A regular travel policy does not work in the mountains: insurers decline claims when the activity was not in the contract. Here is what a policy must contain to protect you rather than merely exist.
Insurance is mandatory on all our programs, and not as a formality: rescue work at altitude costs thousands of dollars, and one helicopter hour in Nepal costs more than the whole trek budget.
1. Type of activity. The policy must explicitly name your activity: "mountaineering" for climbs, "trekking" for hiking routes. A beach-holiday policy will not pay out for an incident on a mountain — this is the most common mistake.
2. Altitude coverage. Insurers grade policies by altitude. For Elbrus and Kazbek you need cover to 6,000 m, for Aconcagua and Lenin Peak — to 7,000 m, for Nepal treks — to 5,500–6,000 m. The altitude in the policy must exceed the highest point of your route.
3. Helicopter evacuation. A separate option — and the one that matters in real situations: from a glacier or a high valley you can only be evacuated by air. Without this option, the bill for the helicopter is yours.
4. Coverage amount. At least $35,000; for Nepal and Tanzania $50,000 is safer — evacuation plus hospitalization eats the limit fast.
Deductible: policies "with a $100 deductible" are cheaper, but every claim starts with your own money. Validity: dates with a margin for reserve days, and the right country (Georgia for Kazbek from the south, Türkiye for Ararat). Assistance: read how the company actually organizes evacuations in your region — that matters more than the brand.
For Lenin Peak and Aconcagua check separately: some insurers class 6,500 m+ as "expedition mountaineering" and require a special tariff. We collect policy details before departure — they are needed to register the group with the rescue service.
The sequence is always the same: tell the guide → the guide contacts the insurer's assistance line (the number is on the policy) → assistance authorizes the evacuation or treatment. Do not pay for anything yourself without assistance approval, short of a life threat: recovering unauthorized expenses is far harder.
Keep the policy on your phone and as a paper copy, and give the assistance number to your family. On routes without coverage the guide keeps contact with the insurer via satellite messenger.
The right mountain policy: activity "mountaineering/trekking" + altitude above the route's summit + helicopter evacuation + at least $35,000 of cover. It costs an order of magnitude less than one helicopter hour. Unsure about a specific policy's wording — send it to us before buying, we will take a look.
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