Hiking, canyoning, and climbing: the sports with the highest number of rescues

Only travelers with specific adventure sports insurance can avoid the costs associated with potential accidents, rescues, and repatriations.

According to data from the latest sports statistics yearbook from the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport, residents in Spain have taken 2,863.2 trips for sports-related reasons, a figure that accounts for 3.6% of all leisure travel. Furthermore, sports activities were practiced during 20% of trips where sport was not the primary purpose.

The latest report from InterMundial indicates that when practicing outdoor adventure activities, two types of accidents can occur: minor ones, which result in scrapes, bruises, or sprains and usually require rehabilitation, and major accidents, which may necessitate medical transport, hospitalization, repatriation, and rehabilitation, and in the most serious cases, can lead to disability or even death. Additionally, situations requiring a rescue can arise when practicing adventure sports; in fact, the Civil Guard Mountain Service carried out 227 interventions last summer, 19.38% more than in the same period the previous year.

In general, the activities that require the most rescues are hiking, canyoning, and climbing, as these are the most widely practiced. The main reasons for needing a rescue are getting lost, tripping—falls on the same level—by mountaineers, and jumping into water pools while canyoning. Often, these accidents occur due to a lack of technical preparation and inexperience on the part of the participants.

Rescues are very expensive, as one hour of helicopter flight can cost 3,000 euros, with three hours of flight time often needed to complete the operation. If the traveler does not have adequate insurance with rescue coverage, they must pay out of their own pocket.

Adequate protection for adventure travel

To address incidents that may occur during active tourism trips, InterMundial offers the “Totalsports” insurance, a product that covers more than 70 sports with varying levels of risk (up to 5,000 meters in altitude), providing users with the highest coverage limits and benefits 24 hours a day. Furthermore, with an annual policy, the traveler is covered 365 days a year for any risky activity they undertake.

This policy's coverage includes search and rescue of the insured, medical and surgical expenses due to illness or accident, payment for crutches, repatriation or transport of the sick or deceased, and even the early return of the insured, among others. It is insurance that also covers trip cancellation costs, reimbursement for activities not enjoyed due to illness or accident, loss of initially contracted services, loss or theft of luggage, and civil liability, among other benefits.