The slopes of Sierra Nevada are ideal for beginners - and the beach is two hours away, writes Killian Forde
FOR A COUNTRY that usually evokes images of flamenco, fiesta and paella on the pier, Spain has a surprising range of snow sports. Ski resorts dot the country, from Pyrenean and Cantabrian mountains, in the north, to Europe's southernmost - and sunniest - resort: Pradollano, in Andalusia's Sierra Nevada Mountains, near Granada.
European resorts tend to be gorgeously authentic, such as Zermatt and Zell am See, or hideously alien, such as Alpe d'Huez or Cervinia. Pradollano tries to buck the rule: the purpose-built resort packs in skiers but aims to mould its architecture into its landscape. It doesn't quite work, but the town looks far from offensive, and its compactness helps it to feel like a village.
Some skiers regard Pradollano as a novelty resort, but this is no mom-and-pop operation: its almost 100km of pistes compete easily with most Alpine and US resorts. Its snow record, given that it is farther south than Istanbul, Athens and Lisbon, and only a few dozen kilometres from the Mediterranean, is oddly reliable.
Nine-to-five skiers and anyone who values space on the piste will love Sierra Nevada. The wide slopes are deserted in the morning, as the almost exclusively Spanish visitors don't get started until around noon. From Pradollano, at 2,012m, a web of lifts threads up to six ski areas, the highest of which tops out at 3,330m.
The skiing is mostly suited to intermediates who love cruising treeless slopes and to beginners, who can use five well- regarded ski schools and gentle nursery slopes at the mid- station.
Impeccable corduroy pisting along the empty six-kilometre Aguila red run meant I could accelerate sweeping carving turns at speed to reach the addictive slingshot sensation that on busy pistes is just too dangerous to attempt.
For the advanced skier there is not a lot to get excited about, or anything on piste that offers a challenge, but the ski schools can provide off-piste guides for half the price of their Alpine equivalents. Snow permitting, a southerly descent from the Valeta peak towards Costa del Sol can be a steep, tough off- piste route with unique views towards north Africa and the shipping emerging from the Strait of Gibraltar.
Disappointingly in a region of Spain renowned for its cuisine, the on-mountain restaurants are functional affairs, mainly self-service cafes with, oddly, a high proportion of beer-drinking, day-tripping British retirees from the costas. The food in these cafes is cheap - about €4 for a burger and chips - but not very interesting. Instead, ski down to the resort village, grab a terrace table and treat yourself to a bowl of migas and a glass of local red for about €7.
You have to choose between staying in Pradollano or down the mountain in Granada. Take the city option. Pradollano is neither pretty or interesting enough to justify snubbing Spain's most interesting city, a mere half-hour below, which has the best tapas bars in Spain, and some creatively fitted-out nightclubs. The challenge for snowheads is getting enough bedtime to avoid burnout.
If you're an experienced skier, there is not enough skiing in Sierra Nevada to justify a full week's holidays. If you're just starting out on the slopes, however, southern Spain is a better alternative to low-cost, low- service Andorra or Bulgaria, with a ski range as good as France or Italy.
www.sierranevada.co.uk
www.granadainfo.com
www.sierranevadaski.com
Aer Lingus (www.aerlingus.com) flies to Malaga from Dublin. Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) flies to Malaga from Dublin and Shannon.Crystal Holidays (www.crystalski.co.uk) sells week-long packages to Pradollano, but they depart from UK airports.
From the mountain to the Med
• Tourist boards around the Med make a play of their regions' being diverse enough to ski in the morning and swim in the afternoon. I had never met anyone who had done it, so I thought it was worth a go.
The idea was to ski from the 3,300m peak of Valeta, unclip at Pradallano and drive to Marbella, to the in-laws, having a late lunch on the beach.
9.41am
3,300m. Minus 11 degrees
It's cold, an Irish cold: being so close to the sea means a nasty maritime wind rips through my ski jacket. I tuck in and shoot down the groomed run to the sun-exposed mid-station, at 2,650m. From here an easy blue brings me to the car park.
3.04pm
1m. 18 degrees
I am sitting at a beach bar in Marbella. My dip was a little too refreshing: it felt more like Dollymount in May than a welcome soak in the Med.
From the top of the mountain to dipping my toe in the sea has taken four and a half hours, including a two-hour journey from the Pradollano car park to Marbella. I'll try again, but next time it won't be in winter.
Where to stay
• Hotel Melia. Plaza de Pradollano, Pradollano, 00-34- 958-480400, www.solmelia. com. One of the resort's large four-star hotels. Functional, clean and practical. The pool, gym and spa provide low-cost distractions from the slopes. Spacious rooms for a ski-resort hotel. Doubles from €85 per person per night.
• Casa Rurales Las Catifas. Parque Nacional de Sierra Nevada, 00-34-958-340512, www.telecabinalascatifas.com. Ten minutes' drive downhill from Pradollano, a cluster of seven traditional houses frames this seductive wooded location.
• Hotel Nevasur. Virgen de las Nieves 17, Pradollano, 00-34- 958-480350. Sits right at the ski slopes, with unrivalled views over the Granada plain. Rooms from €60 per person.
• Oasis Hostel. Placeta Correo Viejo 3, Granada, 00-34-958- 215848, www.oasis granada.com. Granada's best hostel, ideal for backpackers and short stays. Its courtyard layout and snug rooftop terrace ensure a unique apres-ski atmosphere. From €16 a bunk.
Where to eat
• Up the mountain you can enjoy Spanish regional cuisine. Down in the city you'll find the best selection of complimentary tapas on the Iberian peninsula. Pradollano can be deceptively dull if you're used to early apres ski, as the bars don't fill up until after 11pm.
• Le Lodge. Maribel 8, Pradollano, 00-34-958- 480600. One of the resort's better table-service restaurants, serving filling Basque dishes.
• Sticky Fingers, El Bálcon, Mango and Vaya are all off the main square in Pradollano. These bars are busy with just-off-the-slopes punters from late afternoon until 7pm. The second shift starts later - and the dress code changes from ski gear to street fashion. Clubs open at about midnight and keep thumping until first light.
• Om Khalsum. Calle Jardines 17, Granada. Tapas and beer with a Moorish twist. As each drink is rewarded with a more sophisticated tapas, this bar is well worth staying a while in.
• Kasbah. Calle Calderería Nueva 4, Granada, 00-34-958- 227936. Hookah pipes, sweet mint tea, almond, pistachio and date cakes and pastries in a candle-lit Berber-style teashop. Perfection, and you'll know you're on holidays.
• El Agua. Placeta del Aljibe de Trillo 7, Granada, 00-34- 958-224356. You can have your own fondue fest within view of the Alhambra. Book early to get a table on the terrace.
Where to go
• The Alhambra. Calle Real de la Alhambra, Granada, 00-34- 902-888001, www.alhambra- tickets.es. The former fortress of the Moorish rulers of Iberia is now a Unesco World Heritage site. The complex, built between the ninth and 15th centuries, had multiple builders, architects and despots stamping their style on the building. Booking is essential.
• Mirador de San Nicolás. Espaldas, Granada, 00-34-958-226688. One of the world's must-see sunsets is of the ochre Alhambra against the white of the Sierra Nevada massif. Watch it from the terrace of the church of Mirador de San Nicolás. The Mexican writer Francisco de Icaza was inspired to note that there could be "nothing in this life, as bad as being blind, in Granada" after experiencing it.
• Sierra Nevada Observatory. Loma de Dilar, 00-34-958- 121311, www.osn.iaa.es. Operated by the Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia. Chance your arm here and send a nice e-mail to jiglesia@iaa.es for a guided visit from obliging scientists. You can reach the observatory by ski lift from Pradollano.
Pradollano
Village altitude2,012m.
Top lift3,300m.
Lifts24.
Pisted runs95km.
Longest runSix kilometres.