Rescue Insurance for Europe

We're leaving on Sunday for a couple weeks of skiing in Switzerland, Austria, and Germany. We plan to do some low-key backcounty touring and I realized that we should get some mountain rescue insurance.   I thought it would be pretty straight forward but it turns out that I should have allowed time for them to mail the membership card.  It looks like the best options are either the German Alpine Club or the Austrian Alpine Club (British Section) but there are issues with both. 

Does anyone have any experience with this or useful knowledge that they would be willing to share?

In Chamonix recently it was as easy a paying an extra 17 Euros on my multi-pass ticket for "Carre Neige" ( Rescue insurance).
Not sure if that is Alpswide but might be worth googling if where you are going is included.

BTW conditions right now are incredible but the avy risk is pretty high as well. Multiple recent avys, deaths and injuries.

www.carreneige.com/en/where_can_you_find_us.php

Another option is to "hold your nose" and dive into the TGR website...There is an ongoing thread there called "Snow for the Euros" that has all the Euro maggots from CH, Germ and AUS posting on conditions and hook-ups. If you posted a question there...I'm sure they would provide a comprehensive answer.

www.tetongravity.com/forums/showthread.p...or-the-Euros/page498

I just got back from two weeks in Europe, I did not buy insurace. Still alive, no cost. Just stay outta trouble. Kinda like at home. My 2c.

If the American Alpine Institute in Bellingham still runs trips in the Alps (I have a faint memory of seeing a brochure of theirs on one or more Alps trips around 20 years ago...), I'm sure they have a bead on outfits that will provide insurance for their clients.

And, to snoholic's point, my understanding (quite possibly wrong) is that unlike here at home, a rescue there can lead to a fair bit of personal cost that we don't tend to have to bear here at home, so the "hope for the best" (aka "self insuring") may not be quite as pleasant over there if your luck runs out.

Although snoholics advice to stay outta trouble is good , his advice to not get insurance is very bad and more to do with youthful bravado than common sense.

It's not like here and rescues cost a lot of money and could bankrupt you or eat into your net worth..big time.

Shit happens no matter how experienced, young , old or careful.: Bindings pull out of skis, people fall and tear their ACL etc., etc.

The insurance cost is minimal in most cases , less than $3 euros a day for my trip, just a bit more than a grande latte from Starbucks!

Here's another link that may help you.

cosleyhouston.com/fees/rescue-insurance.htm

If you are climbing or skiing wholly within Switzerland, you can subscribe to REGA. REGA rescue insurance can be purchased in most Swiss post offices and costs 30 Swiss Francs for the year for an individual.