Skiing Holidays at Sierra Nevada

Night Skiing

One of the Sierra Nevada’s most exciting feature, night skiing as introduced in 1994 with lighting along the El Rio slope (3km/545 vertical drop). Sierra Nevada provides excellent customer service to guarantee its visitors an especially pleasant stay. A new medical centre, child day-care centre, banks with ATM’s, supermarkets, sports and fashion boutiques, gift shops, magazine and newspaper kiosks, ski rental, photo-developing services, hairdressers, car rental, taxi service, pharmacy and church services are among others available at the resort.

Mountain Rating

As always, experts can find the tough stuff anywhere. Sierra Nevada has some good challenges in the far bowls and is delightful for strong skiers in the ungroomed areas. Intermediates will be ecstatic. For the most part, this is a mellow beginning and intermediate paradise when sticking to groomed trails. If you enjoy long gentle cruising carving big giant slalom turns, you will think you are in heaven. You’ll quickly discover that the object here is pure enjoyment so relax and enjoy the night sun.

High season in Spain occurs in early December, Christmas/New Year, mid February and Easter. Middle season is mid January, early and late February and March (except for Easter week). Low season is most of April. In addition Saturdays, Sundays and holidays draw premium rates.

Lessons (2005/2006 prices)

There area a few palces that are this perfect fro learning to ski. The Spanish temperament makes for great intitial instruction. What’s more, beginners can handle most of the mountain after three or four days of instruction. There are 13 ski schools (958-480168, 958-480011 or 958-480142) that have more than 300 instructors and have offices in the main square of the town and at Borreguiles at mid-mountain. About a quarter of the instructors speak English.

The prices for Spanish Ski School are very similar to those around the rest of europe. Private lessons from 10am to 2pm for one adult cost 35 Euros and an additional 5 Euros per additional person up to a maximum of four. Private lessons from 2pm to 5pm for one adult costs 32 Euros and an additional 5 Euros per additional person up to a maximum of four.

Group ski lessons for adults and children cost 113 Euros for five days. Classes are held three hours per day in groups of eight to ten skiers or riders.

Après-Ski/Nightlife

This is a small resort, so you should be able to find out if anything is going on rather quickly. Though the village may be small the nightlife is charged with that special Spanish spirit that takes advantage of the moment and normally stretches that moment into the wee hours of the morning.

El Golpe and Soho Bar de Copas both have hot action immediately after skiing. These are spots to make contacts with other tourists that you can follow up on later that night. Try Mango and Sticky Fingers as well. Any place surrounding the main square will be packed as skiers come off the mountain. On a sunny, the après-ski is wonderful.

The disco’s start pumping around midnight but may only get crowded around 1 or 2am. Try Nevada 53 in the Hotel Melia Sierra Nevada, La Chimenea in Edificio Primavarall and La Chicle where the younger crowd gathers in Edificio Bulgaria. Mango has a good disco action where the resort is packed. The older nightlife crowd tends to congregate in the Sala Muley, at the Hotel Melia Sierra Nevada, or at Crescendo in the Telecabina building.

Expect to pay heft cover charges, but remember these cover charges normally include one or two drinks. You’ll quickly learn why party folk here don’t swig down drinks at a fast pace. Most nurse their drink for the entire evening.

In Granada, the nightlife centres on tapas. The discos are expensive and filled with youth and blaring music. For a great evening or tapa-hopping try the Calle Navas right in the middle of town or head to Campo de Principe about a 15 minute walk from Navas.

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