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.
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Spain: latest snow conditions round-up


SPAIN / ANDORRA REPORT The third great week in a row for the Pyrenees, with still more heavy snowfall improving conditions still further. The region's biggest resort, Andorra's Grandvalira (110/190cm / 44/76"), has hit 201km (125 miles) of slopes open, by far the most this winter and more than 90% of its slopes as a result.

It's a similar story - in terms of a much-improved base and more terrain open - for most areas in the region, although excited free-=riders should not know that the off-piste avalanche danger level is at 4/high as we publish this week's report. A special mention of Portugal's sole ski area, Serra de Estrela, is worth making here as it had some of its heaviest-ever snowfall after not getting much with record warm weather through much of the first two-thirds of the season, leaving lifts and buildings buried metres deep in snow.

Summary of forecast snowfall and ski conditions for resorts in Spain. Fresh snow is forecast at 0 resorts. Powder is reported at 0 resorts and 0 are reporting good piste conditions.

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Recent Eyeball Snow Reports for Spain

All resorts

Ski resorts of Spain, alphabetically

Resort
snow depth
top and bottom

on-piste

off-piste

Last Snow

Next 9 Days
0–3 | 3–6 | 6–9
snow (cm)
Next 5 days weather forecast.
Freezing level (m)
Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

(1649m — 2124m)

snow report 9 days ago

4 cm
10 days ago
part cloud thunderstorm thunderstorm part cloud clear
Mid station 1886 m
2900m 2900m 2950m 3300m 1200m

(1658m — 2300m)

snow report 7 days ago

Astún webcam
9 cm
8 days ago
rain showers thunderstorm thunderstorm light rain part cloud
Mid station 1979 m
2950m 3050m 3150m 3250m 1350m

(1538m — 2609m)

snow report yesterday

185
125
Spring snow 10 cm
8 days ago
rain showers rain showers mod rain cloud part cloud
Mid station 2074 m
2950m 3050m 3100m 3000m 1400m

(2025m — 2749m)

snow report 11 days ago

2.0 cm
8 days ago
rain showers rain showers light rain cloud clear
Mid station 2387 m
3000m 3050m 3200m 3100m 1700m

(1541m — 2400m)

snow report yesterday

290
100
Spring snow 9 cm
8 days ago
rain showers thunderstorm thunderstorm light rain part cloud
Mid station 1970 m
3000m 3050m 3150m 3200m 1400m

(1504m — 2636m)

snow report yesterday

115
65
Spring snow 2.0 cm
8 days ago
rain showers rain showers thunderstorm light rain clear
Mid station 2070 m
3050m 3050m 3200m 3100m 1450m

(1501m — 2431m)

snow report 7 days ago

5 cm
8 days ago
rain showers rain showers thunderstorm cloud clear
Mid station 1966 m
3000m 3050m 3100m 3100m 1550m

(1551m — 2200m)

snow report yesterday

210
65
Spring snow 8 cm
8 days ago
rain showers thunderstorm thunderstorm rain showers part cloud
Mid station 1876 m
2950m 3050m 3150m 3200m 1400m

(1501m — 1951m)

snow report yesterday

85
25
Spring snow 3.0 cm
9 days ago
light rain thunderstorm thunderstorm rain showers clear
Mid station 1726 m
2850m 2750m 2900m 3350m 1300m

(1650m — 2000m)

snow report 9 days ago

5 cm
10 days ago
part cloud part cloud part cloud clear cloud
Mid station 1825 m
3300m 3250m 3400m 3450m 3250m

(1667m — 2537m)

snow report 11 days ago

2.0 cm
8 days ago
thunderstorm thunderstorm thunderstorm cloud light rain
Mid station 2102 m
3000m 3100m 3150m 3000m 2050m

(1500m — 2273m)

snow report 9 days ago

2.0 cm
9 days ago
part cloud thunderstorm part cloud clear part cloud
Mid station 1886 m
3200m 2950m 2900m 3450m 3200m

(1600m — 1723m)

snow report 7 days ago

5 cm
8 days ago
1.0
rain showers thunderstorm part cloud part cloud part cloud
Mid station 1662 m
2850m 3000m 3050m 3150m 1150m

(1510m — 1800m)

snow report 8 days ago

Leitariegos webcam
1.0 cm
8 days ago
light rain thunderstorm thunderstorm rain showers clear
Mid station 1655 m
2800m 2800m 2900m 3400m 2950m

(1300m — 1500m)

snow report 8 days ago

2.0 cm
8 days ago
part cloud thunderstorm clear part cloud part cloud
Mid station 1400 m
2950m 2950m 2950m 3250m 1150m

(1500m — 1800m)

snow report 9 days ago

2.0 cm
9 days ago
light rain thunderstorm clear clear part cloud
Mid station 1650 m
2900m 2700m 3050m 3500m 3250m

(1600m — 2535m)

snow report yesterday

Masella webcam
70
30
Spring snow 2.0 cm
8 days ago
thunderstorm thunderstorm thunderstorm cloud light rain
Mid station 2068 m
3000m 3100m 3100m 3000m 2000m

(1m — 3718m)

1.0 cm
on 6 Feb
part cloud clear clear rain showers rain showers
Mid station 1860 m
4000m 3800m 3100m 2700m 2600m

(1530m — 2221m)

snow report 7 days ago

5 cm
8 days ago
rain showers rain showers rain showers rain showers part cloud
Mid station 1876 m
2950m 3050m 3150m 3250m 1650m

(948m — 2648m)

snow report 8 days ago

1.0 cm
8 days ago
rain showers thunderstorm thunderstorm light rain clear
Mid station 1798 m
2850m 2800m 2900m 3300m 1300m

(1701m — 2400m)

snow report 9 days ago

19 cm
10 days ago
rain showers thunderstorm part cloud cloud rain showers
Mid station 2050 m
3050m 3100m 3200m 3150m 2050m

(1650m — 2441m)

snow report 11 days ago

1.0 cm
8 days ago
rain showers rain showers light rain cloud clear
Mid station 2046 m
3000m 3100m 3150m 3100m 1650m

(1763m — 2178m)

snow report 9 days ago

2.0 cm
9 days ago
part cloud cloud part cloud clear rain showers
Mid station 1970 m
3250m 2900m 2800m 3500m 3300m

(1690m — 2060m)

snow report 9 days ago

2.0 cm
9 days ago
part cloud thunderstorm part cloud clear cloud
Mid station 1875 m
3200m 2900m 2850m 3450m 3250m

(1399m — 2800m)

snow report 7 days ago

5 cm
8 days ago
rain showers rain showers thunderstorm cloud part cloud
Mid station 2100 m
3000m 3050m 3150m 3100m 1400m

(1500m — 2019m)

snow report 8 days ago

San-Isidro webcam
3.0 cm
9 days ago
light rain thunderstorm thunderstorm rain showers clear
Mid station 1760 m
2850m 2750m 2900m 3350m 1250m

(1989m — 2368m)

snow report 9 days ago

Sierra de Béjar - La Covatilla webcam
1.0 cm
9 days ago
part cloud part cloud part cloud clear clear
Mid station 2178 m
3100m 2900m 2850m 3500m 3350m

(2102m — 3300m)

snow report yesterday

200
70
Spring snow 22 cm
10 days ago
5.0
part cloud light rain cloud cloud part cloud
Mid station 2701 m
3400m 3100m 3250m 3500m 3450m

(1749m — 2249m)

snow report 7 days ago

9 cm
8 days ago
thunderstorm rain showers thunderstorm part cloud part cloud
Mid station 1999 m
2900m 3100m 3000m 3050m 1300m

(1701m — 2025m)

snow report 10 days ago

3.0 cm
10 days ago
part cloud part cloud cloud clear part cloud
Mid station 1863 m
3300m 3250m 3350m 3400m 3200m

(1859m — 2280m)

snow report 9 days ago

1.0 cm
9 days ago
part cloud light rain part cloud clear rain showers
Mid station 2070 m
3250m 2900m 2800m 3500m 3300m

(1530m — 2124m)

snow report 9 days ago

2.0 cm
9 days ago
part cloud thunderstorm thunderstorm rain showers clear
Mid station 1827 m
3050m 3000m 2950m 3350m 1200m

(1399m — 1899m)

snow report 8 days ago

Valgrande-Pajares webcam
3.0 cm
9 days ago
light rain thunderstorm thunderstorm rain showers clear
Mid station 1649 m
2800m 2750m 2850m 3400m 1300m

(1970m — 2260m)

snow report 11 days ago

4 cm
8 days ago
1.0
thunderstorm rain showers thunderstorm part cloud snow showers
Mid station 2115 m
3000m 3100m 3050m 3000m 1950m

(1960m — 2536m)

snow report 7 days ago

Vallter 2000 webcam
4 cm
8 days ago
1.0
thunderstorm rain showers mod rain part cloud snow showers
Mid station 2248 m
3000m 3150m 3000m 3000m 1900m