Skiing and snowboarding in Spain

Most people don’t think about going to Spain for skiing, but Spain has some nice and snowy places to offer. Me and my family love to be in the mountains and being active in the snow. My daughter used to be in a skiteam and we went to Austria on a regular basis. Luckily we can still enjoy a good time skiing and snowboarding in Spain.

Hotel or apartment?

We have been to Sierra Nevada two times. The first time we stayed in a hotel and the second time we had an apartment. Both had its pros and cons. I like that in an apartment you can bring your own things and groceries. Of course it saves a bit of money if you don’t have to go out for dinner to a restaurant and you can bring your pack lunch to the slopes. And in a hotel you don’t have to think a lot about these things. You wake up, get a shower, and have breakfast from a nice buffet, then get ready and go to the slopes.

“We were prepared that during bank holidays and on the weekends it can be quite crowded, so we avoided those days”

The place where we were is called Pradollano. It’s kind of a small village in the valley with hotels and apartments and restaurants and shops. The station to go up to the slopes (there is only one station) is located in the center of Pradollano. We were prepared that during bank holidays and on the weekends it can be quite crowded, so we avoid those days. And I must say it wasn’t that busy. There were a lot of people in the valley, but once you were on the slopes there was enough space around you. 

The slopes in Sierra Nevada are diverse

Ready to race downhill 🙂

When there is enough snow and all the slopes are open, then Sierra Nevada is quite diverse. There are blue, red and black slopes. If you are experienced you can vary between the red and black slopes in the whole area. But the blue slopes are located around the restaurant and it’s more crowded there.

Sierra Nevada has snow canons on the slopes, but despite the canons it is possible that just a few slopes are open. And then you have seen it all after 1 or 2 days.

These last years there was less snow unfortunately. They do use snow canons, but not everything was open when we were there.

Making things a bit more convenient

“Many apartments and hotels don’t have a parking lot, which is not very convenient with all the stuff that you bring for a skiing trip”

Many apartments and hotels don’t have a parking lot, which is not very convenient with all the stuff that you bring for a skiing trip. We also find it inconvenient to carry our skis and snowboards to the station and after a day on the slopes back to the hotel/apartment. From our apartment we had to take a long and narrow staircase, which could be dangerous and it was also heavy with our stuff. That’s why we rented a locker at the station where we could leave our skis and snowboards. It cost us €40 per day, but it was worth the convenience for us.

Good atmosphere and friendly people

There are enough restaurants in the valley, for if you want to have a lunch break during the day or after skiing, with terraces where you can enjoy the winter sun. And I found the people were all very friendly, not only the personnel. You could see that people were enjoying a good time with their friends or/and family. It created a nice atmosphere on the terraces. Also on the slopes the people were friendly and helpful towards each other. We have been at places where this wasn’t always the case. On the slopes was also a big restaurant, with a big terrace and a beautiful view.

We have enjoyed the time on the slopes and Sierra Nevada is beautiful. But we prefer a place that is a little less crowded and where you can park the car near the slopes. Fortunately we found the perfect place for us, La Molina in Andorra.