At Sports Financial Services we have a long association with the providing financial protection and life insurance for rock climbers. We were first established, over 20 years ago, as Summit Financial Services ( www.summit-fs.co.uk ) to meet the financial protection needs of climbers and mountaineers.
As climbers began to enquire about financial protection for other sports, we went on to develop Sports Financial Services to offering life insurance, mortgage protection, critical illness cover and income protection cover for a range of other extreme and hazardous sports (e.g., cycling, canoeing, skiing, sailing, scuba diving and skydiving).
You can be reassured that the same team that handles rock climbing enquiries for Summit Financial Services also handles enquiries for Sports Financial Services. As a rock climber you benefit from our long experience of helping climbers and mountaineers with financial protection.
Life insurance company for rock climbing
Interest in rock climbing, mountaineering, outdoor adventure, extreme sports, outdoor recreation and adventurous activities has gained a greater profile in recent years.
This may be the result of a number of factors such as greater participation in climbing on artificial structures at indoor climbing walls, training indoors for rock climbing, rock climbing for fitness, socially motivated fitness at climbing walls and greater media profile of the sport (e.g., Alex Hannold’s ascent of El Capitan or climbing in the 2021 Olympics).
Whatever your standard, beginner or pushing higher grades, we will be happy to speak to you to discuss your financial protection needs.
Rock climbing and life insurance
Due to our heritage providing rock climbing life insurance, income protection, and critical illness cover for climbers we understand the sport and are happy to discuss different types of climbing, for example:
- Indoor rock climbing / Indoor climbing
- Outdoor rock climbing
And disciplines, such as:
- Bouldering
- Deep water soloing
- Lead climbing
- Trad climbing
- Top roping
- Sport climbing
- Via Ferrata
As part of the process when you enquire about cover, we’ll also discuss your climbing grade(s), such as:
- French climbing grades
- UIAA climbing grades
- UK adjectival grades
- Moderate (M)
- Difficult (D)
- Hard Diff (HD)
- Very Difficult (VD)
- Hard Very Difficult (HVD)
- Severe (S)
- Hard Severe (HS)
- Very Severe (VS)
- Hard Very Severe (HVS)
- Extremely Severe (E1, E2, E3, E4….)
- UK technical grades
- Bouldering grades
- Via ferrata grades
Due to our experience, we are happy to speak to you about your climbing style, grade and participation. Our experienced team at Sports financial Services can discuss the options available to you for life insurance, income protection, mortgage protection and critical illness cover to help meet mortgage commitments, contribute to bills or provide for a family should an accident or worse happen.
Rock climbers’ life insurance
Our long legacy of helping climbers and mountaineers means that we are confident to discuss your climbing grades, type of climbing, geographic climbing regions and climbing altitude.
In addition, we understand that some people may be interested in enquiring about cover for a range of other extreme and hazardous outdoor activities, for example:
- Canoeing
- Caving
- Cycling
- Kayaking
- Mountaineering
- Mountain biking
- Potholing
- Skydiving
- Sailing
- Scuba diving
- Skiing
- Ski mountaineering
This list is an example of the types of sports you can discuss with us and we can offer cover for a wide range of other sports as well – please contact us to discuss your rock climbing insurance cover and mountaineering life insurance needs.
We have also found that some climbers carry their recreation into their occupational activities. For example, a rock climber that is engaged in industrial rope access (IRATA) work or similar rope access activities. If you are engaged in a hazardous or dangerous occupation then you can also discuss the availability of cover for those activities as well.
Insurance company for rock climbing
We have built a strong recognition of climbers’ needs and are happy to discuss the different aspects of your climbing in order to understand your needs and determine the various financial protection products that are available to you.
Even if you have existing cover in place, it may be worth a quick conversation with Sports Financial Services to discuss your current cover and obtain a no-obligation quotation.
Also, different insurers come to the market over time and others may change their terms. This may mean that different terms are available in the market place now than when you first applied for cover.
We will be happy to discuss rates and the availability of cover for rock climbing life insurance, critical illness cover and income protection even if it only to provide you with peace of mind that the cover you have in place is comparable with current market offerings.
Rock climbing information sources & website links
Training/skills – Plas Y Brenin (National Mountain Centre): www.pyb.co.uk
Climbing forum – UK Climbing: www.ukclimbing.com
British Mountaineering Council: www.thebmc.co.uk
Mountaineering Scotland: www.mountaineering.scot
Mountaineering Ireland: www.mountaineering.ie
Life Insurance and financial protection choices for rock climbers
As a climber you may have different needs based on your interests, climbing grade, type of climbing, current occupation, mortgage protection requirements and family needs.
There are commonly 3 types of financial protection that rock climbers like to discuss:
- Life Insurance
Typically, a lump sum to pay off a mortgage, bills or support a family in the event of death
- Critical Illness Cover
Typically cover to provide financial peace of mind in the circumstance that you are diagnosed with a specific condition detailed in the policy
- Income Protection
If you have concerns that an accident or illness may stop you from working for a period of time then an Income Protection policy maybe something to discuss with Summit Financial Services
Subject to the type of rock climbing activities, other sports or occupational activities that you pursue there may be loadings, restrictions or exclusions applied to certain types of cover.
We work with the whole of market to find cover and are not restricted to a captive or select number of financial protection products. This includes working with many insurance companies to identify where your requirements and higher risk activities impact on the type of policies that are available to you.
Examples of factors that could affect premiums and the availability of cover include:
- Climbing altitude
- Climbing grade
- Type of climbing
- Professional engagement with climbing
- Climbing in remote areas or certain geographic regions
- Ice climbing
Applying for life insurance for rock climbers
Here we’ll take a quick look at how an application for rock climbing life insurance, mortgage protection, critical illness cover or income protection is processed.
Typically, we’ll start by discussing your type and level of participation including discussion on grade(s), geographic locations and altitude limits of your climbing.
As with any enquiry for life insurance cover, we’ll also ask some common questions to better understand you, your climbing and your life, such as:
- Your current health and any pre-existing medical conditions
- Your present occupation
- Your need for cover in relation to any outdoor instructional work or a hazardous occupation
- Your different type(s) of climbing (e.g., outdoor trad, sport, indoor, bouldering, Alpine climbing, Scottish Winter climbing)
- Your climbing grade(s) e.g.
- Sport grade
- Trad grade
- French grade
- UIAA grade
- Alpine grade
- Scottish Winter Grade
- Via Ferrata grade
- Where you participate in climbing activities (e.g., UK, Europe, Worldwide)
- Your maximum climbing altitude
- Your sports governing body membership:
British Mountaineering Council
Mountaineering Scotland
Mountaineering Ireland
- Your current income (if enquiring about cover for Income Protection)
Further to questions about your lifestyle, health, climbing and occupation we will also discuss the duration that you require cover for and the amounts of cover required:
- Amount (£) of financial protection required
- The duration of policy – number of years cover is required for
- The type of policy you required – e.g., increasing, decreasing or level term cover
The combination of your climbing, lifestyle, health, recreation, occupation and other factors (such as those detailed above) will assist in the determination the financial protection options that will be available to your particular circumstances and the associated premiums.
Even if you have a policy in place elsewhere, we will be happy to hear from you even if this is only to provide you with the peace of mind of knowing how your cover and premiums compare with current market products.
To discover more about the benefits of cover for rock climbers please call and speak to an experienced adviser today.
You can call us for a free, no-obligation quote, on 0345 565 0935.
Alternatively, to enquire online, please click the link above and complete the online form.
Finally, as an additional service, we work closely with our parent company, Suttons Independent Financial Advisers. So, if you require any further information about other financial services such as pensions, investments, mortgages or financial planning please visit www.suttonsifa.co.uk . Your personal adviser at Sports Financial Services will also be able to refer you to a contact at Suttons who best suits your interests.
Sports Financial Services: September 2021