British Ski Center

Snow Report

Updated: 18th May 2009 at 23.45
Report Valid For:
CLICK YOUR REFRESH BUTTON TO ENSURE YOU HAVE THE LATEST UPDATE.

Min./Max Snow Levels:
RESORT CLOSED
Last Significant Snow Fall:
27th April 2009
Ski Areas:
Average Snow Depth Range:
Borreguiles:
CLOSED
Veleta:
CLOSED
Laguna:
CLOSED
Lomar De Dilar:
CLOSED
Rio Monachil:
CLOSED
Parador:
CLOSED
Number of Kms skiable:
00.00 of 101.35
Vertical Drop:
0 of 1,200 metres
Number of Lifts Due to Open:
0 out of 22
Number of Pistes Due to Open:
0 out of 113 (0 Hectares)
Recent Weather:
Clear first thing with cloud building up by the afternoon and snowfall
Forecast Temperature Range:
Max: 4º Min: -8º (Wind chill not counted)
Tomorrow's Forecast Wind Speeds:
Light to moderate North-Easterley's
Snow Quality:
Spring
Off-Piste Rating:
4 (Icy first thing!)
(1-Very Limited; 2-Some; 3-Reasonable; 4-Good; 5-Excellent)
Avalanche Risk (1 - 5)
1 (Low)

Call the following numbers, (between 9am - 10am and from 5pm - 8pm), for up to the minute snow, ski school and general resort information:
(PREFIX: 0034) 646 178406 / 629 540089

PLEASE NOTE: WE WILL ONLY KNOW FOR SURE IF THE LIFTS OPEN BY CALLING US AFTER 9.00AM. BEFORE THIS WE CAN MAKE NO GUARANTEE AT ALL!

Comments:

The longest season on record for Sierra Nevada has now come to a close with the last of the skiing enjoyed yesterday, (Sunday 17th May).

Anticipation for the opening of next season will be made anytime on from the middle of November subject to snow fall at the time.....keep posted!

NOTE ON DRIVING TO RESORT FOR THE WEEKENDS: IF YOU ARE DRIVING UP, (ESPECIALLY DURING WEEKENDS), BE SURE TO GET INTO RESORT EARLY, (BY 08.30). AS A RESULT OF RESTRICTED ACCESS INTO THE SKI VILLAGE DUE TO SNOW, PARKING IS ONLY PERMITTED IN THE ALLOCATED PARKING AREAS. ONCE THESE ARE FULL UP, THE POLICE ARE PRESENT ON THE ACCESS TO SIERRA NEVADA TURNING TRAVELLERS AWAY WHO DO NOT HAVE PERMITS, SIERRA NEVADA RESIDENCY OR PRIVATE PARKING SLOTS!!

If you have tuition booked for 10am or 11am, do ensure you are at the gondola by 9.30am to ensure you make it to the meeting points on time.

It is recommended to prebook your passes to aid you in getting up to the slopes quicker.

The lift pass office opens at 08.00 daily whilst the ski lifts do not open until 09.00. Lift passes may also be collected between 5-7pm for the following day.

SNOW CHAINS OR 4x4 VEHICLE ARE NO LONGER REQUIRED BUT HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!! WHEN THE WEATHER FORECAST INDICATES POSSIBLE SNOWFALL, POLICE ARE OFTEN STOP-CHECKING ON THE MOUNTAIN ROAD TO ENSURE YOU HAVE CHAINS IN THE EVENT OF THE ROAD BECOMING TREACHEROUS.

Chains can be acquired from most petrol stations around Granada and on the mountain route up to resort. Along the Granada bypass there are two car stores that also sell chains called "Tiendas Aurgi", (on the "Malaga" junction), and "Centers Auto" (on the "Armilla" Junction).

In resort there are a couple of places that also sell chains but there is often a higher markup in price than down in Granada!

Understanding Resort Closure Decisions:

Closure of the resort is a heavy decision made by the organiser's, (Cetursa S.A.), and is directly related to the overall safety of all skiers and snowboarders.

A single gust of wind is capable of creating sufficient momentum of a chair or cabin to de-rail the cable from its runners. If there is even the slightest of risk of this happening, they will, (understandably), not allow anyone to go.

In addition, if the weather monitoring systems indicate the likelihood of high winds to come in or increase, a decision for closure may be taken in order to avoid the possibility of sending up hundreds (or even thousands) of skiers and boarders with limited skiing/boarding capabilities and becoming faced with evacuation scenarios.

The season of 2006/7 proved quite unique in terms of extreme weather phenomenom. The mild temperatures and hence rain that fell created the additional situation of lifts becoming heavily iced up and the pistes quagged. When a cable is coated in a thick layer of ice, the safety implications of running the lift are immense. De-icing the lifts has no easy solution and may take days before the lift becomes safely operational again!

For example: Saturday the 10th February 2007 saw quite a unique situation whereby winds were the initial cause for closure but on top of this the heavy rain fall had created streams and rivulets over many pistes and frozen to solid ice in the upper sections making on-piste skiing conditions hazardous as well as an impossibilty of opening the majority of the lifts. As a result the piste workers had to literally re-work all of the runs in order to get them into a skiable condition for the following day!

It must be understood that the ski industry is very big business, and the resort will never be closed unless these safety aspects are deemed absolutely necessary!!

Our Terms & Conditions | Data Protection