Ski Spain

It comes as a surprise to some, given Spain’s latitude and sunny reputation, that there are around 35 resorts in which to ski Spain’s snow slopes spread right across the country. Slightly more than half of these, including most of the country’s larger ski areas, are in the Pyrenees mountains which stretch along the Eastern border with France, and also encompass Andorra. However there are smaller Spanish ski resorts in hills and lesser mountain ranges across the country and there have been artificially slopes installed on the Balleric islands and even the possibility of skiing in Tenerife in the Spanish Canary Islands off the coast of Africa – however the supposed ski resort of Teide there was an impressive internet hoax!

Spain’s ski resorts are characterised by friendly people, good food and late starts to the skiing day and to après skiing, which often doesn’t really get going until just before midnight. It’s another surprise to many that lift ticket costs, at least at the top resorts, are among the most expensive in Europe at peak season too.

One of Spain’s three biggest ski areas, and its highest, as well as being the most southerly major mainland resort in Europe, is Sierra Nevada. Close to Malaga, it offers the realistic possibility of skiing or snowboarding half the day and swimming in the warm Mediterranean sea for the other half. It was host to the biggest winter sports event ever held in Spain, The World Alpine Skiing Championships in 1995, but a lack of snow led to their postponement to 1996. The centre does have a good snow record and sometimes boasts the deepest snowpack in Europe at 5 or 6 metres by the spring, staying open in to May many years. It also has a huge snowmaking arsenal.

Spain’s main cities are well located for quick trips to the ski slopes. La-Pinilla and Valdesqui are among half a dozen resorts within a couple of hours of capital Madrid, which is also home to a large indoor snow centre, popular with the Beckhams during their time in the city. Barcelona is an easy trip up to the Pyrenees and its many ski centres, and indeed many non-Spaniards fly in to Barcelona as the easiest way to get to Spanish or Andorran ski areas. However a new airport closer to the slopes at Lleida opened in 2010 after a 130 Million Euro investment to make access even easier.

Baqueira/Beret is one of the three resorts battling for top spot in Spain in terms of skiable terrain and lift ticket price. Along with Sierra Nevada the other contender is another resort in the Pyrenees, Formigal, which has invested heavily in state-of-the-art ski lifts in recent years and international sales and now claims to be Spain’s biggest ski area, just.

Baqueira/Beret however has the more established reputation and royal credentials, as Spain’s royal family holiday here most winters. There are several four and five star hotels to match this reputation and a reputation for the best in its restaurants and shops – a kind of Spanish St Moritz. read more...

Ski resorts of Spain, alphabetically

Resort	Webcam (click to zoom)	Top and bottom snow depth	On-piste	Off-piste	Forecast snow in next 3 days (click for forecast)	Weather forecast for 3 days ahead Weather report	Last snow
Alto Campoo					0 cm	Mostly dry
Astún					0 cm	Mostly dry
Baqueira/Beret		250 cm 140 cm	Excellent	Varied	0 cm	Mostly dry Another glorious day	0 cm on 7 Feb
Boi Taull					0 cm	Mostly dry
Candanchu					0 cm	Mostly dry
Cerler					0 cm	Mostly dry
Espot Esquí		60 cm 40 cm	Excellent	Powder	0 cm	Mostly dry Great weather, no clouds in sight	4 cm on 5 Feb
Formigal		120 cm 50 cm	Excellent	Varied	0 cm	Mostly dry Light clouds dotting the sky	20 cm on 6 Feb
Fuentes de Invierno		15 cm 10 cm	Excellent	Not Enough Snow	0 cm	Mostly dry It's windy and cold, wrap up warm	4 cm on 2 Feb
Javalambre					0 cm	Mostly dry
La Molina					0 cm	Mostly dry
La-Pinilla					0 cm	Mostly dry
Leitariegos					0 cm	Mostly dry
Lunada					0 cm	Mostly dry
Manzaneda					0 cm	Mostly dry
Masella		60 cm 30 cm	Artificial		0 cm	Mostly dry	on 5 Feb
Panticosa					0 cm	Mostly dry
Picos De Europa		80 cm 50 cm	Good	Powder	0 cm	Mostly dry Thick fog, giving very poor visibility	4 cm on 1 Feb
Port Del Comte					0 cm	Mostly dry
Port-Ainé		60 cm 40 cm	Excellent	Powder	0 cm	Mostly dry Great weather, no clouds in sight	4 cm on 5 Feb
Puerto De Navacerrada					0 cm	Mostly dry
Pyrenees Heliski					0 cm	Mostly dry
San-Isidro			Closed	No snow	0 cm	Mostly dry Clear blue skies, all lifts open
Sierra de Béjar-La Covatilla					0 cm	Mostly dry
Sierra Nevada		150 cm 40 cm	Excellent	Varied	0 cm	Mostly dry Light clouds dotting the sky	3 cm on 7 Feb
Tavascan - Pleta del Prat					0 cm	Mostly dry
Valdelinares					0 cm	Mostly dry
Valdesqui					0 cm	Mostly dry
Valdezcaray					0 cm	Mostly dry
Valgrande-Pajares		120 cm 60 cm	Good	Powder	0 cm	Mostly dry Thick fog, giving very poor visibility	10 cm on 9 Feb
Vall de Núria					0 cm	Mostly dry
Vallter 2000					0 cm	Mostly dry