comScore pixel
Sierra Nevada resort snow
Lat Long: 37.08° N 3.35° W
Ski Spain

Sierra Nevada Resort Reviews

Weather Forecast for Sierra Nevada at 2701 m altitude

Issued: 1 am 21 Apr 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Visitor reviews for Sierra Nevada Ski Resort

Sierra Nevada Ratings

Overall: 4.0. Based on 133 votes and 92 reviews.

Rate this resort

Snowsure: 4.1

  • Occasionally gets enough snow for skiing
  • Is often closed due to a lack of snow
  • Occasionally suffers from a lack of snow
  • Rarely suffers from a lack of snow
  • Sierra Nevada is snowsure even in the poorest seasons

Variety of pistes: 4.2

  • The ski runs are featureless and unvaried
  • The ski runs are varied but not extensive enough for a week
  • Sierra Nevada has diverse and interesting pistes including forests and high alpine terrain

Off-piste: 3.4

  • No off-piste worth mentioning
  • Off piste is out-of-bounds
  • Some varied offpiste that stays fresh for one or two days
  • A vast array of off-piste routes that can stay untracked for several days

Scenery: 4.2

  • An ugly resort in a bland setting
  • Average mountain views and resort
  • A spectacular setting and a beautiful / historic resort town

Access: 4.5

  • At least one overnight stop
  • Requires a whole day
  • Requires more than half a day – you may have time for a few turns
  • Arrive by lunchtime and ski all afternoon
  • There is a main airport within an hour of Sierra Nevada

Public Transport: 3.9

  • There are no buses or taxis to Sierra Nevada
  • There are slow or infrequent buses / trains available
  • Getting to the resort is easy with frequent bus / train connections

Accommodation: 4.5

  • No places to stay in/near Sierra Nevada
  • A few places to stay in the resort
  • A wide variety of accommodation suitable to suit all budgets

Cheap Rooms: 3.9

  • No budget accommodation available
  • Just one or two hostels so book ahead
  • Several cheap hostels and pensions available

Luxury Hotels: 4.4

  • No luxury accommodation available
  • Just one or two luxury hotels so book ahead
  • Several up-market hotels in Sierra Nevada

Ski in/Ski out: 4.4

  • The ski area is located far from any accommodation
  • A free ski bus takes you to the ski area in a short trip
  • Ski-in ski-out accommodation is available

Childcare: 4.1

  • There are no child care facilities at Sierra Nevada
  • The resort has limited child-care facilities
  • the resort has excellent child-care facilities including at least one reasonably priced creche

Snowmaking: 4.4

  • Sierra Nevada relies entirely on natural snow
  • There are just a few snow cannons
  • There are snowmaking facilities on all pistes

Snow Grooming: 4.6

  • There are no snow groomers at Sierra Nevada
  • Occasionally some pistes are left ungroomed and in a poor state
  • All the runs at Sierra Nevada are groomed daily

Shelter: 3.1

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

Nearby options: 2.3

  • If snow conditions are poor at Sierra Nevada, it will be poor everywhere nearby
  • There are good alternatives within an hours drive
  • Other locations on the same lift pass provide a rich variety of snowsure ski conditions

Regional rating: 4.4

  • Sierra Nevada usually has poor snow conditions compared to other resorts in region
  • Has average conditions for the region
  • Usually has the best snow conditions in the region

Lift Staff: 3.9

  • The staff at Sierra Nevada are rude or unhelpful
  • Lift staff at Sierra Nevada are pleasant, cheerful and eager to help

Crowds/Queues: 3.2

  • The resort is always busy and there are usually long lift queues
  • It is quiet apart from occasional weekends and school holidays
  • It is uncrowded and lift queues are very rare

Ski Schools: 4.6

  • No ski schools available
  • One or two ski schools but local language only
  • A few ski schools but book early for multi-lingual instructors
  • Plenty of ski schools and multi-lingual instructors available
  • Excellent ski schools with friendly multi-lingual ski instructors

Hire and Repairs: 4.6

  • Nothing can be sourced, not even ski-wax or ptex
  • There are some ski shops but rentals need to be booked in advance
  • Good quality ski equipment can be purchased or hired and overnight repairs are possible

Beginners: 4.5

  • Beginners can only watch others ski and snowboard
  • A few gentle slopes but beginners will get bored in less than a week
  • Vast areas of gentle terrain

Intermediates: 4.6

  • No intermediate terrain at Sierra Nevada
  • Intermediate skiers will get bored after a few days
  • Vast areas of cruising runs

Advanced: 4.2

  • Nothing for advanced skiers and snowboarders
  • Enough steep terrain for a few days with some good offpiste
  • Enough steep terrain and offpiste areas to entertain advanced skiers for at least a week

Snow Park: 4.3

  • Not even a kicker at Sierra Nevada
  • Average sized park quite well looked after
  • Huge park area and expertly crafted pipes, jumps and boardercross trails

Cross-country: 3.4

  • There is nowhere to go for cross-country skiing around Sierra Nevada
  • There are some cross country trails available
  • The area features many spectacular and well maintained cross-country trails

Luge/Toboggan: 3.0

  • No designated luge or toboggan runs
  • There are toboggan runs that open quite often
  • Sierra Nevada has long and well maintained luge / toboggan facilities suitable for all ages

Mountain Dining: 4.0

  • Nowhere to buy food by the pistes
  • Some places to eat up on the mountain but they are often busy and expensive
  • There is a variety of excellent mountain eateries right next to the slopes to suit all budgets

Eating: 4.3

  • Bring your own food, there isn't even a shop
  • There are a few places to eat in the resort but nothing special
  • A wide variety of places to eat and drink in the resort, from fast food to fancy restaurants

Apres-Ski: 4.4

  • Nothing to do, not even a bar
  • There are a few bars in the resort but nothing special
  • Clubs and bars stay open until very late and have a friendly atmosphere

Other Sports: 3.7

  • No sports facilities at all apart from ski lifts
  • Resort has just a small public swimming pool
  • Resort has all kinds of sports facilities, including a full-size swimming pool

Entertainment: 3.8

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

Winter Walks: 3.6

  • Very limited walking and no snowshoe trails
  • A couple of designated scenic walking/snowshoe trails
  • Extensive and diverse winter walking trails for all abilities

Ski Pass Value: 3.3

  • A 1 week ski pass is overpriced compared to the number of lifts available
  • The ski pass is averagely priced and covers a reasonable number of lifts
  • Ski passes are excellent value for money and cover a lot of lifts spanning a big area

Value (National): 3.5

  • Overall, Sierra Nevada is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the country and not worth the money
  • Overall represents average value for money
  • Overall offers the best value resort in the country

Value (Global): 3.5

  • Overall, Sierra Nevada is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the world
  • Overall it offers pretty average value for money compared to resorts from other countries
  • Internationally the resort offers excellent value for money

Show all 35 ratings

Latest
Oldest
Most useful
Top rated
Lowest rated
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!
February 07, 2015
Paddy from Ski France France
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.