Introduction
It is very special to feel the snow under your feet, on skis, while you see the boats near the coast of Granada, or even more so, when you glimpse the mountains of another continent. You look at the valley and find a city full of life, which expands around an industrial fabric, which grows strongly thanks to the emerging flow of water coming from these snowy peaks.
The Alhambra
It is not surprising that the Arab people settled at the foot of this mountain range. On the one hand, thanks to their height, they could establish safe surveillance points and protect themselves from the winds and, on the other, enjoy a fertile land, always bathed by snow water.
The history of skiing in Sierra Nevada begins even before the arrival of the Arabs to this Andalusian land. It is known that already in the 12th century, Abu Hamid, during a trip he made to Asian lands, gave an account of what he saw the indigenous people of the place do; It referred to the way they used to move through the snow with skis, and we could say that it described mountain skiing. There is documentation from the time, which tells us about the skis that those indigenous people used.
Moving to a closer period, we find that, at the beginning of 1914, stories are already known that talk about skiing in the Sierra Nevada. And shortly after, in 1928, the Second Sports Week was held, which included in its agenda a race to Veleta with skis and crampons. Evidently, the pioneers of the station were great lovers of the mountains.
There are countless ski routes that have been opened in the Granada mountains. Before the arrival of mechanical means, in the 1960s, mountaineers traced new routes mounted on their seal-soled skis, walking up the mountain and looking for safe and beautiful passes; or they did it with cross-country skis loaded in their backpacks, until they reached the summits, and then slid down the mountain, after having enjoyed nature and the wonderful scenes that hidden corners offer us, only accessible to those who are willing to make journeys through the mountain, its valleys, slopes and trails.
But mechanical means arrived and the laziest began to believe a little more in this skiing thing, since they found more comfortable to dare to try the sport of skiing.
The station began to grow, large hotels were installed and apartment buildings were built to accommodate tourists and onlookers. Skiing began to be commercialized, although due to the high maintenance costs, the novelty and the limited supply of equipment, which was very expensive for the average citizen of those years, this sport remained only accessible to a small group. social elite, who could afford a skiing vacation.
However, control of the station came to be managed by the Autonomous Government of the Junta de Andalucía and a plan for opening and access to the enjoyment of the mountain was designed for all citizens. In this way, in the mid-1980s, Sierra Nevada presented a large-scale promotion, which seriously offered citizens an attractive alternative to take into account when choosing vacation destinations. Reasonable prices and a very complete range of services.
The station was no longer called Pradollano Station, it was now Sierra Nevada, and thus expanded its possibilities. Ski scenes, brilliant descents, animals under protection, native fauna, unique sunsets, the sea from the summit... In short, combinations of images that really resonated with the citizen and boosted the spirits of the inhabitants of the resort and the people of Granada, to concentrate their efforts to revitalize the Sierra and its tourist and environmental wealth.
Already in 1977, Sierra Nevada hosted the final of the Alpine Ski World Cup, a festival prepared for a few and that almost no one remembers; Of course, at that time, skiing was for a few. But only ten years later, Sierra Nevada was already hosting the organization of large-scale international events, European Cups, and World Cup events; Sierra Nevada thus begins its journey in search of hosting the Alpine Ski World Championships.
Sierra Nevada grew at the pace of its ambitions and, in 1996, after culminating in a more than excellent organization of the Alpine Ski World Cup, the Granada resort, in the south of Spain, with views of the sea and bordering on another continent, established itself before the world as one of the best prepared resorts in the world to meet the needs of those who practice skiing and snowboarding, of course.
The ski area
We have several ways to access the Borreguiles ski lift core; This is the place that hosts the service of slopes, restaurants and ski schools, among other services, to which the cable cars arrive Al Andalus and Pradollano, main transport arteries to access the slopes.
The beginner slopes are located in Borreguiles, which are wide and very easy to access. They have two ski lifts and a chairlift, which give the possibility of going up to levels of gentle slope, where the beginner can learn to ski, without the descent of these slopes being dangerous for their technical level.
The ski lifts also leave from Borreguiles to the high areas, where we find slopes of a more advanced level, although we will always enjoy wide slopes and very well groomed by the snow grooming machines, which work tirelessly during the night, so that later we will find authentic highways.
Aguila track area
Once we arrive from Borreguiles, on the Veleta II detachable chairlift (ultra-fast), we can begin descents along several tracks that will take us back to Borreguiles, and then continue descending to the base of the station (urban center), along various itineraries. ; either through the river valley, or through the Caochiles valley. This valley takes us to the World Cup track; so called because it was the scene of that 1977 final.
We can also continue the ascent to higher levels, in search of the views offered by the summit of Veleta. From this point, we can decide whether to undertake a long descent that begins at 3,100 m and ends at 2,200 m, in Pradollano, or decide to head to the valley of La Laguna de las Yeguas, to access the detachable chairlift that takes us, at full speed, to the highest skiing point of the resort and from where we can almost touch the Mediterranean, just about 20 km in a straight line.
Another way to access Borreguiles is by taking the Monachil detachable chairlift, which takes us to the slopes of the Monachil valley itself; a very wide extension that offers several descents; all of them very comfortable and pleasant at all kinds of technical levels (beginners should refrain). The Borreguiles slopes are very easy, but the Veleta slopes, due to the unevenness of the slopes, require a precise and safe level. Spring snows in the morning are usually very treacherous due to the hardness of the ice that forms during the night.
The Caochiles slopes are very enjoyable at medium levels (parallel, without too many frills). Monachil, for its part, is Borreguiles ski lift core; This is the place that hosts the service of slopes, restaurants and ski schools, among other services, to which the cable cars arrive Al Andalus and Pradollano, main transport arteries to access the slopes.
The beginner slopes are located in Borreguiles, which are wide and very easy to access. They have two ski lifts and a chairlift, which give the possibility of going up to levels of gentle slope, where the beginner can learn to ski, without the descent of these slopes being dangerous for their technical level.
The ski lifts also leave from Borreguiles to the high areas, where we find slopes of a more advanced level, although we will always enjoy wide slopes and very well groomed by the snow grooming machines, which work tirelessly during the night, so that later we will find authentic highways.
Aguila track area
Once we arrive from Borreguiles, on the Veleta II detachable chairlift (ultra-fast), we can begin descents along several tracks that will take us back to Borreguiles, and then continue descending to the base of the station (urban center), along various itineraries. ; either through the river valley, or through the Caochiles valley. This valley takes us to the World Cup track; so called because it was the scene of that 1977 final.
We can also continue the ascent to higher levels, in search of the views offered by the summit of Veleta. From this point, we can decide whether to undertake a long descent that begins at 3,100 m and ends at 2,200 m, in Pradollano, or decide to head to the valley of La Laguna de las Yeguas, to access the detachable chairlift that takes us, at full speed, to the highest skiing point of the resort and from where we can almost touch the Mediterranean, just about 20 km in a straight line.
Another way to access Borreguiles is by taking the Monachil detachable chairlift, which takes us to the slopes of the Monachil valley itself; a very wide extension that offers several descents; all of them very comfortable and pleasant at all kinds of technical levels (beginners should refrain). The Borreguiles slopes are very easy, but the Veleta slopes, due to the unevenness of the slopes, require a precise and safe level. Spring snows in the morning are usually very treacherous due to the hardness of the ice that forms during the night.
The Caochiles slopes are very enjoyable at medium levels (parallel, without too many frills). Monachil, for its part, is
