Where do you go first when ill or injured at a ski resort?
Walk into the resort medical centre, or call the number on your piste map, for anything that needs hands or an X-ray. Most Alpine resort practices are private and bill you directly. For flu, a chest infection or a stomach bug, a video consultation from the chalet is faster, usually within 15 minutes.
An EHIC or GHIC gives you state healthcare on the same terms and at the same cost as a local patient. It does not cover treatment in a private practice, ski or mountain rescue, a helicopter lift or being flown home. In practice you pay the resort doctor, keep every receipt and claim from your travel insurer.
Neither the EHIC nor the GHIC is an alternative to travel insurance; the European Commission and the NHS both say so.
Christmas and New Year weeks add closed practices and holiday rotas. Our guide to finding a pharmacy or doctor over Christmas covers the holiday rotas country by country.
Which emergency numbers work in the Alps?
112 reaches the emergency services in every Alpine country, from any phone. Austria also runs 140 for mountain rescue, France uses 15 for a medical emergency and Italy still answers 118.
| Country | Mountain rescue | Out of hours |
|---|---|---|
| Austria | 140 | 141 doctor on call; 1450 health line |
| France | 112 or 15; piste patrol (number on the piste map) | 3237 duty-pharmacy line; rota at the mairie |
| Italy | 112 or 118, ask for the Soccorso Alpino | 116 117 where active; farmacia di turno rota |
| Germany (Bavaria) | 112 | 116 117; duty pharmacy line rota |
| Switzerland (not served) | Rega 1414 | Duty rota on the pharmacy door |
| Andorra (not served) | 112 (fire brigade rescue teams) | 116 medical emergencies |
112 reaches the emergency services in every country in the table. Austria also answers on 144 for an ambulance, France on 15 (SAMU), Italy on 118 and Switzerland on 144.
Mobi Doctor does not see patients in Switzerland or Andorra. The EHIC is valid in Switzerland, but you normally pay the full cost first and claim it back. Rega waives its own costs only for its patrons when insurance does not pay.
Andorra uses 112 for any emergency and 116 for a medical emergency. Andorra is outside the EU and the EEA, so the EHIC does not apply there.
Austria: Tyrol, Salzburg and the Arlberg
In Austria the number for a mountain accident is 140, the Bergrettung. The ambulance is 144, and 141 reaches the doctor on call when practices are closed. The 1450 health line also lists pharmacy duty rotas (federal emergency-number list, updated 18 August 2026).
Austrian practices come in two kinds, and the sign on the door tells you which. “Kassenarzt” or “Alle Kassen” is a contract practice: show your EHIC or GHIC and there is no bill for the consultation. “Wahlarzt” or “Keine Kassen” is a private practice. You pay, then claim back up to 80% of what the Austrian health fund would have paid a contract doctor.
Mountain rescuers are volunteers, but the operation is invoiced. The Tyrolean Bergrettung sells supporter cover for search, recovery and rescue costs.
From a chalet in Tyrol or Salzburgerland, our doctors see you over video usually within 15 minutes. Our page on urgent care in Austria explains the system for visitors. The local pages list English-speaking doctors in Innsbruck, the doctors in Salzburg and, for the flight home, the doctors in Vienna.
France: Tarentaise, Chamonix and Portes du Soleil
In France, 15 is the medical emergency number (SAMU), and 112 works too. On the piste, the resort's own patrol (pisteurs-secouristes) collects the injured. Off-piste and high-mountain rescue is the gendarmerie's PGHM, reached through 112.
The resort “cabinet médical” is a private general practice, often with X-ray, so ask the price first. You pay the doctor and receive a treatment form (feuille de soins). With an EHIC or GHIC, French health insurance refunds 70% of the official rate for non-hospital care. Anything a “secteur 2” doctor charges above that rate is yours or your insurer's.
Our doctors cover the whole of France over video. Our page on urgent care in France explains the French system for visitors, and the doctors in Lyon page covers the airport city.
Italy: Dolomites, Valle d'Aosta and Lombardy
Italy's single emergency number is 112, and 118 still reaches the health emergency service. Ask for the Soccorso Alpino for a mountain rescue; the national service, the CNSAS, ran 13,037 missions in 2025. Public-service (SSN) doctors and hospitals accept the EHIC or GHIC. Private practitioners do not have to, and resort practices are often private.
Trentino runs a paid, appointment-based weekday tourist clinic (guardia medica turistica), with the guardia medica on 116 117 for nights and holidays.
Our doctors see patients anywhere in Italy over video. Our page on urgent care in Italy explains the SSN for visitors; Malpensa and Bergamo arrivals have the doctors in Milan page.
Germany: the Bavarian Alps
Germany uses 112 for every emergency, and the Bergwacht is alerted through it. The out-of-hours doctor line is 116 117. Practices marked “Kassenarzt” or “Alle Kassen” treat EHIC and GHIC holders like German insured patients, so the consultation carries no bill apart from standard co-payments.
The Bavarian Bergwacht bills statutory insurers at flat rates when it rescues someone injured or ill. A call-out for someone unhurt but stuck is charged to the person, and a helicopter is billed separately.
Our doctors cover Bavaria over video. Our page on urgent care in Germany explains the system for visitors; Munich airport arrivals have the doctors in Munich page.
What should you do after a knee injury skiing?
Stop skiing and call the piste patrol. Do not ski down on a knee that gave way, twisted with a pop or will not take your weight. Let the patrol bring you down, then follow the NHS sequence for the first two or three days: protect, rest, ice, compress and raise.
- Stop: do not ski down; call the piste patrol and let them bring you down.
- Protect the joint with a support and rest it.
- Ice it for up to 20 minutes every 2 to 3 hours.
- Wrap it in a bandage by day and keep it raised.
- Avoid heat, alcohol and massage for the first couple of days.
- See the resort doctor if the knee is very painful or will not take weight.
Most sprains feel better after two weeks; a severe ligament injury can take months to get back to normal.
A suspected fracture, a head injury, a dislocation or a knee ligament injury needs a clinic, not a phone. A knock to the head followed by being knocked out even briefly, vomiting, confusion, unusual drowsiness or a fit is a 112 call.
A limb you heard crack, numbness or tingling below the injury, or skin that has changed colour or gone cold means the clinic or 112, not waiting. After the X-ray, our page on knee pain after a fall explains what a video review adds. A pulled muscle sits on our sports injuries page.
Is altitude sickness a risk in the Alps?
Rarely in the villages. Acute mountain sickness is rare below about 2,500 m, and most Alpine resort villages sit under that line. Glacier ski areas and summit lifts take you above 3,000 m for the day. The UIAA's field guide puts the typical onset at 4 to 24 hours after reaching a new altitude.
The signs are a diffuse headache plus one of nausea, loss of appetite, dizziness or listlessness. A hangover is one of the conditions the UIAA tells rescuers to tell apart from mountain sickness. No further ascent with symptoms; descend if they have not improved within 24 hours. Above 2,500 to 3,000 m, sleep no more than 300 to 500 m higher than the night before.
Our altitude sickness page covers assessment over video. Our guide to preventing altitude sickness goes deeper.
How do you avoid snow blindness, frostbite and chilblains?
Goggles with full UV protection, a high-factor sunscreen, dry gloves and warm boots cover most of it. UV rises by roughly 10% for every 1,000 m of altitude, and fresh snow reflects up to 80% of it, almost doubling your exposure, according to the WHO.
Snow blindness and sunburn
That doubled UV is why photokeratitis, sunburn of the surface of the eye known as snow blindness, keeps recurring in skiers. Our snow blindness page covers the symptoms and what a video doctor can do.
Cold sores from slope sun
Sunshine is one of the triggers the NHS lists for cold sores, along with illness. A cold sore is contagious from the first tingle until it has completely healed and should start to heal within 10 days. A sunblock lip balm of SPF 15 or above is the prevention.
Frostbite
Frostbite starts as cold, firm skin that feels numb, stinging or burning and looks red or pale. Hard, frozen skin that is white, blue or blotchy means it has progressed. Get indoors, take gloves, rings and boots off the affected part, warm it in warm (not hot) water or in your armpits, then cover it lightly and raise it.
Do not rub it, do not hold it to a fire, radiator or hot-water bottle, do not take a hot bath and do not drink alcohol. Hard frozen skin, swelling with loss of feeling, or blisters filled with blood or clear or milky fluid mean a hospital, so call 112. So does a companion who is constantly shivering, slurring words, breathing slowly and confused, because that is hypothermia.
Our frostbite page has the full list of signs.
Chilblains
Chilblains are the small, itchy red or purple patches that appear on toes and fingers a few hours after time in the cold. They usually go away on their own in 2 to 3 weeks. Our chilblains page and our guide to white or itchy fingers in the cold cover the rest.
Can you get a doctor's note for a lift pass or insurance claim?
Yes, when the findings support it. A doctor may issue a note after a video consultation recording the date, the diagnosis and the advice given. Lift companies and lift-pass insurers usually want a medical certificate before refunding the unused days of a pass. For an injury, the resort doctor's report and the X-ray are the documents the insurer needs.
A note cannot certify a fracture or a ligament tear that nobody has examined or X-rayed. If an illness means you should not fly home as booked, our guide to not-fit-to-fly certificates explains what a doctor can certify.
Does your travel insurance cover skiing?
For a ski week the policy has to say “winter sports” or “skiing”, not just “medical expenses”. If the words are missing, assume skiing is excluded and add it. Check four lines before you pay.
- Mountain rescue and helicopter evacuation, on and off the piste.
- Off-piste skiing, and whether a guide is required.
- Repatriation to your home country.
- Declared pre-existing conditions: an undeclared condition can void the policy.
Our guide to travel insurance for Europe compares what the policies cover.
When to see a doctor, and when to call 112
Call 112 for anything on the list below. Go to the resort medical centre for a knee or ankle that will not take your weight, a cut that needs closing or an eye injury. A fever that is getting worse rather than better also needs the clinic. Everything else on the ski-week sick list is seen over video.
- Difficulty breathing or chest pain.
- A head injury followed by loss of consciousness, vomiting, confusion, drowsiness or a fit.
- A limb that looks the wrong shape, or a crack you heard.
- Hard frozen skin or blisters after cold.
- Constant shivering with slurred speech, slow breathing and confusion.
- At altitude: breathlessness at rest, or a cough with a sudden drop in performance.
- Someone who cannot walk heel to toe in a straight line.
What can a video doctor do for flu or fever in a chalet?
Over video, our doctors take the history and listen to a cough. They look at what the camera shows: a throat, the outer ear, a rash, a swollen eye, a cold sore or the colour of a toe. They assess flu, chest infections, sinusitis, ear pain, stomach bugs, cystitis, sunburn, snow blindness, cold sores, chilblains and mild altitude symptoms.
Our guide to this winter's flu strains explains what is circulating. If you want a jab before the trip, our guide on getting a flu jab in Europe lists the options by country. The blocked, painful ear after a fast descent is covered on our ear barotrauma page.
Our doctors cannot X-ray, stitch, reduce a dislocation, test a knee by hand, give an injection or treat frostbite with hard skin. For those, go to the resort clinic or call 112. Video consultations start usually within 15 minutes, daily 7am–11pm CET.
A prescription, when appropriate, goes to a pharmacy you choose in the resort or the valley. A doctor's note is issued when the findings support one. The NHS advises avoiding alcohol completely with some antibiotics; our doctors say which applies when they prescribe.
The service is for adults. For a child, go to the resort practice or the local paediatric service, or call 112 if the child is seriously ill.
Save the numbers, read the policy, and see a doctor over video before a cold costs a ski day.
Sources
- European Commission: European Health Insurance Card (what it covers, where it is valid) (accessed 3 November 2026)
- NHS: Apply for a free UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) (page last reviewed 12 December 2023) (accessed 3 November 2026)
- oesterreich.gv.at (Austrian federal government): Notrufnummern (updated 18 August 2026) (accessed 3 November 2026)
- UIAA Medical Commission: Recommendation No. 2, Emergency field management of AMS, HAPE and HACE (V3.3, 2012, updated 2024) (accessed 3 November 2026)
- NHS: Sprains and strains (page last reviewed 23 April 2024) (accessed 3 November 2026)
- WHO: Radiation: Ultraviolet (UV) radiation, questions and answers (9 March 2016) (accessed 3 November 2026)
- NHS: Cold sores (page last reviewed 19 February 2024) (accessed 3 November 2026)
- NHS: Frostbite (page last reviewed 9 June 2025) (accessed 3 November 2026)
- NHS: Chilblains (page last reviewed 22 April 2026) (accessed 4 November 2026)
- NHS: Antibiotics, interactions (alcohol) (page last reviewed 11 November 2022) (accessed 4 November 2026)
Written by the Mobi Doctor Medical Team. Medical review by Dr Chrysoula Liakou, MD, PhD: pending.
