Sierra Nevada – Winter Sports, Mountain Trails and Culture

Sierra Nevada has 112.5 km of groomable or skiable terrain across 134 pistes and, at 1,200 m, boasts Spain’s greatest elevation difference usable for skiing.

The destination’s various themes – winter sports, trails, pilgrimage and history – provide a brief overview of its content.

Other destinations in the surrounding area: Vegas Del Genil.

Winter Sports

Part of the Sierra Nevada ski resort lies within the municipality of Monachil; this section includes the facilities and complexes of Pradollano and Borreguiles. Snowboarders and freestyle skiers have their own freestyle area in the form of the Sulayr Snowpark. The Borreguiles area also has beginner slopes recommended for people skiing for the first time. The resort also offers a cross-country ski trail or course.

Activities

Mirlo Blanco is an amusement park at the bottom of the El Río slope, a few metres from the settlement of Pradollano. Tickets for the activities at Mirlo Blanco and for Trineo Mirlo are available online or from the ticket machines in the Mirlo Blanco area. Trineo Mirlo is a rail sled attraction set in the high-mountain landscape.

The Montebajo Sports Club in the centre of Pradollano has a heated swimming pool with a retractable roof. Workshops on astronomical observation are also offered in Sierra Nevada.

Summer and Trails

In summer, two lifts connect Pradollano at an altitude of 2,100 m with an area near the summit of Veleta at around 3,000 m: a cable car and a chairlift. The ski resort’s summer offering includes e-bike routes on tracks and trails with beautiful views, suitable for both experienced and inexperienced cyclists.

The ski resort offers unguided hiking routes that allow visitors to explore the mountain landscape of Sierra Nevada freely. A guided route runs from Borreguiles via Laguna de las Yeguas to Lagunillos de la Virgen, passing through particularly interesting areas around the resort.

A guided interpretive route from Borreguiles to Laguna de las Yeguas is adapted for all target groups and proceeds gradually at a relaxed pace. Another route description begins at the mountain station of the Veleta chairlift and leads downhill towards Laguna de las Yeguas; its average gradient is 11%.

Culture and History

The Feast of the Virgen de las Nieves is celebrated in Sierra Nevada on 5 August. The main event is a nighttime pilgrimage from Pradollano to the Tajos de la Virgen at the foot of Veleta, passing through Borreguiles. The veneration of the Virgen de las Nieves in the municipality of Monachil dates back to the 16th century.

The winter sports tradition in Sierra Nevada dates back to the founding of the company Diez Amigos Limited in 1898. In 1912, Diez Amigos Limited became Sociedad Sierra Nevada; it is considered a pioneer of winter sports in Andalusia.

In the Pradollano area, Sierra Nevada potatoes known as “copo de nieve” were traditionally grown. For storage, they were kept in pits lined with slate and covered with straw, rye stalks, sticks and earth. The pits and the threshing floor at Prado Redondo can still be seen.

Sierra Nevada has been a nature park since 1989 and a national park since 1999.

For the general travel overview: Monachil.