Ski slopes open in Sierra Nevada
Saturday, November 28, 2015 @ 9:37 AM
SKIING season has kicked off already in southern Spain with the slopes of the Sierra Nevada due to open today (Saturday), and money-off deals including free parking to celebrate the start of the winter's activity.
'White Saturday' in Granada means lift passes for just €20, or €18 for young people and €16 for 'junior' passes – skiing fans should check for age limits for the lower-priced tickets.
Equipment hire and optional lessons if needed are extra, but as is always the case with Spanish ski resorts compared with the more traditional destinations in Europe, prices for both of these are affordable.
Skiing fans in Spain say the only difference between their home slopes and those further north in Europe is marketing – everyone has heard of resorts in the French Alpes, for example, but nobody outside Spain would realise that you can go skiing a two-hour drive from Valencia or an hour from Madrid, or that the springlike climates of Granada's beaches are just a short distance by car from the nearest piste.
And the lack of fame Spain's slopes suffers from has an upside: they are among the cheapest in Europe, meaning anyone who has a spare €40 or so can go for a day out on the 'white stuff', or €65 if they include an hour or two's private lessons where they are beginners, novices or simply want to hone their techniques.
For those who have their own boots, goggles, helmet, skis and ski poles and does not need lessons just for a day out, the €20 pass is the end of the story – and these can be as little as €15 on the pistes of Teruel, southern Aragón, which is just 90 minutes from Valencia city with the bulk of the journey by motorway.
Read more at thinkSPAIN.com