Why do you never mention Direct Travel when you review insurance sites?

A good question, and one a rather disgruntled Direct Travel manager has asked. The answer, I'm afraid, is not a satisfactory one: I don't find the name particularly memorable and I simply forgot.

But it claims to offer the best skiing cover of any company.

True -although so would every insurance company, and such are the intricacies of their various policies that it would be impossible to decide which was the most comprehensive or the best value. Direct Travel's wintersports policy has, however, been awarded "Best Buy" status by Which? magazine, so I thought it was time to remedy the omission.

Why did it win?

Unlike many policies, it covers off-piste skiing; will pay out if the slopes are closed because of too much snow, as well as too little; will cover the loss of unattended skis and snowboards outside restaurants and bars, even if they are not locked to rackings; injury during "friendly" ski school races; and search-and-rescue costs.

How much does it cost?

A single week's ski insurance next month for a healthy 26-year-old costs £19 - which is significantly cheaper than the last insurance policy I bought. And, of course, someone stole one of my ski poles during lunch, leaving my turns even more unbalanced than before. The insurance didn't cover it. The multi-trip cover is obviously more expensive, but covers an unlimited number of trips to anywhere in the world.

· On the subject of skiing, webcam fans will enjoy snoweye.com, a collection of live photos from dozens of resorts.