Skiing in Almería and Granada

See also, in The AngloFILE:

Sport & Leisure

• Spain is Europe's second most mountainous country after Switzerland
• The Pyrenees has 200 summits over 2,000m and Pico d'Aneto (on the Spanish side) at 3,404m, is the highest point
• Andorra is the highest inhabited country in Europe, with no part of it below 870m.
• Moguls are the bumps created by skiers as they turn on the snow. Although many people dislike the bumps some runs are left "un-pisted" so they turn into mogul fields where the experts can brush up their technique
• Snow parks, also known as terrain parks, board parks, freestyle parks, slide areas (or simply, parks) are areas on the mountain which are specially designed to cater for the freestyle skier or boarder. There are rails, jumps, slope-style, big-air and a half-pipe for skate inspired acrobatics
• The Sierra Nevada ski area near Granada is the most southerly ski resort in Europe 

Skiing in Spain

Winter sports in Spain are managed by the Real Federación Española de Deportes de Invierno which manages the resorts across the country and ensures that skiers in Spain comply with the rules and regulations for mountain conduct of the International Ski Federation (FIS, Fédération Internationale de Ski) 

•  For information on the FIS 10 rules of conduct: Click here

The Spanish ski season runs from December to April, depending on snow conditions.

Many of the resorts offer a combination of pistes for downhill (esquí de descenso) and cross-country (esquí nórdico) skiing. Other mountain sports commonly available are paragliding, parasailing, hang gliding, ice-skating, snow shoe walking, sleigh riding and skidoo trips.

Heli-skiing is available in Spain, although illegal in France. It is a sport for the more advanced skier or snowboarder - a helicopter drops the skier at the top of a mountain and they can ski down unprepared slopes.

On the Slopes

 Ski slopes - or pistes - are graded by difficulty:

The Resorts

A lift-pass (forfait) is needed to ski in a resort. It is possible to acquire half-day, day or week passes for beginners (with access to some green and blue pistes) or complete (guaranteeing access to all slopes). Photographic identity may be needed when buying a lift pass.

Resorts usually offer accommodation such as hotels, apartments or chalets, and have shops selling or renting equipment. Most resorts also have ski schools for all levels.

Sierra Nevada

The Sierra Nevada (literally "snowy range") mountain range offers the highest peak in continental Spain, the 3,479-metres high Mulhacén.

Located near Granada and close to Almería and Málaga, this range is a popular tourist destination, as its high peaks allow tourists to practice winter sports in Europe's most Southern ski resort.

Sierra Nevada Ski Resort (Sol y Nieve)

The Sierra Nevada ski resort stands between Pico Veleta and Pradollano, twenty-five minutes by car from Granada. It extends for 61 Km and has 39 slopes designed by European and American specialists for beginner, intermediate and advanced skiers.

The resort offers facilities such as ski lifts, chair lifts and cable links, and is also equipped with floodlit slopes for night skiing and snow cannons. The nearby holiday village of Pradollano offers accommodation, leisure centres, equipment rental and shops, restaurants and ski schools.

In normal conditions, it is possible to ski in the Sierra Nevada from the end of November to the middle of May.

• For a Sierra Nevada snow report: Click here
• Centursa Sierra Nevada
  At: Plaza de Andalucía Edf. Cetursa C.P., 18196 Sierra Nevada (Granada)
  Tel: 902 708 090
  Fax: 958 249 122
  Website

Further Information

• Real Federación Española de Deportes de Invierno
  At: Avda. de los Madroños 36A, ES-28043 Madrid
  Tel: 913 769 930
  Fax: 913 769 931
  Website
• AngloINFO INFOrmation Page Skiing in Spain (Catalonia and neighbouring Andorra)