Fact: injuries happen. And when you do things like ski, snowboard, mountain bike, trail run, climb, kayak, etc, injuries are bound to happen.
And even if you have insurance so you think you’re okay … think again. Because between the cost of your deductible and (often) a number of hidden fees, you’re likely still going to have to pay thousands of dollars for any trip to the emergency room, ambulance ride, hospital visit, surgery, etc.
Our team here at Blister knows this all too well. All of us have standard insurance, and all of us have either still had to pay thousands of dollars for injuries we’ve suffered, or we’ve refrained from getting medical attention because of the cost.
And we know that many of you have done this too.
This is not acceptable, and we want better for our outdoor community.
So we’ve created our new BLISTER+ Membership that provides $25,000 of coverage — per injury — with $0.00 deductible, for 12 months.
Coverage begins the day you sign up. It works if you don’t have insurance, and if you do have insurance, BLISTER+ will cover your deductible.
Everyone at Blister has it, and you likely should, too.
The idea for this BLISTER+ Insurance Membership was born in the spring of 2021, following a “JRA” (just riding along) mountain bike accident that left me with a $12,894.70 emergency room bill. And even though I pay nearly $600 a month for insurance, I still had to pay about $8000 out of my own pocket to cover that emergency room visit. Damn. And if BLISTER+ existed at the time? I would have paid $0.00 instead of $8000.00.
So we partnered up with Spot Insurance to create this custom-tailored membership and make it available to every person in our Blister community — of any age, and regardless of their citizenry or where they live — and get them covered for any of the activities listed below, anywhere in the world.
So please don’t wait: read the details below, get yourself covered, tell your friends to get themselves covered, and then get back out there, doing the things you love.
BLISTER+ Membership & Injury Insurance
Simply put, our new BLISTER+ Membership is the most valuable resource for anyone who wants to make the most of the outdoors, all year long.
In addition to all the benefits of the standard Blister Membership, BLISTER+ members get injury insurance that covers all the activities listed below — at up to $25,000 PER INJURY — with no deductible.
So say you’re a BLISTER+ member and you hurt yourself biking to work. You’d be covered for up to $25K for that injury, with $0 deductible. And if you then hurt yourself skiing or fishing or rock climbing or snowboarding or snowmobiling or running or kayaking the next day, you’d be covered for up to $25K for that injury, too, with $0 deductible.
With BLISTER+, you can expect great injury coverage, as well as honest, in-depth, helpful advice and information regarding outdoor gear. You also get exclusive access to podcast conversations, articles, and videos. So enjoy your favorite activities with confidence, and become a BLISTER+ member.
Get covered for your favorite activities PLUS all the benefits of the Blister membership — all for $399 a year / less than $34 a month.
With BLISTER+ and its corresponding injury insurance from Spot, Spot’s got you covered anytime you are:
- Skiing (inbounds and backcountry skiing)
- Snowboarding
- Splitboarding
- Snowmobiling
- Mountain Biking
- Road Biking (includes commuting)
- Gravel Biking
- Trail Running
- Road Running
- Hiking
- Camping
- Rock Climbing (not free solo climbing)
- Bouldering (indoors and outdoors)
- Alpine Rock, Snow, or Glacier Climbing
- Canyoneering
- Fishing
- Kayaking
- Rafting
Every adventure. Every time.
- $0 deductible
- $25k injury coverage
- No network restrictions
- Digital claims — Spot’s dedicated claims team will guide you every step of the way
All enrolled BLISTER+ members of Blister’s voluntary annual program.
When are you covered?
Anytime you’re out doing the activities listed above.
Where are you covered?
Anywhere in the world.
FAQs: BLISTER+ Insurance
Our plan covers costs from your doctor-recommended treatment plan up to $25,000 for any covered physical injury as long as it is carried out by a licensed medical professional. Your treatment plan could include diagnostic scans, hospital stays, ER visits, surgeries, and emergency transportation. Basically, anything your licensed medical professional recommends that you need to recover from your accident. Unfortunately, your spiritual healer’s plan is on you.
Your coverage begins the day you order your BLISTER+ Membership.
Log in to your account at myaccount.getspot.com to report your accident so we can verify your policy information. You can do this even if you haven’t received treatment or bills yet. Then, once you get your first bill or Explanation of Benefits, you can file a claim.
No, our BLISTER+ program provides coverage for reimbursement of medical bills incurred for injuries stemming from accidents. As much as we would like to help you with your stomach flu, general illness and sickness are not included in your policy coverage.
Yes, air and ground transportation are covered, up to $25,000.
Coverage is void if the insured is doing anything illegal – e.g., trespassing.
Here is the Policy Transport language:
Ambulance Service (Air) means the service provided:
• by means of a fixed or roto-winged aircraft equipped with life support and medical apparatus; and
• for the primary purpose of transporting an Insured to or from the Hospital where treatment is given.
Ambulance Service (Surface) means the service provided:
• by a commercial or municipal ground ambulance service; and
• for transporting an Insured to or from the Hospital where treatment is given.
General illness, pre-existing conditions, overuse injuries (wear and tear), and chronic sickness are not included in your policy coverage. Spot only covers accidental injuries that happen while you’re participating in the covered activities.
Once you’ve purchased your Blister + Spot Insurance membership, you will receive an email from Spot with instructions on how to log into your Spot account.
Have more questions or want to learn more about Spot? Click Here
FAQs: Blister Membership
If you currently have an active Blister Membership and would like to get a Blister + Spot Membership, head to the Blister Member Clubhouse for instructions.
Once you’ve purchased the Blister Membership, check that you’re logged in and head to our Blister Member Clubhouse. There, you can find your discounts, submit a gear question, check out the latest Flash Reviews and Deep Dive comparisons, read our digital Buyer’s Guides, and more. The Blister Member Clubhouse is your one-stop shop for taking advantage of all the benefits of the Blister Membership.
The Blister Membership includes a print copy of our Buyer’s Guide, which is why there is a shipping charge. However, if you don’t need a print copy, you can make that selection before adding the Blister Membership to your cart. If you select that you do not need a print copy, you will not be charged for shipping.
All of our subscriptions are set to automatically renew a year after you first purchase a subscription, but if you do not want your subscription to renew automatically, head to the “My Subscriptions” tab on your “My Account” page and cancel your subscription; if you do so, your subscription will remain active until a year after your most recent order. If you have any questions about our subscriptions or renewal process, please reach out to us via our Contact page.
If you’re a current member who selected the digital-only option for the Winter Buyer’s Guide when you bought your Blister Membership, but would now like to receive the print edition in future years, go to the “My Subscriptions” tab on the “My Account” page on our site, hit the “Switch Subscription” button, select the print option from the drop-down box on the Blister Membership product page, and complete the checkout process (be sure to double check your shipping address). You’ll be able to do this at no extra charge, but your next renewal payment will include a shipping fee to cover the print guide.
If you’re a current member who selected the print option for the Winter Buyer’s Guide when you bought your Blister Membership but would now like to switch to the digital edition and not pay shipping in future years, go to the “My Subscriptions” tab on the “My Account” page on our site, hit the “Switch Subscription” button, select the digital option from the drop-down box on the Blister Membership product page, and complete the checkout process (be sure to double check your shipping address). Then, to have the shipping charge removed from your subscription, please reach out to us at this email and we’ll make sure we get that updated
Deep Dive Comparisons
Perhaps the most useful tool for ski comparisons, our Deep Dives spell out how a ski compares to every other relevant ski in the category. Check out our sample Deep Dive of the K2 Mindbender 99Ti to see an example
Flash Reviews
We often get on gear long before it’s released, and our Full Reviews necessarily take time to produce (you know, since we actually put lots of time on or in the products we test). Blister Flash Reviews provide our initial impressions of a product and are updated in real time as we spend more time on it. We post Flash Reviews for skis, mountain bikes, ski boots, high-profile mountain bike components, ski bindings, and more. Check out our sample Flash Review of the Atomic Bent 110 to see an example
Have a different question about the Blister Membership? Contact Us
“We feel strongly that every single person reading Blister or listening to our podcasts ought to get this coverage.” It’s really fun when Jonathan forgets that other countries exist and that they actually have decent healthcare systems
Definitely haven’t forgotten, Steven. “Decent” systems exist, yes. And in some countries, even great. But we have readers & listeners in over 150 countries, and the ability to get medical costs covered whether the accident happens in country or out of country – in addition to any number of other factors that might leave people without coverage, or without full coverage – that’s what we want everyone to get very clear about, and determine **before you get injured** what you are actually covered for, and what you are not.
We’ve got excellent government-funded healthcare in Australia and it doesn’t cover extraction from a backcountry skiing accident and will still leave you out of pocket, albeit possible not as much as in the US. Nor does it cover treatment anywhere else in the World. This is a very good offer and I hope that plenty of people take it up so that Jonathan and the Team are in a stronger position to negotiate better benefits at lower prices. Great stuff Blister – it makes up for not being allowed to enter competitions from Australia.
Hey Jonathan, thanks for this–it could be a Godsend. I’ve been looking for insurance that covers rock, ice, and alpine climbing for a long time.
I am a US citizen with residency in Switzerland. If this insurance would cover me for accidents in the US, Switzerland, France, Italy, and so on…I’ll sign up right away.
Can you confirm the international coverage, as well as the ability to register for non-US residents?
Hi, Bruno – yes, I can confirm both:
1) Any person, regardless of their citizenry, is eligible for this coverage. All non-US residents are eligible. Payment just needs to be made in USD.
2) Once signed up, a person with our Blister + Spot Membership is covered *anywhere* in the world, when participating in any / all of the activities listed above.
So welcome aboard.
(BTW, since announcing this program less than 48 hours ago, I have been inundated with texts and emails from so many friends around the world, Blister members, and people in the outdoor industry, who – like you – see this as a Godsend. This is very personal for me. I am sick of seeing my friends and so many people in our community get hurt physically, then *also* get hurt financially. The problem is rampant. If people can be covered by some other method, that’s great. I just want to make sure that everyone actually *is* covered.)
To be fair, a lot of us with universal health care also have supplemental insurance for mountain sports.
I live in Spain, which has amazing, zero out-of-pocket healthcare. In my region I’d say 80-90% of backcountry skiers join the Catalan alpine club, called FEEC, which membership also provides supplemental health/accident insurance, MTN rescue, etc. there are varying levels of coverage based on geography and altitude, generally costing between 100-300 euros/year.
Honestly, 300 bucks seems like a good price point depending on your existing health insurance.
Does Spot insurance cover (any or some of) the cost of backcountry rescue or evacuation due to injury?
Hi, Roger – the short answer is yes, air and ground transportation are covered, up to $25,000.
The longer answer:
Re: “search and rescue” – the “search” part is not covered, but the “rescue” portion is. E.g., if you are lost and the sheriff/etc. activates a search party, the cost of finding you is not covered, but the cost of caring for and extracting you once you’re found, is. If you have a beacon and can be pinpointed by rescuers, there would be no search costs, and your transport would be covered up to $25,000.
Coverage is void if the insured is doing anything illegal – e.g., trespassing.
Here is the Policy Transport language:
Ambulance Service (Air) means the service provided:
• by means of a fixed or roto-winged aircraft equipped with life support and medical apparatus; and
• for the primary purpose of transporting an Insured to or from the Hospital where treatment is given.
Ambulance Service (Surface) means the service provided:
• by a commercial or municipal ground ambulance service; and
• for transporting an Insured to or from the Hospital where treatment is given.
Hi Jonathan, Love the idea of this. Curious if there is an option for family pricing? Would be great to get everyone covered. Thanks!
Why is surfing not on the list of covered activities?
and Kitesurfing! Any chance you guys can add these activities??
Not right now, but it’s certainly a possibility down the line.
How about ice skating? Or other human powered outdoor sports?
So if you are on a canadian hut trip and you sprain your knee and want treatment, the helicopter that comes may not have medical personnel. Does this mean that you are not covered.
Hey, Damon – whether or not you receive treatment on the heli is not the issue. The transport is coming because of an injury, and because you need transport due to that injury. So you would be covered.
Hi, does the insurance cover injuries resulting from less extreme yet still physical activities like playing basketball or soccer?
Hi, thanks for the question. This particular membership & coverage extends only to the numerous activities listed above.
Hi Jonathan! As someone who injured myself in skiing in Zermatt at the end of December and racked up about 1800 in medical bills so far for the knee MRI, PT, Ortho visits, Ankle Brace, etc I’m curious about how the spot insurance would have handled this situation! My employer provides me with an HSA and partially funds it which is what I’ve been using to pay for just about everything so far, if I had the Blister/SPOT insurance am able to use it to pay injury related bills or would I have to use my HSA up first before using the blister Spot insurance to cover things?
Sorry I missed this question, Dane – it came in right in the middle of Blister Summit madness. I’ll check on this to be 100% correct, will report back shortly.
I feel like the big gap in the description of this comes with “how does this work when you have insurance already”? Is this as simple as “send us whatever you’re out of pocket with your insurance and we’ll cut a check” or is it going to be some drawn out claim process of SPOT criticizing your insurance and making you fight with them before they do anything? For me this product would only be worth it to get rid of the hassle of having to fight with insurance on out-of-pocket expenses.
I agree with you: f— fighting with insurance companies. I’ve done it, and it sucks. With BLISTER+, you would file a claim with Spot, and then Spot will work directly with your insurance provider, and pay your insurance provider directly the amount of your deductible.
And BLISTER+ members can always reach out to me and the rest of our team at Blister to make sure that things are proceeding as they should.
I just signed up for Blister+ and want to get my girlfriend a plan too. Can we pay for two coverage plans under one blister member account? Not seeing this as an option, but could be really ideal since we use our one membership account for everything else. Thanks!
Hi, Krzy-ski – short answer for now: to be eligible for coverage, every individual needs to have their own membership.