Best tips for skiing in Sierra Nevada: experience

For many years the ski resorts that we have frequented have been those located in the Pyrenees, specifically, those of Grandvalira in Andorra and Formigal in Aragon, as well as that of La Molina.

But the truth is that we really wanted to know the Sierra Nevada station en Andalusia, which we have now had the opportunity to do.

Sierra Nevada has become one of the most important tourist destinations in the ski season within the Iberian Peninsula and not only because of its more than 100 kilometers of ski area.

La Sierra Nevada station is in the province of Granada, and as a curiosity, its chairlifts reach just a few meters from the summit of the peak vane, the third highest on the peninsula.

Furthermore, due to its location just 30 kilometers from the city ​​of grenada, makes it a highly visited destination for families who simply want to spend a day in the mountains.

What activities to do in Sierra Nevada

Gone are those days when going to a ski resort was based solely on taking your equipment and sliding down the slopes.

Now all the towns in which the stations are located offer a wide offer of activities for skiers and non-skiers.

And also, Sierra Nevada It is a very suitable place to enjoy this offer since, despite its altitude, it is one of the stations where you can enjoy the most sunny days in the winter season.

In the lower part of the town you will find an area where you can sleigh ride and in donuts inflatables, go down a small roller coaster or ride some sled bikes.

You can also enjoy some of the restaurants which are located around the central square and the streets of the lower area, where there is always a great atmosphere of skiers and visitors, with some places that offer live music or terraces from which to watch the sunset.

You also have the possibility of purchasing a ski pass for non-skiers which gives you the possibility of going up and down, just once, to the intermediate area of ​​the station called Sheep.

Best ski slopes in Sierra Nevada

Chairlifts which place their highest levels above 3200 meters of altitude, the north face of the mountain and very well optimized snow cannons create perfect conditions for the formation and maintenance of snow.

El town of Sierra Nevada It is the starting point of the resort and where you can reach it by skiing on your return.

Broadly structuring the station, it is made up of four zones.

Sierra Nevada: what the slopes are like in Borreguiles

The central part of Sheep is where the initiation area and most of the chairlifts depart from here. Sierra Nevada.

It can be considered the heart of the Sierra Nevada resort, ideal for beginners for whom they have placed two four-person chairlifts that give you access to the entire area with the least slope of the station.

There you can buy or rent ski equipment, in addition to eating on the terrace, and this location is served by the station's two central cable cars.

Sierra Nevada; What are the slopes like in Veleta?

If you are looking towards the mountain, on the left side you will find one of the most beautiful areas that can be accessed from the Veleta and Stadium chairlifts, even from Laguna chairlift, located at the highest point of the station.

Without a doubt, due to its views, it is one of the most spectacular areas of the resort, but it is not suitable for beginners, as it has narrow paths that end in red slopes from where you can see the city of Grenada.

In this area is located the longest track in Sierra Nevada, Eagle, a red slope that we loved and that we repeated several times.

Sierra Nevada: what the slopes are like in Laguna de las Yeguas

At the other side of Sheep is the Mare Lagoon.

It is the highest point of the station, and from where you can see the Mediterranean Sea and on clear days the view can be enough to see the coast of Morocco.

It is an area only indicated for high levels because all the slopes are red.

This area is accessed from Sheep taking the Veleta I chairlift and crossing to the adjacent valley, or by means of the only drag that there is in the station, which we liked a lot because we were able to climb two people together, each one on one side of the “perch”.

Sierra Nevada; What are the slopes like in Loma de Dílar?

La Loma de Dilar It would be the last ski area in Sierra Nevada, which is accessed from three points

From the central area of Sheep, with a short chairlift that leaves you at the Observatory antenna; from La Laguna with a very curious chairlift that has a twist on its way up, something unusual; and also from the town area of pradollano.

We use it in the mornings to avoid the waits that usually occur at the beginning of the day in the central cable cars.

En Sierra Nevada for go up to the slopes You have three options, two gondolas, one with seats, which is the highest, and the other where you climb standing up; both take you to the area Sheep, mentioned central axis of the station.

The other access there is, apart from the funiculars, is the one I mentioned before that takes you to the area of ​​the Loma de Dilar, place where the snowpark.

It is a four-seater chairlift that leaves from the lowest part of the town in pradollano, which we used to find empty and which we used many times every time we skied down to the town.

A very positive point that we have found throughout the station is the efficient placement of the lifts, since from several of them you can access almost all of the resort's slopes.

Tips for skiing in Sierra Nevada

La time of last upload It is always a very important fact for what they enjoy until the last moment.

In this regard, you should know that the chairlifts that leave from the Sheep They are the ones that close the latest of the entire station, since it takes you to one of the highest points and all its tracks lead to the town.

Another important fact regarding the end of the day is that the part of La Laguna It closes at 16:20 p.m., but you can no longer get off through it because it is the only area of ​​the station that does not have access to the town.

That last climb will allow you to reach the Valley of Sheep from where, there, you can return to the town.

The most frequented track for that last descent is one of the most popular, The river, which is usually filled with beginner level skiers.

There are several alternatives to avoid crowds that this track produces at the last minute.

The easiest is go down on the funicular from Sheep, but if you want to go down skiing, you can take the red slopes with narrow paths.

Or even if your level allows it, the black slopes that go below the funicular, which when we were there had the best snow.

Another option would be to return from the Loma de Dilar.

Where to eat in Sierra Nevada

To be honest, the truth is that eating in slope restaurants It has surprised us negatively.

What we usually do is eat on slopes, an aspect that in other stations we know is quite careful when offering sandwiches or hamburgers that are at least hot.

And the truth is that in Sierra Nevada we tried quite a few restaurants of those found on slopes and we did not find one of that level; I don't know if we were unlucky or it's always like that, but it was the most negative point of the trip.

The only one that was saved a little is the one located at the exit of the ski lift. Stadium; We didn't order a super restaurant, but at least enjoy a chicken or tenderloin sandwich that you can eat hot...

When we return we will see if they have improved this aspect and we will tell you about it.

Where to sleep in Sierra Nevada

When stay in Sierra Nevada, there is a very important fact, the access to the slopes is in the lower part of the town, so it is undoubtedly the best place to book the hotel or apartment, and where the large hotels with spa.

Sierra Nevada It extends along the side of the mountain, so its layout is clearly vertical with large unevenness.

A one-way road descends in a zig-zag fashion and on this road there are apartments and hotels until you reach pradollano.

But one of the most interesting and useful aspects is the Pradollano two-person chairlift Located in the lowest area of ​​the town.

From there it goes up to the highest part of the Sierra Nevada, making a stop halfway, which makes getting around the station more accessible.

Of course, it must be taken into account that this chairlift is only open until 17:30 p.m., although in practice it does not close until the line to go up ends, which is usually around 19:00 p.m., depending on the number of people. the people who use it.

We used to have a beer when we finished skiing around 16:30 or 17:00 p.m., taking advantage of the sun on the terraces, and when the sun set we would go to the chairlift, which we took around 18:30 p.m. and there were still queue to get on.

But be careful, this wide sleeve with the chairlift schedule is only for going up, not for going down.

It is also true that the apartments that are closer to the slopes usually have small access to the slopes.

Even at the highest part of the station there is a chairlift that helps those staying higher up not have so many problems accessing the slopes.

Ski equipment rental in Sierra Nevada

Although for years I have had my own ski equipment, a friend who accompanied us did not have it and had to rent it.

En Sierra Nevada There are many places to rent it; We did it in one of the shops in the town and the price was 65 euros for 4 days, renting boots and a board. snowboard.

Ski pass prices in Sierra Nevada

The issue of lump sum It is always important in every ski resort, and in our case we arrived at the station in the afternoon and the first thing we did was go buy them to avoid lines.

In addition to the classic traditional ticket offices, in Sierra Nevada They have installed machines like those in bank ATMs where you can withdraw the lump sum.

It has an advantage, and that is that it makes the purchase much faster, of course, only for card payment. In our case they were very useful to us, and when we bought the lump sum In the afternoon, they began to count the ski days starting the next day.

Please note that when purchasing the lump sum They charge you 3 euros for each card, an amount that is refunded when you return it, which you can do even in machines enabled for this purpose.

Where to park in Sierra Nevada

If you get to Sierra Nevada by carSurely you are worried about the issue of parking.

You'll find parking areas at the entrance to the town, but I don't think it's worth leaving it there because you have to walk a lot to the slopes and, if you go with your own ski equipment, it won't make up for the walk.

There are almost 4.000 parking spaces at the station. parking, of which 2.600 are covered places located under the Andalusia square.

El parking price It ranges between 10 and 20 euros per day, depending on whether it is high or low season, and there are also discounts if you leave the car for several days.