Skiing in Sierra Nevada

Sierra Nevada: Europe's southern ski area, from the Borreguiles hub to the Veleta reds

Sierra Nevada ski guide: all 134 pistes with lengths from Borreguiles to Veleta, 2026–27 pass status, Granada or Málaga access and Pradollano vs Granada stays.

Marked pistes (official total)

134

Marked pistes (km)

112.5

Skiable vertical (m)

1200

Pradollano base village (m)

2100

Borreguiles, main ski area (m)

2700

Lifts on the official map, incl. 4 magic carpets

23

Granada airport to the resort (km)

47

Skiing & terrain in Sierra Nevada

All 134 marked pistes in the per-piste table of the official piste map (3 December 2025), by the map's area headings, plus the K12 and K-4.6 tours and four themed Fun Trails from the live snow report.

Pistes in this table

134

Pistes with a published length in metres

134

Longest piste, Águila (m)

6329

Marked pistes (km)

112.5

• Green (very easy) pistes in this table: 20
• Blue (easy) pistes in this table: 50
• Red (difficult) pistes in this table: 53
• Black (very difficult) pistes in this table: 7

Checked 18 October 2026. Rows, areas, lengths and order come from the per-piste table on Cetursa's official piste map dated 3 December 2025 (134 pistes: Área Veleta 8, Laguna de las Yeguas 21, Borreguiles 34, Pista del Mar / Zona Familiar 3, Cauchiles / Parador 18, Loma Dílar 38, Río Monachil 7, Parque Sulayr 4, Jardín Alpino 1). The map table prints the difficulty only as a colour symbol, so colours come from the operator's live snow report, which lists the same pistes by zone; the result (20 green, 50 blue, 53 red, 7 black, plus 4 snow-park lines without a colour) matches the map legend's own totals exactly. Lengths are the operator's per-piste figures in metres; some pistes are sections or variants of longer descents, so do not add them up. Two spellings that are obvious typos in the map table (Collad de la Laguna, Puerta de Fajaluaza) use the snow report's spelling, and Solynieve is shown as the report's Sol y Nieve. The live snow report also lists a few names that are not in the map table (El Minutillo, La Vereda, Albaicín, La Pradera, La Curva, Ramal del Genil and a Sulayr Sector 4); they are left out. The K12 and K-4.6 tours and the four Fun Trails are listed separately as circuits/routes without lengths. Cross-country and ski-mountaineering circuits and the off-piste itineraries are not included.

Sierra Nevada pistes: Borreguiles, Laguna, Veleta, Loma Dílar and the Río run

Sierra Nevada is one linked ski area above the purpose-built village of Pradollano (about 2,100 m), in the Sierra Nevada range south-east of Granada. The operator, Cetursa, counts 134 marked pistes and 112.5 km, with 1,200 m of skiable vertical. The Al-Andalus and Borreguiles gondolas lift you from Pradollano to Borreguiles (about 2,700 m), the hub of the resort, and chairlifts fan out from there to the higher Laguna de las Yeguas bowl and the Veleta area, to Loma Dílar on one side and down to Cauchiles / Parador and Río Monachil on the other.

The official piste map lists every piste by area with its length: Área Veleta (8), Laguna de las Yeguas (21), Borreguiles (34) plus the Pista del Mar family zone (3), Cauchiles / Parador (18), Loma Dílar (38), Río Monachil (7), the Sulayr snow park (4) and the Jardín Alpino (1). By colour that is 20 green, 50 blue, 53 red and 7 black. The upper Veleta and Laguna areas are entirely red; all seven blacks are in Loma Dílar (Visera, Trampolín, Fuente del Tesoro, Tubo del Enebro, El Paso, Neveros and Diploma).

The longest piste is the red Águila from the Veleta area (6,329 m, 1,152 m vertical), followed by Loma Dílar (3,833 m, blue), Olímpica (3,476 m, red) and El Río (3,258 m, blue), the run back to Pradollano that is floodlit for night skiing on set dates. The upper Veleta area depends on natural snow (in 2024–25 its first slopes opened only after early January), so check the live snow report for what is actually open.

Sierra Nevada for beginners: the Borreguiles Principiantes area and green runs

Beginners start in Borreguiles, at the top of the gondola. The official table lists seven Principiantes pistes there (the longest about 1 km), plus Super verde, Paralelo, Amapola and the themed El Bosque, all green and served by magic carpets and the Borreguiles chairlifts. The operator also points first-timers to its beginner tracks page and the snow garden.

Once you can link turns, the step up is Perdiz (1,467 m, the longest green), Panorámica II and the green Piñata 1 and 2 and La Peña in the Pista del Mar family zone. Blues such as Rebeco and Zorro in Borreguiles, or the long Loma Dílar, come next. Remember that the whole Laguna and Veleta upper mountain is red.

The way home is a decision too: El Río down to Pradollano is a 3.2 km blue, so tired beginners can ride the gondola back down instead. Book lessons ahead in busy weeks, and agree a meeting point at the Borreguiles gondola station.

Getting to Sierra Nevada: Granada or Málaga airport, then the bus or the A-395 to Pradollano

There is no airport or railway at the resort. The operator gives these distances: Granada airport 47 km, Málaga airport 172 km and Seville airport 291 km; Granada train station is 40 km away, Málaga station 163 km. Granada is the closest gateway; from Málaga the road transfer is much longer.

From Granada, the official page lists a winter bus run by Autocares Tocina from Granada bus station, with a stop at Paseo del Violón (next to the Palacio de Congresos) about 15 minutes after departure, and returns from Pradollano. The 2025–26 timetable and fares on that page (€10 return, €5.50 one way) may change for 2026–27, so check them before you travel. Taxis have a fixed rank in Pradollano.

By car, the access road is the A-395 from Granada; the official page links live traffic information and road webcams. Pradollano has an underground car park under Plaza de Andalucía and the Peñones car park higher up, and the operator publishes real-time occupancy. On snowy days, check the road status and carry chains before driving up.

Sierra Nevada with kids: snow garden, Pradollano nursery and family trails

For small children, the operator lists a play-nursery in Pradollano for ages 4 months to 6 years, next to the Al-Andalus gondola, and El Cole de la Nieve / Alpine Garden in the Borreguiles beginner area for ages 3 (out of nappies) to 12, a closed snow garden with two carpets and ski-initiation programmes run by CEROGRADOS. Places are limited, so book in advance; check opening hours and the language of instruction directly with the provider.

On the slopes, the Shark Fun Trail is a sea-themed family trail on the Pista del Mar, reached via the Emile Allais and Alhambra chairlifts, and El Bosque in Borreguiles has forest animals along its route. Children starting freestyle, with a parent, can try the Kidspark and the progression park in the Sulayr snow park at Loma Dílar.

Non-skiing parents can use pedestrian gondola tickets up to Borreguiles, and the Mirlo Blanco activity area in Pradollano offers a sledge ride, slides and an ice rink. Children need a valid ski pass to use the lifts; the operator sells children's and under-5 rates and a Family Formula pass.

Where to stay for Sierra Nevada: Pradollano at the lifts or Granada city

Pradollano is the resort village and the only base right at the lifts. Stay around Plaza de Andalucía and you are about 50 m from the Al-Andalus gondola, so you can ski straight from breakfast and come back for lunch; the operator's own Aparthotel Trevenque is due to reopen for winter 2026–27, and it lists other hotels and apartments in the village. The downside is that Pradollano is a ski village, quiet off-season and pricier in peak weeks.

Granada is the alternative: more choice and prices, the Alhambra and city life in the evening, but about 40 km of mountain road each way. Without a car you depend on the bus timetable, and on snowy or windy days the road and the lifts can close. It suits a mix of city and skiing better than a full ski week.

Within Pradollano, compare walking distance to Plaza de Andalucía and the gondola; the Parador chairlift links different points of the village, the Peñones car park is in its upper part, and an internal city bus runs through Pradollano.

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Sierra Nevada ski pass 2026–27: variable prices, age bands and family passes

Cetursa sells one-day and consecutive-day passes, half-day passes, free-use passes for 5, 10, 15 or 20 days, season passes (including a Monday–Friday season pass), a Family Formula and a family season pass, all online, on the app, at the resort's ATMs or at the User Service Centre. Prices are variable: the online calendar shows a daily price that can change with the date and how far ahead you buy, and online is usually cheaper than the ticket office.

The ticket office rate table on the official site, checked on 18 October 2026, still shows 2025–26 prices and marks the new season as 'coming soon', so we do not quote a 2026–27 day price. In 2025–26 the age bands were child (under 16), adult (16–64), senior (over 65) and a special 'Benjamín / Senior+' rate for under-5s and over-70s; check whether they are the same for 2026–27.

For 2026–27 the operator ran an advance sale of long-term and season passes with 20% off until 15 October 2026, with extras such as free night-skiing days and discounts on rental and ski lockers. The pass includes the compulsory travellers' insurance (SOV) for the lifts, but skier's insurance is extra.

Best time to ski Sierra Nevada: snow history, season dates and spring skiing

Historically, February and March give Sierra Nevada its best snow window, with early April often still good on the upper slopes. In OnTheSnow's third-party archive of resort-reported depths (seasons since 2012–13; method not stated), the average base rises from about 22 cm in December and 36 cm in January to 51 cm in February and 61 cm in March, and is still about 59 cm in April. December and January are the shoulder months, when the upper Veleta area often waits for natural snow. In the official 2024–25 review, the first Veleta slopes opened only after early January and the March snowfalls opened the whole area. Historical averages do not guarantee any season.

Opening depends on snow and snowmaking: in 2024–25 the resort opened for tourist use on 30 November and for skiing on 13 December, and it closed on 4 May 2025; for 2025–26 the operator extended the season to 3 May. At the time of checking, Cetursa had not published 2026–27 dates. Spring here means sunshine and 'spring snow': firmer in the morning and softer by late morning. Start early, use sunscreen, and choose higher slopes after midday.

Before you travel, look at the live snow report, the webcams and the mountain forecast. Wind as well as snow matters: the 2024–25 review counted 12 wind closures (10 total, 2 partial).

Finding ski partners in Sierra Nevada

Sierra Nevada is mostly a Spanish crowd: the operator says more than 96% of its 2024–25 skiers were from Spain, most from Andalusia and Madrid. Many people come for the weekend or the day from Granada, and weekdays are quieter. If you are travelling alone or from abroad, a partner makes the gondola queue, a long El Río descent or a day in the Laguna bowl more fun.

On SkiPair, add your dates and level, say whether you are based in Pradollano or Granada, and match with skiers who want the same terrain: Borreguiles blues, the Laguna reds or the Loma Dílar blacks. Fix a clear meeting point, such as the top of the Al-Andalus gondola in Borreguiles, and agree a plan if the upper lifts close because of wind.

Ski pass prices for Sierra Nevada

Check the operator’s current prices for your ski dates, ticket duration, age group and the area covered by the pass.

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Weather and snow

A clearer view of the snow in Sierra Nevada: recent snowfall, what is forecast next, and an outlook for your dates.

Snow and temperature are model estimates. They do not confirm that lifts or pistes are open. Further-ahead dates show seasonal patterns rather than a weather forecast.

Flights & getting to Sierra Nevada

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Airport options include GRX and AGP, SVQ. Compare onward transport to the resort for your dates.

Sierra Nevada is better with your kind of people

A destination in common is a good start. Find skiers and snowboarders whose dates, ability and idea of a great day match yours.

A glimpse of Sierra Nevada

Archive photos · cropped for display

Questions about this resort