Skiers are being warned that they may not be able to benefit from the same insurance benefits while on holiday as other travellers in European.

According to the British Insurance Brokers' Association (Biba) the European Health Insurance Card (ECIH) may not afford those who take to the slopes on a snowy break the same benefits as other holidaymakers.

This is because ski slopes are mainly facilitated by private medical centres, which are not within the EHIC’s remit.

Many skiers may be shocked by this information, as the EHIC is one of the staples of any holidaymakers travel kit, if they are heading off to Europe.

The card gives the holder rights to healthcare that becomes necessary during a temporary visit to EEA (European Economic Area) countries or Switzerland.

If skiers are not comprehensively covered by these cards then they may need to invest in a decent travel insurance policy to ensure they can access treatment, should they injure themselves abroad.

However, research carried out by esure travel insurance recently into the effects of the credit crunch found that skiers are cutting back on their travel insurance to save pennies.

Of those polled, nearly a fifth (18 per cent) admitted they would not buy travel insurance cover to save on the total cost of their winter sports holiday.

Furthermore, over a million (65 per cent) would consider shortening their trip to save money, choosing a weekend break or long weekend away rather than a full week.

This decision to cut corners when it comes to travel insurance could well be an unwise one in the long run – both in terms of health and finances.

According to the Foreign Commonwealth Office if a holidaymaker needs to be returned to the UK for treatment it could cost them thousands of pounds if they are inadequately insured.

The government body says that an air ambulance from the US east coast could cost between £35,000 to £45,000, while the same transport from the Canary Islands may total £16,000.

Graeme Trudgill, technical and corporate affairs executive, said: "The Foreign and Commonwealth Office says ski slopes are in the top five locations where injury occurs while on holiday so there's a very high chance that you could suffer injury.

“So even if you think that you are competent yourself, you can be hit by other people so that's a worry.”