Ski Mountaineering in southern Spain
Setting off for Pico Veleta in high winds
More often associated with sunny beaches and sun baked rock climbing holidays, Spain actually has some pretty decent ski mountaineering opportunities. We hope to post some information on the Pyrenees in the north soon and also eventually on some of the other ranges in central Spain including the Picos de Europa, Sierra de Guadarrama etc.
In the meantime here is some information on skiing Spain's highest peak, Mulhacen 3482m located in the south of the country in the Sierra Nevada
Mulhacen and Veleta
The Sierra Nevada lie just outside the beautiful Andalucian city of Granada. There is a ski resort here, simply called 'Sierra Nevada' on the slopes of Pico Veleta which gives good access to the mountains. You can either get a lift up to a decent height, or more easily just drive up a road through the northern suburbs of the resort, park up and start skinning. The first summit that you reach above the resort is Pico Veleta 3392m. From here a descent into a col (there is a small hut near here called the Felix Mendez hut) can be made and then an ascent of Mulhacen by the west slopes. On a good day it would be possible to do this as a day trip, returning the same way. There are a number of other small huts in the Sierra Nevada, mostly just bivouac huts, and a good 2-3 day tour could be made over the highest tops finishing somewhere like Trevelez on the south slopes or the village of Jeres de Marquesada on the north slopes
The Sierra Nevada from above Granada. Mulhacen is on the extreme left
Mulhacen from the summit of Veleta on a very cold and windy day
