A weekend in the Sierra Nevada

A little while ago a had quite a long 4-day weekend, and we wanted to go skiing with some friends in the Sierra Nevada. That's the name of the mountain range located around 20 kilometers from the city of Granada, in southern Spain. You have to drive there o take a bus from Granada, but on long weekends like this one it can be quite busy, with a large queue for the bus, so you're probably better off going by car, even though you have to pay for parking once you're up there. I'm going to try and tell you about my weekend including the most useful and accurate information I can. This is so you can get a good idea what the 'Sierra' is like and learn about prices and things to do/avoid there...

The Journey

We came from Murcia by car, splitting the fuel price four ways and paying €20 euros each.

We drove for around three and a half hours in total in order to get to the mountains. You should bear in mind that once you get to Granada, you will need a another 30 minutes to get up the mountain. Also, we got slightly delayed due to an accident that meant we had to go a different direction to climb the mountain as the main road was closed. For the diversion, we stopped in Granada but in all honesty it's a bit of a pain to drive into the center, park and pay for parking etc., so I would only recommend going into the city If you're going to spend the whole day there, not just to eat (which is what we did). It's also worth knowing that parking in Granada is quite expensive (about €2 per hour).

Where we stayed

We rented a flat in center of town below the ski lifts. It cost 200 euros a night for a flat for four people! Quite expensive really... There was a sofa bed as well as two bunk beds with space for four people. However, the kitchen was tiny and the plates were small too. But anyway, we could still just about cook.

As I mentioned, we were below the mountain on which you can ski and where the chair lifts are, which explains the price of the flat. You usually have to add on the price of parking as well but don't be afraid to negotiate the price with the owner and ask for free parking - we managed to get it!

What was clear, was that the geographic location was great. We were able to have a shower straight after skiing and enjoy use of the flat. There were many bars below us but the windows were double-glazed and we couldn't really hear too much noise, but If you struggle to sleep even with a little noise, it's advisable to bring some earplugs.

Renting skis and buying your ski pass

We bought our ski pass online two days before going to Granada. By doing this 48 hours in advance we got a discount of 5 euros per person per day. Be careful though, If you are within 48 hours of your visit don't buy your pass online, even though the website allows you to, as you won't be able to collect your pass on time to ski as they require two days to print it. You also have to upload a photo, which is a bit annoying since it has to be a certain size otherwise it won't work, and this will be printed on your pass.

Afterwards, you will be able to collect your pass from the office below the ski lift. There was a 10 minute queue when I went there. Having done this, your pass will have been activated and you will be able to go up on the ski lift. You can reload your pass and it will be valid for a several months.

We rented our skis from a small shop for 10 euros, having taken a small walk around town to find the best rates and here they were, the price including the whole kit: Skis, poles (essential even If the shop staff tell you otherwise), special boots (I took two extra pairs of socks that I wore with the boots so my feet wouldn't hurt and although the shopkeeper told me that they wouldn't make a difference, I beg to differ :P). You have to leave a form of ID as a guarantee. If you are staying for more than one day, you can ask the shop to reserve the equipment for the next day, simply leave a note with your name on it in the boots and with the poles and skis.

If you are a beginner in skiing, I advise you to use skis called "Bigfoot" as they are smaller and therefore easier to steer and learn with in general.

Don't forget your sunglasses, sun cream, gloves, scarf and hat...

The slopes

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If you're in the town at the base of the slopes it'll be easier to get to them, you only have to walk to the ski lifts and get on. There are two main ski lift lines: Borreguiles and Al-Andalus. On the Borreguiles line it is busier but you are able to sit down, whereas on the Al-Andalus line it's not as busy but you have to stand in the cabin of the lift.

To get back down, there is less of a crows on the Borreguiles line depending on when the time you go down, so its probably better to go this way and be able to sit down, since you will be quite tired after a day of skiing. It goes without saying that If you go up or down during "peak times" when everyone is doing the same, usually between 9 and 10 in the morning going up, you will have to queue. You can see a map of the site on the "Sierra's" website.

Once you're up there, in the Borreguiles area there a several slopes. The green slopes a found on the right and the more difficult blue and red routes are on the left and above respectively. If you're still learning like me, I recommend starting on the "pistes" which are on the left. You can go back to the top with the lifts or by taking off your skis and walking, as the hill is small and walking can be just as fast as the lift. There are two pistes, one of the left of he other. They are good for learning how to turn and brake (to brake you have to form a triangle with your legs and the skis). This is where instructors give classes to beginners and kids.

Afterwards you can go onto the next slope, with the Emile Alais ski lift or on the right hand lift whose name I have forgotten. If you go up on Emile Alais, once at the top, you can go down on the left or right.

For those who have been skiing before or who are more advanced, you can take the ski lifts to the left of Emile Alais, called Veletta II (Veletta I is a green and Veletta II is a blue). Then there is also Stadium slope further to the left, which is much more difficult. If it is very busy, I have a piece of advice: you can go down via "El Río" slope. It begins at the Borreguiles station and goes all the way down. If its not peak time, you can go straight back up quite quickly and go down again. There are less people here than on the higher slopes. It's cool.

On the second day there were a lot more people skiing, so we looked for other slopes and found some that were more isolated with less people around. It's not well marked so I didn't notice it on the first day. They're called Jara. To get to them, rather than going towards the Borreguiles line you need to head to the right toward the Al-Andalus ski lift but don't go up it either. Further left are are the Jara slopes, that are green/blue, and another ski lift, which is the one you take. It's a bit daunting going up as it takes a while and you can see other more difficult slopes on the way and I thought I would have to go down on these so I got a bit scared. In the end though, it turned out alright.

There are less people here than at Borreguiles and it's nicer as you can go up and down without stopping. The snow was also much better there than further up, because at Borreguiles it was slushy or icy but not further down, the snow was more melted and with less people it was easier to brake. I did it twice. The blue part was slightly scary but once I had gone down I was better, with more confidence. This slope ends up at the bottom part of "El río". It then splits off again and you have to go to left toward the ski lift to go back up.

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Hiking Routes

It's not just skiing that you can do but also hiking. It really is amazing, the views are very beautiful and its definitely worth going to the Sierra Nevada even If it's just to admire the scenery. If this is the case for you, I would advise renting a room in the city rather than in the mountains. The only downside is that you will have to take the bus up If you don't have a car - and they are quite small with big queues to get back down to the city - but on the plus side you will save money and be able to see the city as well.

From Jara, just below it, there is a path that goes towards cafe Monte Bajo. It's very pretty that way, you can follow the trail and have a walk on the mountain. It's also possible to reach Borreguiles on foot. There is also an ice skating rink next to cafe Monte Bajo. The view is great, its nice to have a coffee there, even though they serve it in paper cups.

The final word...

I hope this information will keep you from getting lost in the Sierra Nevada and I hope you have a good day there!

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