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Sierra Nevada Resort Reviews

Sierra Nevada Forecasts
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Visitor reviews for Sierra Nevada Ski Resort

Sierra Nevada Ratings

Overall: 4.0. Based on 111 votes and 83 reviews. Vote

Snowsure: 4.1

(1) Occasionally gets enough snow for skiing, (2) is often closed due to a lack of snow, (3) occasionally suffers from a lack of snow, (4) rarely suffers from a lack of snow, (5) Sierra Nevada is snowsure even in the poorest seasons.

Variety of pistes: 4.2

(1) The ski runs are featureless and unvaried, (3) the ski runs are varied but not extensive enough for a week, (5) Sierra Nevada has diverse and interesting pistes including forests and high alpine terrain.

Off-piste: 3.4

(1) No off-piste worth mentioning, (2) off piste is out-of-bounds, (3) some varied offpiste that stays fresh for one or two days, (5) a vast array of off-piste routes that can stay untracked for several days.

Scenery: 4.2

(1) An ugly resort in a bland setting, (3) average mountain views and resort, (5) a spectacular setting and a beautiful / historic resort town.

Access: 4.5

(1) At least one overnight stop, (2) requires a whole day, (3) requires more than half a day – you may have time for a few turns (4) arrive by lunchtime and ski all afternoon, (5) there is a main airport within an hour of Sierra Nevada.

Public Transport: 3.8

(1) There are no buses or taxis to Sierra Nevada, (3) there are slow or infrequent buses / trains available, (5) getting to the resort is easy with frequent bus / train connections.

Accommodation: 4.5

(1) No places to stay in/near Sierra Nevada, (3) a few places to stay in the resort, (5) a wide variety of accommodation suitable to suit all budgets.

Cheap Rooms: 3.9

(1) No budget accommodation available, (3) just one or two hostels so book ahead, (5) several cheap hostels and pensions available.

Luxury Hotels: 4.5

(1) No luxury accommodation available, (3) just one or two luxury hotels so book ahead, (5) several up-market hotels in Sierra Nevada.

Ski in/Ski out: 4.4

(1) The ski area is located far from any accommodation, (3) a free ski bus takes you to the ski area in a short trip, (5) Ski-in ski-out accommodation is available.

Childcare: 4.1

(1) There are no child care facilities at Sierra Nevada, (5) the resort has excellent child-care facilities including at least one reasonably priced creche.

Snowmaking: 4.5

(1) Sierra Nevada relies entirely on natural snow, (3) there are just a few snow cannons, (5) there are snowmaking facilities on all pistes.

Snow Grooming: 4.6

(1) There are no snow groomers at Sierra Nevada, (3) occasionally some pistes are left ungroomed and in a poor state, (5) all the runs at Sierra Nevada are groomed daily.

Shelter: 3.1

(1) there is nowhere to ski when it is windy or visibility is bad and lifts often shut, (3) there are some trees for poor visibility but main lifts sometimes close, (5) Sierra Nevada is mostly in forest where you can ski in flat-light and windy days, lifts rarely close.

Nearby options: 2.4

(1) If snow conditions are poor at Sierra Nevada, it will be poor everywhere nearby, (3) there are good alternatives within an hours drive, (5) other locations on the same lift pass provide a rich variety of snowsure ski conditions.

Regional rating: 4.5

(1) Sierra Nevada usually has poor snow conditions compared to other resorts in region, (3) has average conditions for the region, (5) usually has the best snow conditions in the region.

Lift Staff: 3.9

(1) The staff at Sierra Nevada are rude or unhelpful, (5) lift staff at Sierra Nevada are pleasant, cheerful and eager to help.

Crowds/Queues: 3.2

(1) the resort is always busy and there are usually long lift queues, (3) it is quiet apart from occasional weekends and school holidays, (5) it is uncrowded and lift queues are very rare.

Ski Schools: 4.6

(1) No ski schools available, (2) one or two ski schools but local language only, (3) a few ski schools but book early for multi-lingual instructors, (4) plenty of ski schools and multi-lingual instructors available, (5) excellent ski schools with friendly multi-lingual ski instructors.

Hire and Repairs: 4.6

(1) Nothing can be sourced, not even ski-wax or ptex. (3) there are some ski shops but rentals need to be booked in advance, (5) good quality ski equipment can be purchased or hired and overnight repairs are possible.

Beginners: 4.5

(1) Beginners can only watch others ski and snowboard, (3) a few gentle slopes but beginners will get bored in less than a week, (3) Vast areas of gentle terrain.

Intermediates: 4.7

(1) No intermediate terrain at Sierra Nevada, (3) intermediate skiers will get bored after a few days, (5) vast areas of cruising runs.

Advanced: 4.2

(1) Nothing for advanced skiers and snowboarders, (3) enough steep terrain for a few days with some good offpiste, (5) Enough steep terrain and offpiste areas to entertain advanced skiers for at least a week.

Snow Park: 4.4

(1) Not even a kicker at Sierra Nevada, (3) average sized park quite well looked after, (5) huge park area and expertly crafted pipes, jumps and boardercross trails.

Cross-country: 3.5

(1) There is nowhere to go for cross-country skiing around Sierra Nevada, (3) there are some cross country trails available, (5) the area features many spectacular and well maintained cross-country trails.

Luge/Toboggan: 3.1

(1) No designated luge or toboggan runs, (3) there are toboggan runs that open quite often, (5) Sierra Nevada has long and well maintained luge / toboggan facilities suitable for all ages.

Mountain Dining: 4.0

(1) Nowhere to buy food by the pistes, (3) some places to eat up on the mountain but they are often busy and expensive, (5) there is a variety of excellent mountain eateries right next to the slopes to suit all budgets.

Eating: 4.3

(1) Bring your own food, there isn't even a shop. (5) A wide variety of places to eat and drink in the resort, from fast food to fancy restaurants.

Apres-Ski: 4.5

(1) Nothing to do, not even a bar, (3) there are a few bars in the resort but nothing special, (5) clubs and bars stay open until very late and have a friendly atmosphere.

Other Sports: 3.8

(1) No sports facilities at all apart from ski lifts, (3) resort has just a small public swimming pool, (5) resort has all kinds of sports facilities, including a full-size swimming pool.

Entertainment: 3.9

(1) Besides the snow and walking there is nothing to do here, (3) the non-skier will find things to do for few days but may become bored after a week, (5) the resort area is a fascinating place to visit, regardless of winter sports.

Winter Walks: 3.7

(1) Very limited walking and no snowshoe trails, (3) a couple of designated scenic walking/snowshoe trails, (5) extensive and diverse winter walking trails for all abilities.

Ski Pass Value: 3.3

(1) A 1 week ski pass is overpriced compared to the number of lifts available, (3) the ski pass is averagely priced and covers a reasonable number of lifts, (5) ski passes are excellent value for money and cover a lot of lifts spanning a big area.

Value (National): 3.4

(1) Overall, Sierra Nevada is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the country and not worth the money, (3) overall represents average value for money, (5) overall offers the best value resort in the country.

Value (Global): 3.5

(1) Overall, Sierra Nevada is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the world, (3) overall it offers pretty average value for money compared to resorts from other countries, (5) internationally the resort offers excellent value for money.

Show all 35 ratings

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February 20, 2023
Gerard Junot from Ski France France
Very good ski resort. I have friends in Granada, and often fly there to meet them and ski. Very long slopes, up to 6 kms; very wide and safe slopes. Snow from November to May, though it must be said that climate change is making things more difficult: I have always liked to go there at the end of April and beginning of May, when snow showers provide a few centimetres of new snow on slopes where you don´t find many skiers, as it is the end of the season; but, unfortunately, it is becoming less and less frequent due to the increasing temperatures because of climate change.
January 25, 2022
Hank Floyd from Ski United States United States
For Spain, this resort has the best snowsure (personal opinion). But for Europe, not so much. That doesn't change much for me, though. Even though it doesn't always snow a whole lot (due to the drier climate of Spain), when it does snow, it tends to stick around for a good bit. But if they are having a snow troubled year, they have a fleet of snowmaking guns to save the day. Its biggest problem (personal opinion) is its lifts. Its lifts tend to be slightly in the slower end of things, and the queues can get very backed up. The staff at Sierra are mostly nice. That's a big mostly, though. When I visited Sierra, I met a few staff who didn't seem happy. One was complaining about how long she has been at work 15 minutes after her shift started. But none the less, if you are visiting, beware, sometimes the resort suddenly closes early in the morning. So if you are traveling hours to get to Sierra, make sure to have a backup plan just in case. But if you are a local, it is a perfect resort.
November 22, 2019
Alastair McFarlane from Ski Spain Spain
Stayed at the Melia hotel many years ago on a UK package that did not work out too well. High winds, white out snow, few lifts open and icy conditions. Hotel at best described as mediocre. Roll forward 30 years and the ski area is extensive, the hotels expensive but cost of ski hire and passes much cheaper than France or USA. Biggest difference is access to the resort. From Nerja we can check the snow report, leave at 7am, park in the underground car park all day for €20 and be on the first lift skiing at 9.30am. Ski all day, jump back in the car and enjoy a restaurant meal overlooking Burriana beach back in Nerja at 8pm. Go midweek outside school holidays and you will have the resort to yourself, often in glorious sunshine. Maybe for a holiday visit book a hotel in Granada, get a hire car and check out the weather forecast. Resort is not a great place to be in bad weather but on a sunny day it really can be quite superb...
April 24, 2019
Sam from Ski Gibraltar Gibraltar
I have mixed feelings about this resort. I have managed about 20 - 30 days in total this season. Pros - Easy to get there. - Good variety of terrain for beginner and intermediates on-piste. - If it has snowed a lot, there is a fair amount of off/side piste and back-country to explore with terrain to suit all. - Some of the most extensive snow blowing equipment I have ever seen. - Very long ski season. - Can be very quiet mid-week and often feels like you have the resort to yourself with absolutely no queues for the lifts. Cons - Slow lifts serving the main beginner bowl. - On busy weekend, peak-season days, it has possibly the worst queues I have ever experienced in a resort. I’m talking 30-45 mins per lift, and when compared to the Alps the runs are often a lot shorter (cars were backed-up halfway down the mountain waiting to get into the resort on one day). - Very poor communication from the resort management with regards to opening and shutting lifts and the resort. It occurred to us twice, after waiting in the main gondola queue for 2 hrs to be then told the resort was not going to open. - Hotels need a major face lift and revamp. My absolute main issue with the resort is how they look after and maintain the slopes once you get out into Laguna. The underlying ground is often very loose rock/packed soil. Its not uncommon for the stones to get kicked up when snow levels are low and then trash your skis. In conclusion, a great place for a short break at the start and end of a season with enough skiing to keep you entertained. Don’t go peak season at weekends / half-terms as you will spend half the time standing in a queue. Don’t bring your favourite pair of skis, you will regret it. Keep an eye on the weather as high winds will close the resort. If it has had a big dump it can provide some of the best skiing I have had.
March 06, 2019
James from Ski Spain Spain
Resort is unprofessional. They have closed it several times this season as late as 11am in the day, meaning lots of people traveled there to find it was closed. Not worth booking a holiday to, but if you live locally, it's worth it. When it has been open, it's been quite busy; at the weekend the lift queues are 10-15 minutes in the busy areas. However, the pistes are wide and never felt very busy. It is a good resort for beginners, intermediates and families and the snow park looked great. However, there's not much for advance skiers. My advice, for serious skiers, would be to stick to the Alps.
April 23, 2018
John from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Took my wife and 2 five year olds to Sierra Nevada for a week at the beginning of April, mainly to introduce my boys to skiing. Booked in April hoping to take advantage of the long season they have and experience some sunny spring conditions. Unfortunately, out of 5 days we had 2 days of sun and 3 days of snow. One day was a complete white out and high winds closed the main gondola for the morning. Snowiest April for 20 years. The resort is a bit tired, broken steps in the main plaza. The ski area is great for intermediates with long green runs and plenty of blues. Be warned that late in the season not all the lifts will be open and the 3 chair lifts from Borreguiles are painfully slow. We were unlucky with the weather, but I have heard that frequent high winds can close the lifts. At just a 2 hour drive from Malaga, it's a convenient place to ski, and a great place to learn, but if you go late in the season, probably not enough for more advanced skiers.
March 05, 2018
Mike Warrington from Ski Spain Spain
I live in Spain, in Salobrena, on the coast. Not been up to the slopes yet as it has been a funny old season with a lot of wind. Hope to get up later this month when things calm down. Not much fun skiing in cloud and wind; been closed a lot anyway! Strange snow forecast and snow levels of 50cm on lower slopes when it is plain to see from the web that there is shed loads of snow everywhere. Been snowing for days now so levels must be the best for years! Been raining on the coast since last Weds and today is Monday. We need the rain and snow but I think now we have had enough!
January 10, 2018
Bjorn from Ski Sweden Sweden
Coming from Sweden, can't believe there is such a big ski area in southern Spain. I had heard about Sierra Nevada, but always thought it wouldn't be more than a little place to ski; more a touristic attraction than a real ski resort in the sunny Andalucia. Stereotypes! I was wrong. I enjoyed more than 80 kms of fantastic snow and modern lifts, slopes are fairly long too: the height difference is nearly 1200 mts! Incredible.
February 14, 2017
Marcel Lacomte from Ski France France
As the French person, that I am, I know the Alps and Pyrenees fairly well. In my trip to Spain I decided to ski in Sierra Nevada just for curiosity and to say I had skied in the southernmost ski area in Europe. But, oh god!, What a surprise to discover such a big ski area and long slopes! I realised that it really was a big ski place on the very south of Europe, and I saw it was possible to enlarge it a lot more. The area of buildings is as ugly as many others in my country, but the ski area is fantastic; you can see Africa from the top as you are skiing at 3.250 mts of altitude. It was sunny every day. Discovering Sierra Nevada (and Ronda and fabulous Seville), has been a fantastic experience.
February 12, 2017
Louise from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Resort is closed today due to high winds. It's cloudy with bright spells but no skiing today!

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