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 After the huge snowfalls over the first half of March that transformed the Pyrenees from snow-starved to buried-deep, it has been a drier, sunnier, warmer week, although with some showers still - but now rain down low, with more snow up high. Thanks to all that snowfall, though, there's more terrain open still than there has been all season, and the runs will stay open longer than planned, to mid-April.

Andorra's huge Grandvalira area (110/185cm / 44/74") has about 90% of its slopes open, around 200km (125 miles) of runs, the most in the region.

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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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)
Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun

(1649m — 2124m)

3.0 cm
49 days ago
cloud part cloud thunderstorm thunderstorm rain showers
Mid station 1886 m
4400m 4350m 4350m 4350m 4000m

(1658m — 2300m)

2.0 cm
50 days ago
thunderstorm thunderstorm thunderstorm thunderstorm thunderstorm
Mid station 1979 m
4350m 4400m 4350m 4300m 4000m

(1538m — 2609m)

snow report yesterday

opens in 150 days 1.0 cm
41 days ago
thunderstorm thunderstorm thunderstorm thunderstorm thunderstorm
Mid station 2074 m
4300m 4400m 4350m 4350m 3850m

(2025m — 2749m)

10 cm
44 days ago
thunderstorm thunderstorm thunderstorm thunderstorm thunderstorm
Mid station 2387 m
4250m 4350m 4350m 4250m 3950m

(1541m — 2400m)

snow report yesterday

opens in 157 days 2.0 cm
50 days ago
thunderstorm thunderstorm thunderstorm thunderstorm thunderstorm
Mid station 1970 m
4350m 4400m 4350m 4300m 4000m

(1504m — 2636m)

snow report yesterday

opens in 157 days 1.0 cm
58 days ago
thunderstorm thunderstorm thunderstorm thunderstorm thunderstorm
Mid station 2070 m
4300m 4350m 4350m 4200m 3900m

(1501m — 2431m)

1.0 cm
57 days ago
light rain thunderstorm thunderstorm rain showers thunderstorm
Mid station 1966 m
4300m 4350m 4350m 4300m 3900m

(1551m — 2200m)

snow report yesterday

opens in 150 days 1.0 cm
58 days ago
mod rain thunderstorm thunderstorm thunderstorm thunderstorm
Mid station 1876 m
4350m 4400m 4350m 4250m 4000m

(1501m — 1951m)

snow report yesterday

opens in 157 days 3.0 cm
51 days ago
light rain thunderstorm thunderstorm thunderstorm rain showers
Mid station 1726 m
4250m 4350m 4300m 4250m 4050m

(1650m — 2000m)

1.0 cm
on 22 Mar
light rain part cloud clear clear part cloud
Mid station 1825 m
4400m 4500m 4500m 4550m 4300m

(1667m — 2537m)

1.0 cm
55 days ago
thunderstorm mod rain thunderstorm thunderstorm thunderstorm
Mid station 2102 m
4250m 4300m 4350m 4350m 4050m

(1500m — 2273m)

2.0 cm
72 days ago
clear clear part cloud part cloud part cloud
Mid station 1886 m
4500m 4550m 4550m 4550m 4250m

(1600m — 1723m)

4 cm
57 days ago
clear clear clear rain showers part cloud
Mid station 1662 m
4400m 4400m 4300m 4350m 3900m

(1510m — 1800m)

7 cm
51 days ago
thunderstorm thunderstorm thunderstorm thunderstorm part cloud
Mid station 1655 m
4350m 4350m 4250m 4050m 4100m

(1300m — 1500m)

1.0 cm
52 days ago
light rain part cloud thunderstorm rain showers rain showers
Mid station 1400 m
4350m 4400m 4400m 4350m 4000m

(1500m — 1800m)

2.0 cm
53 days ago
clear part cloud clear thunderstorm clear
Mid station 1650 m
4350m 4350m 4150m 4150m 4200m

(1600m — 2535m)

snow report yesterday

opens in 157 days 1.0 cm
55 days ago
thunderstorm mod rain thunderstorm thunderstorm thunderstorm
Mid station 2068 m
4250m 4300m 4350m 4350m 4050m

(1m — 3718m)

1.0 cm
on 6 Feb
clear clear clear clear clear
Mid station 1860 m
4900m 4850m 5000m 4950m 5000m

(1530m — 2221m)

2.0 cm
67 days ago
mod rain thunderstorm thunderstorm thunderstorm thunderstorm
Mid station 1876 m
4350m 4400m 4350m 4200m 4000m

(948m — 2648m)

1.0 cm
51 days ago
light rain thunderstorm thunderstorm thunderstorm rain showers
Mid station 1798 m
4350m 4350m 4350m 4150m 3950m

(1701m — 2400m)

4 cm
57 days ago
cloud thunderstorm part cloud part cloud thunderstorm
Mid station 2050 m
4300m 4250m 4400m 4350m 4050m

(1650m — 2441m)

1.0 cm
57 days ago
light rain thunderstorm thunderstorm thunderstorm thunderstorm
Mid station 2046 m
4300m 4350m 4400m 4300m 3900m

(1763m — 2178m)

2.0 cm
72 days ago
part cloud part cloud clear part cloud part cloud
Mid station 1970 m
4500m 4600m 4550m 4500m 4250m

(1690m — 2060m)

2.0 cm
72 days ago
cloud clear part cloud clear part cloud
Mid station 1875 m
4500m 4550m 4550m 4500m 4250m

(1399m — 2800m)

1.0 cm
41 days ago
thunderstorm thunderstorm thunderstorm mod rain thunderstorm
Mid station 2100 m
4300m 4350m 4400m 4300m 3850m

(1500m — 2019m)

3.0 cm
51 days ago
light rain thunderstorm thunderstorm thunderstorm part cloud
Mid station 1760 m
4250m 4350m 4300m 4250m 4050m

(1989m — 2368m)

Sierra de Béjar - La Covatilla webcam
1.0 cm
53 days ago
clear clear clear part cloud cloud
Mid station 2178 m
4500m 4550m 4400m 4350m 4300m

(2102m — 3300m)

snow report yesterday

opens in 150 days 5 cm
49 days ago
thunderstorm part cloud clear clear clear
Mid station 2701 m
4500m 4650m 4700m 4650m 4350m

(1749m — 2249m)

1.0 cm
41 days ago
thunderstorm thunderstorm thunderstorm heavy rain mod rain
Mid station 1999 m
4300m 4350m 4350m 4250m 3750m

(1701m — 2025m)

1.0 cm
100 days ago
thunderstorm thunderstorm part cloud part cloud thunderstorm
Mid station 1863 m
4400m 4450m 4450m 4550m 4000m

(1859m — 2280m)

1.0 cm
59 days ago
part cloud part cloud clear part cloud part cloud
Mid station 2070 m
4550m 4600m 4550m 4500m 4250m

(1530m — 2124m)

2.0 cm
58 days ago
thunderstorm thunderstorm part cloud thunderstorm part cloud
Mid station 1827 m
4450m 4350m 4350m 4150m 4100m

(1399m — 1899m)

Valgrande-Pajares webcam
2.0 cm
51 days ago
light rain part cloud thunderstorm thunderstorm rain showers
Mid station 1649 m
4400m 4350m 4200m 4250m 4100m

(1970m — 2260m)

2.0 cm
55 days ago
light rain mod rain thunderstorm mod rain thunderstorm
Mid station 2115 m
4250m 4300m 4350m 4300m 4050m

(1960m — 2536m)

1.0 cm
41 days ago
light rain mod rain thunderstorm mod rain thunderstorm
Mid station 2248 m
4250m 4300m 4300m 4200m 4000m