Life Insurance for Mountaineers
Making sure that you have the right life insurance is important, especially if you take part in a dangerous hobby like mountaineering or rock climbing. If something happened to you then life cover will pay out a cash lump sum to your family to support them and help to pay for major costs (e.g. mortgage payments, rent, and regular outgoings).
Your life insurance policy will also pay out if you die for other reasons (e.g. a serious illness) and will cover any pre-existing medical conditions that you have. Mountaineers can usually get life insurance with most of the major high-street providers, but you can save money and get better cover by speaking to a high risk life insurance specialist.
In this guide to life insurance for mountaineers, our insurance experts look at how a dangerous activity like mountaineering can affect your life insurance application. We’ll answer the main questions that people ask, so that you’re ready to start your application. We‘ve also included some price examples as well, to show you roughly how much you might pay for your life cover as a mountaineer.
60 Second Summary – Life Insurance for Mountaineers
Life insurance for mountaineers provides valuable financial protection for the people that you care about the most. Your policy could pay out £100,000’s to support your family over many years if you died while climbing, or due to something unrelated.
Our Managing Director Daniel has a long history in the world of alpine sports, having worked in one of the most prestigious climbing shops in Britain. We are extremely proud of our mountaineering heritage and that we can now help rock climbers and mountaineers get the life cover that they need to protect their families.
- Life insurance for mountaineers will vary in price based on where you climb and the heights that you climb to, as well as standard factors like your age and health.
- Standard life insurance policies won’t include exclusions for activities like mountaineering, but policies like guaranteed life insurance can exclude claims for death due to dangerous activities.
- There are several different types of life insurance policies, so you should consider the level of cover that you need and how much you can afford to pay.
- Specialist life insurance companies will sometimes work better for people with high-risk hobbies, as standard insurance companies can charge higher prices.
- Critical illness cover is another useful policy for mountain climbers, as this will pay out to support you if you are diagnosed with a serious condition. This can be something related to climbing (e.g. serious injury) or something unrelated (e.g. cancer).
Can you get life insurance for mountaineers?
Life insurance for mountaineers is often available and can be reasonably priced if you speak to the right insurance companies. While mountaineering is considered ‘dangerous’ by many insurers, the price of your life cover might be cheaper than you’d imagine, especially if you are generally healthy.
Not all life insurance companies will be the right fit for mountain climbers, and you should research all your options and compare quotes to find the fairest price. The right insurer for you will also be based on things like your age and medical history, so this needs to be considered as well.
Life insurance has been designed to protect your family or mortgage, so that your loved ones don’t struggle with huge bills in the event of your death. This can give you peace of mind to enjoy your hobbies, knowing that your family is well protected if the worst were to happen to you.
Life Insurance for Mountaineers Summary
There are a lot of options for life insurance for mountaineers and you should think about what type of policy is the right fit for you and your family. Term life insurance (e.g. family protection or mortgage protection) tends to be the most popular choice, but various types of life insurance are available.
The key is to find the right insurer, as certain insurance companies will be more comfortable with ‘dangerous’ hobbies like mountaineering.
When you apply for life insurance, you are likely to be asked a few additional questions about climbing activities and any other ‘high-risk’ hobbies or extreme sports. You will also be asked general questions about your health and lifestyle, which helps the insurer to work out how much your policy will cost.
Key factors for mountaineering life insurance:
- How often do you climb mountains?
- What height do you climb to? (higher or lower than 4,000 metres)
- Do you take part in other high-risk activities?
- What is your occupation?
- Do you have any pre-existing medical conditions?
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Does life insurance pay out for mountaineers?
If you died whilst mountaineering or at any other time, your life insurance policy should pay out a cash lump sum to your family. Standard life insurance doesn’t come with exclusions, so it’s unlikely that your policy won’t pay out for an activity like mountaineering.
There are certain non-standard policies (e.g. guaranteed life insurance) that can include exclusions for certain conditions or activities. Mountaineering might be listed as an ‘excluded’ activity within these policies, and you should check your policy documents to make sure that you are covered.
Note: Your life insurance is based on your health and lifestyle at the time when you apply for your cover. If you start mountaineering later in your life, this should be covered automatically if you have a standard life insurance policy.
Is life insurance different for mountaineers?
If you buy a standard life insurance policy, your cover won’t be different based on hobbies such as mountaineering. You can choose how much cover you need (£s) and how long you would like to be covered for (policy term).
The main thing that could be affected is the price of your life insurance policy. Mountaineering is often viewed as ‘dangerous’ by life insurance companies, which means that they will sometimes increase the price due to the higher risk of you needing to claim.
This is why it’s key to apply to the right insurers, as some insurance companies will offer much lower prices than others.
How much does life insurance for mountaineers cost?
Certain life insurance companies will be much more suitable for people who enjoy mountain climbing, as others will charge higher prices based on your lifestyle. If you have any pre-existing conditions as well, this will also affect how much your life insurance policy costs.
It is possible to find affordable life insurance for mountaineers, and there will usually be a range of insurers to choose from. The table below shows an example of a real live insurance policy that our insurance experts helped with this year.
In this case, Mr I. got the life insurance that he needed to protect his family for just £21.56 per month over the next 35 years. This price is only meant to be an example though, as the cost of life cover will vary from person to person.
| Details of applicant | Mr I. was born in 1981 and is a non-smoker. |
| Health and lifestyle information | Mr I. often climbs mountains in Europe (heights of less than 4,000 metres). Mr I. has no pre-existing conditions. |
| Other health details | Height: 6’4” / Weight: 14st |
| Cover requirements | Mr I. wanted £200,000 of level term life insurance to protect his family over the next 35 years. |
| Monthly premiums (£s) | £21.56 per month Guaranteed (fixed) premiums Specialist insurance company (Guardian) |
How do I get cheaper life insurance for mountaineers?
No one wants to pay more than they need to for their life insurance, and there are a few easy ways to save money on life insurance for mountaineers. Our main suggestions to save money on your cover are:
- Take out cover while you are young: Younger applicants will generally pay less for their life insurance, so it’s best to buy your cover as early in life as possible.
- Quit smoking or drinking: Smokers and people who drink excessively will pay more for their life insurance policies. Quitting smoking or cutting back on drinking alcohol can lead to a significant saving on your monthly life insurance premiums.
- Compare multiple quotes: This is the best way to save money, as some insurers will offer much lower prices for the same level of cover. An experienced life insurance expert can help you to compare quotes if you’re not sure where to start.
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Can you get critical illness cover for mountaineers?
Most mountaineers should be able to buy critical illness insurance, which will pay out a lump sum if you are diagnosed with a serious condition. Mountain climbing at high altitudes can increase the risk of serious injuries or conditions, such as paralysis due to a fall.
If something like this happened, your critical illness insurance policy would pay out to support you and your family financially during this time. Critical illness cover will also cover a range of common conditions like cancer or heart attack, which can have a serious impact on your health and lifestyle.
If you can’t work, critical illness cover acts as a financial safety net to ensure that you can still afford all of your usual expenses and any other unexpected costs. Another useful alternative is income protection insurance, which would pay out a regular income until you can return to working as normal.
Frequently asked questions about mountaineering and life insurance
Do I need mountaineering life insurance?
The plain and simple fact is that mountaineering ‘can be’ dangerous as we all know from personal experience, or from close friends or colleagues.
There are many reasons why we can find ourselves in danger when in the mountains and some are completely out of our control. It is always advisable to be prepared for those events that we can’t predict or sometimes control. You can get life insurance for mountaineers and that cover can be extremely valuable to your loved ones.
What is the ‘right’ amount of life insurance for mountaineers?
You can get life cover to suit almost any budget and there is a wide range of options available for mountaineers. There isn’t a set ‘right’ amount of life cover, as you should base this on your family or mortgage and how much you can afford to pay each month.
The most important point is to consider how much coverage you need to protect your family and how long you need it for. If you have dependent children or a partner that relies on you financially then make sure that you have enough cover for them.
How do I find the best life insurance for mountain climbers?
Though life insurance is often available for mountaineers, it can be harder to work out which insurers will offer you the best and cheapest quotes. Insurers will want to know more about rock climbing, free climbing, and any other ‘dangerous’ hobbies that you have.
If you are struggling to find suitable life insurance, it can be helpful to get advice from an experienced life insurance expert. We’ve got an extensive background in finding excellent mountaineers life insurance, as well as rock climbing life insurance, and cover for other alpine sports.
To get free, no-obligation advice, you can call our insurance specialists on 0800 009 6559 or CLICK HERE to fill in our online quote form.
