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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 07, 2015
Paddy from Ski Ireland Ireland
We have been skiing in Sierra for 12 years now. With the exception of a few local holidays the queues are non existent especially away from the beginners area. Snow conditions are usually great with plenty of variation. A bit short of anything extreme but then so am I. If you want to eat stay away from the mountain and eat in the town, Pepe Bollo does a great toast, eggs and bacon. I have skied all over Europe and a bit in USA and I must say I really enjoy all this resort has to offer. Don't forget your sunglasses.
January 31, 2015
Mike from Ski Spain Spain
I've been coming to Sierra Nevada for approx 20 years! Love the place and don't have a bad word to say about it. I live a couple of hours away and come up for the day or long weekends as often as possible. Record for one season 18 trips! I'm up here now but unfortunately it doesn't look good for today. Tomorrow's another day.
January 28, 2015
Paco from Ski Spain Spain
Sierra Nevada is a good (meaning just above average) ski resort. Even if you only count the resorts in Spain it's just good. Not even close to the best. Not by far. The weather is shitty and let me explain this. When Sierra Nevada gets a snow dump it is usually with nasty winds (near 100 km/h) that make it impossible to get anywhere near the spots. And it is not unusual to see the temperatures rise way above zero right after one of these massive dumps which makes the snow one of the worst I have skied. When the southern wind blows it brings sand from the Sahara desert with it making the snow even worse. It is also probably the most crowded resort I have ever set foot on. So, to sum up, if you think Sierra Nevada is great, go ski Baqueira Beret or one of the resorts in Andorra and see for yourself. Cheers.
January 21, 2015
John from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Just returned after a long weekend in Sierra Nevada 17-19 Jan 15. Had a fab time. Very impressed by this resort; ideal for beginners and all intermediate levels. We arrived on Friday night, via a cheap flight to Malaga and car hire drive, on slopes at 9.30am Sat, no queues, good skiing on well groomed slopes. Resort had a 30cm snow dump on Sun, still able to ski. Monday even better, some well groomed slopes, but also good powder to enjoy. Resort base has all mod cons: hotels, ski shops and equipment hire; lots of bars and restaurants. Highly recommended for either a weekend or week break.
December 26, 2014
Virginie from Ski Sweden Sweden
Virginie from Sweden I went to Sierra Nevada a few days ago. Despite I had heard that there was no much snow, I found the best snow in Spain and also the best slopes to enjoy skiing. In addition, the resort lies just by the slopes, and everything is much easier. Just arrive in Sierra Nevada, leave your car in the car park and enjoy. Everything is about (shops, bars, night clubs, slopes, schools, ski rentals....). Sierra Nevada is the best ski resort in Spain, there is no doubt. And, of course, the sun! It was really fantastic.
February 13, 2014
Mike Warrington from Ski Spain Spain
Well, two mates and myself went up yesterday: 12th Feb 2014 with the prospect of some good skiing (having had some serious dumps of snow recently). The weather forecast was good with clouds clearing, lovely sunny day thereafter and winds decreasing. How wrong can you be! Got up there, yes cloudy. Had a couple of runs to get used to skis again, bit of lunch and then packed it in. Clouds and rain came down and very unpleasant. Coming down, in the car, the clouds had descended considerably down the road. Yes, beautiful sunshine in Granada and along the coast. Oh well, another day perhaps.
February 03, 2014
Matt Fox from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Brilliant ski resort. Having skied in all the Andorran, Bulgarian and some Austrian, I would not go past the Sierra Nevada. Great skiing, fabulous facilities and as usual in Spain the people are very friendly. Accommodation can be pricey and the lift pass is steep. However, the ease of access to the resort, only 1.5hrs max from Malaga airport more than make up for this.
January 20, 2014
Sofía from Ski Honduras Honduras
Our first year visiting this fabulous skiing resort and I must say it was amazing. The setting, the mountains, the slopes, our skiing teacher and the best thing our lodge. Inside Plaza Sierra Nevada apartments are located at the best part of Pradollano; centric, modern, fully equipped, ski lockers and great service. All we needed was attended to. Heating is great, you can control it yourself, baby crib for our baby and a baby seat as we skied. Animal friendly! Definitely will repeat and definitely coming back to Inside Plaza Sierra Nevada .
December 09, 2013
Mike Warrington from Ski Spain Spain
Well, what a difference a year makes. A totally different start to this season than last year. Whilst the resort is open there is very limited skiing because of the total lack of snow or rainfall. We have had no significant rainfall since May of this year and the snow on the slopes is principally man made. I have not been up to the resort yet as there is no point until, or even if, we get any significant snowfall. Other European resorts as yet do not look overloaded with snow either. Hopefully, we will get snow soon, but none is on the horizon!
April 10, 2013
Mike Warrington from Ski Spain Spain
Hi. Yes, its me again! Just had a glorious day up on the Sierra Nevada. Not a cloud in the sky, good snow, although did get a bit 'mushy' lower down by the afternoon and finished the day chickening out of coming back down the Rio, instead opting for a lift in the cable car! Would recommend anyone thinking of some late season skiing to get up there this week as next week and after until May it is a 'three day week' Friday, Sat, Sunday. Sun strong so do not forget your suncream!! Good tans to be got!! Thats me for this season---have a great summer all.

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