 Poster: A snowHead
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Firstly,
Thanks so much for the advice on going to Xscape in Glasgow. I was very grateful for the tips but still managed to leave my gloves in the £1 locker:(
Had a good time and it was better than I expected. Will be going back next time I’m down there.
Now,
It would appear that I’m going to Spain for a couple of weeks at the end of Jan or start of Feb to stay with a friend who lives about 3 hours from Granada I want to spend at least a few days at Sierra Nevada. I would describe my skiing as a good intermediate. Reds and blues are my favourite with the odd black to keep me on my toes. Sierra Nevada looks perfect for me:)
Never been before so any recommendations of runs, restaurants, Hire places (think I’ll just take my boots) and hotels (don’t want to spend too much but don’t want slum it either) would be welcome.
Should add that the friend i'm staying with does not ski so i will be on my tod.
II
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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II, we went to SN a few years ago but in April and the weather was ok for us. I have heard that it can close in high winds but the lift pass office is used to this and offer refunds as far as I know, so don't let that out you off!
We hired skis from a place on the main square, basically near the gondola (just walk diagonally towards the gondola across the square from the lift pass office and you'll see a fairly large hire place on the right). I can't remember the name. They were very reasonably priced compared to the alps.
There was a good Italian restaurant on the main square. The staff were really friendly. We also ate in the hotel which was a good hot buffet.
We stayed in the hotel Melia Sol y Nieve (there is also a Melia Sierra Nevada). It's 4 star, really nice and in a good location, just 5 mins from the gondola and they have parking. But they charge extra for everything. We used the jacuzzi and there was no notice about it costing extra. We were in there 5-10 mins and got charged about £20. We complained and they waived the charge in the end. The swimming pool is free though!
The skiing was far better than we imagined. At the gondola exit, there are basically some beginner runs with slow lifts. Instead go higher and head off over to the right hand side of the ski area/map where there are some long reds that are usually v.quiet. There are a couple of blacks which would be classed as steep reds in the Alps so give them a go. The good thing about the resort is that most of the runs lead back to the main ski area so it's well linked and quick to get around.
It's quite high, so be prepared for a bit of altitude sickness. The town is at 2,200 metres and the highest lift is over 3,000.
It's worth spending half a day in Granada and having a look at the Alhambra palace. On a clear day with the palace and mountains in the background it makes a spectacular view.
We were told to avoid weekends as it gets busy. We went mid week and I don't remember queuing for any of the lifts.
If I was in the area again I'd definitely make the effort to go back there. At the time, my husband was an early intermediate but his skiing improved dramatically after a couple of days there. It is a great confidence building area.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Another very good hotel in Sierra Nevada is Zyriab, is closer to the lifts than Melia.
Even closer to the lifts and cheaper is Hotel Telecabina, is just a little poorer in what concerns the social areas but I stayed there and for a couple of nights is ok.
If you take chairlift Slalom and go left, you have some quite good reds (Granados, Morillas), also the reds that come down from Veleta are quite good, and don´t miss the area on the other side of the mountain, Laguna de las Yeguas, there are the best slopes (all red) from Sierra Nevada.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Another very good option is to take chairlift Slalom and this time go right and take Zorro or Rebeco until they reach El Rio and go all way down to the bottom of the resort, they all all great blue cruisers and it´s 1200m of continuos vertical.
Just do that before lunch time, after that El Rio becames overcrowded and can even be dangerous.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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II, It's the Laguna de las Yeguas area I was referring to on the right hand side that pedro maia mentions.
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We went there in the Summer just for a look around, on our holiday to Orjiva. Loved the whole area-real Spain, and the Alhambra is my favourite tourist attraction-ever!!!! If we hadn't bought the apartment in Serre Che, I would be looking for a Finca in the Alpujarras.
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We naively thought that being fairly close to the south coast, English would be widely spoken and hoped so as our Spanish is practically non-exisitant. We got a bit of a suprise when we struggled to find information with English translation. Thank goodness for phrase books and a greeting in Spanish usually indicated that we were ignorant English with a bad accent! It was a steep learning curve! In the ski resort we found English was spoken in the ski hire place and lift pass area which was a good job as I only know the German for ski terminology! But again, some knowledge of Spanish is useful in restaurants and hotels in this area also.
Helen Beaumont, you are definitely right about it being the real Spain. It's a fantastic area and we thought the old part of Granada was stunning. Loved it, and some of the tiny villages in the Alpujarras were picture postcard.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Helen Beaumont, the Alhambra is great, but I prefer the Mezquita at Cordoba - I guess because it's much older (from a period where no building has survived in this country), stunning in scale and with equal intricacies to the Alhambra (to my untrained eye). The fact that it was a seat of learning (as well as a place of worship) as opposed to a palace / military fortification probably has something to do with its attraction for me as well.
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hayley t, our Spanish is great now though . Hardly anyone in Orgiva spoke English, apart from the ex-pats who'd all started buying in the area after reading 'Driving over lemons'. laundryman, I haven't had the pleasure of visiting it, so I will stick with the Alhambra until I get the chance to go.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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The skiing is good at sol y nieve (sierra nevada), but be careful about snow conditions. With it being so far south it can have common droughts which means poor skiing. If though you go in a good year it can be fantastic.
Helen Beaumont, the alpurra is my favourate place in the world, after the island of la palma, infact I'm going there this summer to stay on a farm above capileira.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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lapalma,lovely!!!
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| laundryman wrote: |
| Helen Beaumont, the Alhambra is great, but I prefer the Mezquita at Cordoba - I guess because it's much older (from a period where no building has survived in this country), |
Well, not completely true, there are one or two tiny 10th century Saxon churches (or more usually bits of them) and I once stayed in a manor house that was mostly Saxon - but I know what you mean: nothing on any scale like this.
Both just stunning buildings.
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You know it makes sense.
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I just got back last night from 6 days in Bubion in the Alpujarras. I've been out numerous times in the last couple of years and just love the area.
Went up to the ski resort on Tuesday to bike back over to Bubion which was just stunning.
Have skied on three trips at the resort and enjoyed each time. It isn't a big resort but then it doesn't pretend to be. Don't ski though on weekends or holidays as it does get busy. I've skied during January twice and towards the end of April and I hardly saw a queue. If there hasn't been much fresh snow, the runs can get a bit polished, but they're usually better higher up.
I brought my own kit and stayed over in Bubion so I'm afraid I can't offer any help on that side of things. Other than that, enjoy!!
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Thanks all for the advice, I'm looking forward to it already. Think i'll just ring one of the hotels that you have mentioned and book in for a few nights nearer the time.
I'm spending 2 weeks in spain and only 3-4 days skiing so all the advise of the other merits of the area were welcome.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Got loads of pics of the ski resort if you want to see what it looks like.
You'll have a great time I'm sure - not only at the ski resort but around the other areas.
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