Sierra Nevada Ski Station
Encyclopedia
The Sierra Nevada Ski Station is a ski resort
in the Sierra Nevada
mountains in the province Granada in southeastern Spain
. The ski area is on the northern slopes of Veleta
, the third highest peak in Spain. This is the most southerly ski resort of Europe
.
The resort hosted the 1996 Alpine World Ski Championships
, and regularly hosts high-level races of FIS Alpine Ski World Cup. It has been selected to host the 2015 Winter Universiade
, the world university games.
, and the highest in Spain. With its high elevation
, the skiing season can last from late November until early May. Particularly towards the end of the season you can enjoy long, sunny days of skiing, although wind can be a problem due to Veleta's prominence
and few trees. The resort is situated 27 km (17 mi.) from the city of Granada
, and is accessed by the A-395. It is also less than 100 km from Motril
, on the Costa Tropical
, which means skiing and swimming on the same day is an option. Nearest bigger city is Malaga
(a population of nearly 600,000 people), is accessed by the highway A-7
/European route E15
(Malaga-Motril), highway A-7
/European route E902 (Motril-Granada) and then route Granada-Sierra Nevada Ski Station.
At the foot of the slopes there is a resort village, Pradollano, which stretches up a hill to the north of the pistes. The bottom of the village is at about 2100 meters above sea level, while the top is at almost 2400 meters above sea level. Pradollano is home to a large number of shops, including many that sell or rent ski equipment, souvenir shops and a small supermarket. There are also a variety of ski schools, restaurants, cafés, bars and nightclubs.
The mid-station Borreguiles, which is served by two cable cars that run from the bottom of Pradollano, is at 2675 m (8776 ft). Here there are a few cafés and restaurants, a ski school
, a few hire shops and lockers.
The resort is run by a private-public enterprise called Cetursa Sierra Nevada, S.A..
In recent years the resort has made an effort to increase the number of services it offers, including expanding the Mirlo Blanco recreation zone, which now has an ice rink, toboggans, ski-bikes, mini-skis and a track for wheeled toboggans.
In summer you can go walking, cycling, horse-riding and mountain climbing in the area. One of the cable cars and one chair-lift are kept open in July and August, making it relatively easy for hikers to reach the summit of Veleta. On a clear day, you may be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of Africa from the peak of the mountain.
Also during the summer months, the National Parks office runs a microbus service from Hoya de la Mora, just above the resort village, to Posiciones del Veleta, at 3,100 metres. The service includes a guided commentary about the geology and ecology of the Sierra Nevada.
There is also a microbus service that shuttles between the bottom and top of Pradollano, as well as a chair-lift suitable for non-skiers that connects the bottom, middle and top of the village.
Sierra Nevada
Ski resort
A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing and other winter sports. In Europe a ski resort is a town or village in a ski area - a mountainous area, where there are ski trails and supporting services such as hotels and other accommodation, restaurants, equipment rental and a ski lift system...
in the Sierra Nevada
Sierra Nevada (Spain)
The Sierra Nevada is a mountain range in the region of provinces of Granada and Almería in Spain. It contains the highest point of continental Spain, Mulhacén at 3478 m above sea level....
mountains in the province Granada in southeastern Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. The ski area is on the northern slopes of Veleta
Veleta (Sierra Nevada)
Veleta or Pico del Veleta is the third highest peak of the Iberian peninsula and the second highest in the Sierra Nevada. Its height is given variously as , and ....
, the third highest peak in Spain. This is the most southerly ski resort of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
The resort hosted the 1996 Alpine World Ski Championships
FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1996
The FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1996 were held at Sierra Nevada near Granada city in southeastern Spain, February 12-25, 1996. The championships were to be held in 1995, but were postponed due to lack of snow.-Medals table:...
, and regularly hosts high-level races of FIS Alpine Ski World Cup. It has been selected to host the 2015 Winter Universiade
2015 Winter Universiade
The 2015 Winter Universiade, the XXVII Winter Universiade, is a multi sport winter event which will take place in Granada, Spain. On 14th March, 2009, FISU announced that the host would be Granada because they are the only bid..-External links:**...
, the world university games.
Description
Sierra Nevada is Europe’s southernmost ski stationSki Station
Ski Station is a railway station located in Ski, Norway. Located from Oslo Central Station on the Østfold Line, at the point where the railway splits in two into an eastern and western line....
, and the highest in Spain. With its high elevation
Elevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface ....
, the skiing season can last from late November until early May. Particularly towards the end of the season you can enjoy long, sunny days of skiing, although wind can be a problem due to Veleta's prominence
Topographic prominence
In topography, prominence, also known as autonomous height, relative height, shoulder drop , or prime factor , categorizes the height of the mountain's or hill's summit by the elevation between it and the lowest contour line encircling it and no higher summit...
and few trees. The resort is situated 27 km (17 mi.) from the city of Granada
Granada
Granada is a city and the capital of the province of Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence of three rivers, the Beiro, the Darro and the Genil. It sits at an elevation of 738 metres above sea...
, and is accessed by the A-395. It is also less than 100 km from Motril
Motril
Motril is a town and municipality on the Mediterranean coast in the province of Granada, Spain.Motril is the second largest town in the province, with a population of 59,163 as of 2008...
, on the Costa Tropical
Costa Tropical
Costa Tropical is a comarca in southern Spain, corresponding to the Mediterranean coastline of the province of Granada, Andalusia. It is also but less frequently called the “Costa de Granada” or "Costa Granadina"...
, which means skiing and swimming on the same day is an option. Nearest bigger city is Malaga
Málaga
Málaga is a city and a municipality in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia, Spain. With a population of 568,507 in 2010, it is the second most populous city of Andalusia and the sixth largest in Spain. This is the southernmost large city in Europe...
(a population of nearly 600,000 people), is accessed by the highway A-7
Autovía A-7
The Autovía A-7 is a Spanish autovía which starts in La Jonquera, near the French frontier and ends in Algeciras....
/European route E15
European route E15
The European route E 15 is part of the United Nations international E-road network. It is a north-south "reference road", running from Inverness, Scotland south through England and France to Algeciras, Spain...
(Malaga-Motril), highway A-7
Autovía A-44
The Autovía A-44 is a highway in Andalucia, Spain. It is also known as the Autovía de Granada / Sierra Nevada.It starts on the coast at Motril at the junction of the N340 initially being called the N-323. It heads up the gorge of the Rio Guadalfeo into the Valle de Lecrin with Las Alpujarras to the...
/European route E902 (Motril-Granada) and then route Granada-Sierra Nevada Ski Station.
At the foot of the slopes there is a resort village, Pradollano, which stretches up a hill to the north of the pistes. The bottom of the village is at about 2100 meters above sea level, while the top is at almost 2400 meters above sea level. Pradollano is home to a large number of shops, including many that sell or rent ski equipment, souvenir shops and a small supermarket. There are also a variety of ski schools, restaurants, cafés, bars and nightclubs.
The mid-station Borreguiles, which is served by two cable cars that run from the bottom of Pradollano, is at 2675 m (8776 ft). Here there are a few cafés and restaurants, a ski school
Ski school
A ski school is an establishment that trains skiers. The modern version of the ski school was invented by the Austrian ski pioneer Hannes Schneider in the early 1920s when he formalized instruction methods and established these methods as teaching principles for all ski instructors at his school.In...
, a few hire shops and lockers.
The resort is run by a private-public enterprise called Cetursa Sierra Nevada, S.A..
Activities
By far the main attraction for visitors to the resort is the 100 km (62 mi.) of alpine skiing runs. With abundant snow, it is possible to ski almost anywhere on the mountain, as the whole resort is above the tree line. It should be noted that the resort does not carry out avalanche blasting, and skiers are generally advised against leaving the pistes due to avalanche risk. As the resort mainly caters to locals, and less to people visiting for a whole week, it is much busier at weekends. There are rarely any queues mid-week outside the main Spanish holidays (first week of December, Christmas through to 6 January and Easter). Even at weekends, queues are generally fairly short if the whole resort is open, allowing skiers to spread out across the mountain.In recent years the resort has made an effort to increase the number of services it offers, including expanding the Mirlo Blanco recreation zone, which now has an ice rink, toboggans, ski-bikes, mini-skis and a track for wheeled toboggans.
In summer you can go walking, cycling, horse-riding and mountain climbing in the area. One of the cable cars and one chair-lift are kept open in July and August, making it relatively easy for hikers to reach the summit of Veleta. On a clear day, you may be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of Africa from the peak of the mountain.
Also during the summer months, the National Parks office runs a microbus service from Hoya de la Mora, just above the resort village, to Posiciones del Veleta, at 3,100 metres. The service includes a guided commentary about the geology and ecology of the Sierra Nevada.
Communications
A bus service connects the resort to the main bus station in the city of Granada, with the journey taking approximately 45 minutes. The bus station is on Avenida de Juan Pablo II. During the skiing season, weekday buses run from the bus station to the resort at 08:00, 10:00 and 17:00, returning at 09:00, 16:00 and 18:30. At weekends and on public holidays they leave Granada at 08:00, 10:00, 15:00 and 17:00, and return at 09:00, 13:00, 16:00 and 18:30. Outside the skiing season, there is a daily bus to the resort at 09:00, while the bus back down leaves at 17:00.There is also a microbus service that shuttles between the bottom and top of Pradollano, as well as a chair-lift suitable for non-skiers that connects the bottom, middle and top of the village.
See also
Sierra Nevada National ParkSierra Nevada National Park (Spain)
The Parque Nacional Sierra Nevada is located in Granada and Almería provinces in south-eastern Spain. It was declared a national park on 14 January 1999. It stretches from the Alpujarra to El Marquesado and the Lecrin Valley, covering a total area of 85,883 hectares, making it the largest national...
Sierra Nevada
Sierra Nevada (Spain)
The Sierra Nevada is a mountain range in the region of provinces of Granada and Almería in Spain. It contains the highest point of continental Spain, Mulhacén at 3478 m above sea level....
External links
- Sierra Nevada Ski.com - - ski station website