Snowboard & Snowmobile Rental Liability Insurance
As soon as the temperature drops and the first snow of the season falls, you’re ready to hit the trails or the slopes. Snowboarding and snowmobiling are popular winter recreational activities for a reason. They are both fun and exciting ways to spend a winter day.
During its peak in popularity, more than 8 million people participated in snowboarding. The sport continues to get attention and interest today. Snowmobiling is also popular in the U.S. and Canada. The average snowmobiler rides 1,111 miles annually and spends up to $3,000 on the sport. The U.S. has more than 1 million registered snowmobiles.
Whether you board or ride, it’s important to understand the sport’s risks and have the right insurance coverage to protect you in case of an accident. Companies that rent out snowboards or snowmobiles also need to have the right level of insurance coverage. Learn more about snowboard or snowmobile liability insurance and why you might need it.
Why Buy Snowboard and Snowmobile Rental Insurance?
You might already have homeowners, auto, or health insurance and wonder why you need to purchase an additional policy for when you use or rent a snowboard or snowmobile. While your auto insurance can provide coverage if you have an accident in your car or if something happens to your car, most policies don’t extend coverage to recreational vehicles, such as snowmobiles.
Your homeowners policy protects you from liability if someone is injured on your property. But if someone gets hurt while you’re driving a snowmobile or boarding down a mountain, your policy isn’t likely to cover that incident.
Snowboard rental and snowmobile rental insurance are also essential for companies that operate recreational facilities, such as snowmobile trails or ski and snowboard slopes. A liability policy can protect you as a business owner if someone causes an accident while driving one of your rented vehicles or if a snowboarder becomes hurt while boarding.
What Is Included in Snowmobile and Snowboarding Rental Insurance?
Rental insurance for a snowboard or snowmobile typically offers liability protection. Liability coverage provides financial protection if you cause an accident that injures someone or damages property. Typically, liability coverage can pay for damages due to injury to a person or damage to physical property.
Property damage coverage can pay to repair another person’s property if it gets damaged by your snowmobile or while you’re on a snowboard. For example, if you’re riding a snowmobile and drive into someone’s mailbox, breaking it into pieces, your liability insurance can cover the cost of replacing the mailbox. If you crash into another person’s snowmobile while driving yours, liability coverage can pay some or all of the costs of fixing the second snowmobile.
Liability coverage can also pay for an injured person’s medical bills if they got hurt in an accident involving you and your snowboard or snowmobile. For example, say you’re sliding down a slope on your snowboard. There is a group of people in front of you, and you’re unable to swerve around them or stop. You end up running into them.
One of the snowboarders falls and breaks their leg. Since people in front of you have the right of way on the slope, you can be responsible for the accident. You might be responsible for the person’s medical bills. With the right insurance coverage, your policy may pay for some, most, or all of the other person’s medical care costs.
Depending on the type of insurance policy you purchase, it might also cover collision and comprehensive damage to your snowmobile, whether the vehicle is rented or one you own. Collision coverage can pay to repair accident damage to the snowmobile, while comprehensive insurance can replace a stolen vehicle or fix damage from certain incidents.
Along with paying for the costs of repair or medical bills, liability insurance can pay for legal fees and court costs if you are sued. The insurance may also pay the settlement or any damages awarded to the other party.
What Could Happen If I Don’t Have Snowboard or Snowmobile Liability Insurance?
You could be found personally responsible for the costs of damage or injuries if you’re involved in an accident with a snowmobile or snowboard. For example, say you rent a snowmobile from an operator and are speeding on the trail. You crash into another rider, causing them to fall off their vehicle and break their arm. Depending on the level of liability insurance coverage you purchased, your policy may cover the other person’s medical care costs and pay to repair their snowmobile. If they sue, your insurance policy might also provide coverage.
Without insurance, you will be responsible for paying medical care costs, repair costs, and any court costs. Depending on the price, those costs can be more than you can afford. If you’re an individual, you might end up in debt. Businesses that don’t have the right level of insurance for riders or operators can end up having to shut down.
When Should I Buy Snowmobile or Snowboarding Liability Insurance?
When you should purchase an insurance policy for snowboarding or snowmobiling depends on what your plan is. If you’re buying a new snowmobile, you might want to get a liability policy at the same time you purchase collision and comprehensive insurance. If you’re renting a snowmobile from an operator, you may have the option of purchasing a policy when you begin the rental.
If you use a snowboard, make sure you have liability insurance coverage in place before you hit the slopes. You might get a policy when you rent the board from the operator or buy a policy at the same time you buy your snowboard.
The most important thing to keep in mind is that you should have a policy before an accident or incident occurs. Most policies won’t offer retroactive coverage.
Work With XINSURANCE for Your Snowmobile and Snowboarding Liability Insurance Needs
You might need more protection than a typical homeowners, auto, or general liability insurance policy can provide if you own or rent winter recreational equipment and vehicles such as snowboards or snowmobiles. XINSURANCE will work with you to create a customized policy that meets your needs. Contact us today to start the application process and get a customized quote.
Updated May 19, 2021
Authored by Rick J. Lindsey, President, Chairman, and CEO of XINSURANCE
Rick J. Lindsey hails from Salt Lake City, Utah. He began working in the mailroom of his father’s Salt Lake City insurance firm, getting his introduction to the business that became his lifelong career. Rick J. Lindsey quickly rose through the ranks while working in nearly every imaginable insurance industry job. As an entrepreneur, specialty lines underwriter, claims specialist, risk manager, and a licensed surplus lines broker, Rick J. Lindsey is highly skilled in all levels of leadership and execution. As he progressed on his career path, Rick J. Lindsey discovered an urgent need for insurers willing to write policies for high-risk individuals and businesses. He was frequently frustrated that he could not provide the liability protection these entities desperately needed to safeguard their assets. He also formed the belief that insurance companies acted too quickly to settle frivolous claims. Rick J. Lindsey decided to try a different approach. He started an insurance company and became the newly formed entity’s CEO. This opportunity has enabled Rick J. Lindsey to fill a void in the market and provide a valuable service to businesses, individuals, and insurance agents who write high-risk business. XINSURANCE also specializes in helping individuals and businesses who live a lifestyle or participate in activities that make them difficult for traditional carriers to insure. If you’ve been denied, non-renewed, or canceled coverage, don’t give up quite yet. Chances are XINSURANCE can help.
