I participate in extreme sports around the world on an amateur basis. 
My activities include skydiving, spelunking, snowboarding, SCUBA
diving, mountain climbing and BASE jumping.  I am well trained and
stay in shape.  In over twenty years of fun, I have suffered only
three minor injuries that did not require anything more than a single
visit to the doctor’s office.  However, the possibility of serious
injury is always present and I would like to purchase medical and
disability insurance that will cover any activity anywhere in the
world.  I’m even willing to pay for short term windows during which
the activity in question will take place.  Where do I find a company
that covers policy holders who jump off 3,000 foot cliffs with a
parachute strapped on their back?

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Request for Question Clarification by tj-ga on 10 Dec 2002 21:42 PST

What country do you live in? I have found a policy if you are a UK resident. 

tj-ga

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Clarification of Question by braindump-ga on 10 Dec 2002 22:27 PST

I am a US citizen and live in the US.  In the past I have found firms
in the UK and Australia offering the insurance I am seeking - but only
for citizens of their countries. Lloyds of London offered some fairly
liberal policies, but I have not investigated their recent offerings.

of the activities you mention, scuba diving, skydiving and
snowboarding are fairly organized activities that nowadays are not
considered very extreme, and i'm sure for each of these activities it
is very easy to find specialized insurance (for scuba diving i know it
to be the case, being a diving instructor). here in israel, you can
buy skiing insurance at any travel agency.
for mountain climbing and spelunking you can probably find insurance
through various climbers'/cavers' associations. BASE jumping sounds
more problematic (does jumping a 3,000 foot cliff count as BASE
jumping? i thought BASE meant jumping off fairly low heights on the
order of 300-400 feet) considering the low number of people practicing
it and the fairly high risk level.

dannidin -
I agree that from some perspectives scuba diving, skydiving and
snowboarding are not considered extreme.  A T-shirt sometimes seen on
BASE jumpers reads "If it can't kill you - it's not extreme".  I am
also a PADI instructor and know that instructor insurance is available
from certification organizations.  However, BASE juming is not
organized like major sports and that kind of activity is generally
excluded from policies for other sports.  I appreciate your comments,
but they suggest a long effort to find individualized policies for
each activity.  What I really need is a blanket policy that will cover
me for any activity in any country.

hi braindump,

i've been searching a little and it seems that there is a serious
problem of finding insurance coverage for BASE jumping. all extreme
sports insurance policies i've found either specifically mention BASE
jumping as not covered, or do not mention it in the list of activities
that they do cover. some BASE jumper websites even complain about the
lack of available insurance, for instance this french website

French B.A.S.E. association
http://www.base-jump.com/index.php?Tp=articles&Type=article&Lang=&Id=25

mentions the lack of insurance as one of the problems inhibiting the
growth of the number of jumpers. (this, after complaining about the
growing number of fatal BASE-jumping accidents)

another french BASE jumper website

http://www.planetskydive.com/Base.htm

even seems to flaunt the inavailability of insurance, with the
following text pasted romantically next to pictures of base jumps:
(english translation follows)

"Tout d’abord, le Base jump est une pratique individuelle.
Chacun est responsable de soi
Chacun plie son parachute pour sauter.
Il n’y a pas de plieur pour plier les parachutes d’autrui.
Chaque base jumper engage sa propre responsabilité pour les sauts
qu’il fait lui.
Ne cherchez pas d’Ecole Française de Base Jump, cela n’existe pas.
Il n’existe pas non plus d’assurance couvrant le Base Jump"

in english:
first of all, base jump is an individual practice.
each jumper is responsible for himself.
each jumper folds his own parachute. there is noone else who will fold
his parachute.
each jumper engages his own responsibility for the jumps he makes.
do not look for a french school of base jumping, it does not exist.
neither does an insurance policy exist that covers base jumping.


dannidin

dannidin-
The French BASE site alludes to the "romantic" attraction some jumpers
have to the danger factor of the sport, but those kind of people are
generally in the minority.  The real romance of BASE is in the climb
to the exit point and the self control gained by balancing your
emotions and skill against risk.  The sport exposes you to fantastic
places and fantastic people all over the world.  Last year I even
spent time jumping in France.  In the US, there are several
specialized courses and training areas that have made that aspect of
the sport very tame.  However, those of us with extensive experience
still need medical insurance in case something goes wrong.

i did not mean to sound critical of your hobby. (although i am
slightly critical, as i sense you are, of those people who find the
notion of no insurance romantic.) i'm just trying to help. however, i
must say i'm skeptical that you will find an adequate insurance
coverage for base jumping, for the reasons i stated above.