In Andalucía, spring is for country drives amid the floral beauty of the interior; summer is for surfing in Tarifa and beach life on the Costa del Sol; autumn is for hiking in the countryside and city escapes; and winter is when the ski slopes of the Sierra Nevada’s very own alpine resort beckon.
Few parts of Europe are as diverse and enticing as this; you can be at the beach for breakfast, on the slopes for lunch, and enjoying post-action après ski in the evening – or heading into the nightlife of Granada, a beautiful historical and student city less than half an hour from the ski station.
Life’s what you make it
This adage is true anywhere in the world, but if the world is your oyster then the southern region of Spain is a pearl. It truly offers almost everything – from beach life, water sports, golf, tennis, motorsports, fitness, wellness, horse riding, culture and history to nature, hiking, biking, mountaineering, caving, extreme sports, gastronomy and yes, winter sports. All within a three-hour radius!
Not just that, but the combination of altitude and climate make the Sierra Nevada one of the ski resorts with the longest season in Europe; spanning in a good year the entire period from November to May.
Pradollano village is the heart of the winter sports action in the Sierra Nevada – the scene not only of professional facilities that have hosted among others the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in 1996, the 2015 Winter Universiade and the FIS Freestyle Ski and Snowboarding World Championships 2017, but also some of the cosiest eateries and most luxurious hotels and spa retreats this side of the Alps.
The station can boast two cable cars, 17 chairlifts, two T-bar lifts, two Magic Carpets and one ski tow, as well as over 100 kilometres of ski runs – and with all of this just two hours removed from beaches, it means you can head for the pistes on a marvellous whim.
