Ski Resorts in Spain
When you think of Spain, you think of the Costas or the Balearics, possibly the Canaries.
Blistering heat, Sun, Sea & Sand.
Only fanatical skiers would think of mountains and snow, but Spain offers an abundance of both.
The Sierra Nevada is mainland Europe's most southerly ski resort, nestling just 32 km from Granada, it is surprisingly reliable for snow. It can be very crowded especially on weekends, but the queues can be avoided by starting early. In general the Spanish like to party all night and get up late the following morning!
The most extensive area for skiing in Spain is the Pyrenees. They have a reputation for being windy but on my only trip there I found the weather perfect. So you pay yer money and take yer chance.
The most renowned of the Pyrenean resorts is Baqueira-Beret, the King of Spain has a holiday home there. It is popular with jet-setters, and so is the most up market and pricey of the Spanish resorts. It has still been voted in previous seasons by some of the skiing press as the winner of of the Small Resort of the Year throughout the whole world!!!
The other Pyrenean resorts such as Formigal, Cerler, Panticosa, Tuca, Burgette, etc. are MUCH cheaper offer more than adequate skiing at a great price and are ideally suited to beginners and improvers.
The only drawback being that, in general, most of the instructors speak poor English so a lot of instruction is done by gestures, broken English and scratched diagrams in the snow.
Cerler
** ***
Expecting the worst due to the Pyrenees reputation for being windy with poor snow, I was pleasantly surprised to find good snow and no wind during my February visit.
The main slope was probably the best mogul slope (red) that I had ever skied on, and the gully, to the left of it was also quite challenging and again mogully. Generally the slopes were suitable mainly for novices but as you can see, intermediates would find enough to enjoy themselves here also.
The facilities in the resort were limited - but I was there to ski, not buy, so I had a great holiday.
The lifts could do with updating, but as queues were rare they were up to the job.
Would recommend for a cheap novices/improvers trip.
If, however, you fancy a lively week then go to Cerler early in February when they hold their Carnival.
Not only is this party time, but you also get two lift passes for the price of one if you are in fancy dress. This year you could have skied with Superman, the Tellytubbies, as well as numerous clowns (don't we always) cavemen, cowboys and indians for this bargain price.
Its an annual event but check with their website to make sure it is scheduled for the same week next year !
James Masters
