairy, contaminating a large vat of butter. Finally, she landed spreadeagled on a passing cable car, surprising the riders inside. Authorities believe that alcohol may have been a factor.

But if you had read the full story you would have seen that her affordable care act policy covered everything.

Generally life insurance doesn't cover jumping deaths either.

What about falling deaths? I understand that falling is much more dangerous than jumping.

@James,

"If the parachute doesn't open I doubt the medical insurance will do much good, even if the activity is covered."

That's certainly true, but in this case the parachute partially worked so the girl was fortunate to survive. There have been a few other similar cases, such as this one - http://www.today.com/news/dad-girl-16-who-survived-3-500-foot-sky-diving-2D12006531

There are many other quirks with medical insurance, so it really pays to check the policy. One thing that's really important is that of "pre-existing conditions". Also, one of the policies I used in the past had an effective term of 30 days, and if my trip was going to exceed that (because of flight delays or whatever), I had to call the insurance company to request an extension BEFORE the term expired.

Hay, Karen (hiccup), I resblm reels, resemble that remark (burp).

I recently discovered a great way to get a Free ride on a gondola! ;-)

Ken, obviously I wasn't serious and obviously you are 100% correct. Fortunately the most dangerous thing I do on a trip is to take my wife in a jewelry story.

Gee, Ken, you've ruined everything. I like to go skydiving every 45 years, and this was supposed to be the year....

I was looking at travel insurance options yesterday and saw several that offered optional,extra coverage for skydiving, paragliding and bungee jumping under a "hazardous activities" or " sports activities" benefit. Mthe additional cost was $37.50'onnone plan and $60 on another ( that one included mountain climbing as well).