First post! Wanted to join up and clear something up as some of the posts here are misleading.
Carte Neige is NOT a substitute for travel insurance. Essentially Carte Neige is a recovery service like the AA – it entitles you to recovery from the mountain to the nearest medical facility by whatever transport is necessary – ambulance, helicopter, trailer behind a ski patroler.
It does NOT cover any other expenses.
And yes your travel insurance probably covers your recovery from the mountain, but you will need to pay up front and claim back – when my friend bust his collar bone practically the first thing the ski patroller asked him was “do you have a credit card?”.
I get the Carte Neige every time as I feel the no questions asked convenience factor is worth the extra few euros.
So in summary, Travel insurance = essential, carte niege = nice to have.