Jon Clarke (Publisher & Editor)
IT is hard to believe that just below me are the glistening white beaches of the Costa Tropical and its nearby sister, the Costa del Sol.
Way over to my east are Tunis, Sicily and Athens, while to the west are Sevilla and the Algarve.
Yet somehow, just somehow, I am wrapped up in a parka with a warm hat and gloves and completely surrounded by fluffy white snow as far as the eye can see.
Yes, this is the Sierra Nevada, Europe’s most southerly skiing resort and mainland Spain’s highest mountain.
The geography of the area is simply staggering given its proximity to the beach and getting so much snow here is all to do with its altitude, which goes up to a staggering 3,482 metres (11,423 feet) above sea level.
Its highest peak, Mulhacen, is named after Moorish king Muley Hacen (Abdul Hassan Ali), who is said to have been buried at the top.
The views from the top of the highest ski lift, at 3,300 metres, are among the best in Europe, with the views across the Mediterranean to the Rif mountains of Morocco making it look like a small pond.
From here, I have frequently skied into the Laguna de las Yeguas valley, including its celebrated Olympic run, with almost nobody around, assuming you are up here midweek.
Discovery
It was two decades ago that I first spotted the faraway snowy peaks of the Sierra Nevada from the terrace of a roof-top restaurant in Torremolinos some 150 kilometres away.
It was intriguing, like a giant white magnet, and I was soon racing up there to be seduced by the thrills of winter sports, right here on our doorstep.
None of the hassle of flying to Lyon or Turin and schlepping it up on a long coach trip into the Alps, as most of us on the costas can get there in a couple of hours.
While it’s a fabulous day trip from the Costa del Sol, you are missing half the fun if you don’t stay at least one night.
Not only has the main resort of Pradollano got some of the best places to eat in Granada province but there is some excellent apres-ski entertainment on offer.
It has become a rite of passage to hit the slopes for at least a few days since a school trip to the French Alps as a teenager.
I can’t wait to strap on skis as Christmas nears and the first snows of the year finally arrive.
Annoyingly the season seems to start later and later these days in the Sierra Nevada. While the Pyrenees already has a ton of snow, we often have to wait until just before Xmas to get the white stuff.
The beauty of skiing in the Sierra Nevada is that the slopes are usually warm during the day and you will see many regulars actually skiing in t-shirts.
It’s a total contrast to the skiers who will be shivering in the Alps at this time or year, where the price of a beer or a coffee will certainly be double.
“While I love heading up to Val d’Isere or somewhere nearby in winter, nothing beats a couple of days in the Sierra Nevada,” says hotelier James Stuart, from Vejer de la Frontera.
“It’s a charming place and it’s so very convenient for all of us in southern Spain.”
Local ski school owner Luis Casenove, of Telemark, agrees: “This is the nicest place in the world to ski. We offer the best weather and the prices have hardly gone up in years,” says the veteran, who has been working here for nearly four decades.
And if you plan the trip properly you could combine it with a night in the emblematic city of Granada, which is just 40 minutes down the hill.
The Alhambra and its amazing Generalife gardens are open every day of the year and a walk around the Arabic parts of the city, in particular, the Albayzin or Realejo, are wonderful with the snowy backdrop above.
You might also add in a night or two in the fascinating nearby region of the Alpujarras, or the Lecrin valley, just on the other side of the mountain.
Whatever your plans, one of the true joys of a weekend in the Sierra Nevada, is seeing the snowy peaks appear on the skyline from an hour away and then the wonderful windy drive on the final leg.
This is one of Spain’s most amazing drives, with scenery to die for, as the snowy mountains loom ever closer. Indeed, at least half of those who drive up don’t even ski, but come to enjoy the views and exhilarating road with its sharp curves and very steep drops.
The resort is run by Cetursa, an offshoot of the Junta, and has got incredibly organised and digitalised over recent years. The buying of ski passes (forfeits) is easier than ever and most do it in advance online, or using an app.
It’s easy to park right under the two main ski-lifts to the top and it costs around 20 euros a day.
Most places to rent skis and boots, or snowboards, can be found within 200m of the car park.
While this year the snow has arrived late, some 40,000 skiers often land on the bank holiday puente weekend at the beginning of December.
Now the temperatures have finally dropped there will be plenty of snow machines pumping out the stuff through the day and night and at its peak there will be 110 kms of pistes open.
A fun fact, it was in the Laguna valley, designed for expert skiers, that Netflix made its amazing series Society of the Snow about the infamous 1972 plane crash in the Andes.
For snowboarders or jump-lovers make your way to Superpark Sulayr, in the Loma de Dilar area, Europe’s largest freestyle park, with its giant 165 metre ‘half pipe’.
And then there is the famous ‘Rio’ run that leads right down to the resort of Pradollano, which sits at 2,100 metres.
Planning
It definitely pays to pick your days with Easter and Christmas frequently saturated with queues for the lifts, although Christmas Day can often be relatively quiet, while on the day of the Reyes (January 6), almost all of the Spanish will be at home opening presents.
Don’t forget to try and avoid Semana Blanca (literally ‘white week’) – or half term at the end of February – when school children learn to ski, and, of course, bank holidays can also be very busy. The main tip is to go up early at 8am to 9am before the Spanish get going or waiting till midday.
While a modern resort, the main base at Pradollano is a nice spot to take in the air or a spot of lunch, and there are things for the kids to do, with entertainers and Disney figures wandering around, particularly around Christmas.
The Sierra Nevada has also got a reputation as being a resort for fun, with the apres ski being some of the best in Europe, once you know where to find it (tip: it’s mostly uphill).
The skiing resort started to develop rapidly from 1995 when the World Skiing Championship was scheduled to be held there (due to poor snow it actually took place the following year).
“Since then the infrastructure changes were huge and it is now a big resort,” explains resort marketing boss Santiago Sevilla, who has worked there for nearly two decades.
The ticket office in Plaza Andalucia is fully digital and now has dozens of machines installed for credit cards and phone payments so you shouldn’t have to queue for long.
A day’s skiing costs €37 to €63 at peak time, but normally about €45, while those in their 70s get free passes.
More information: https://sierranevada.es/en/invierno/ski-passes/
