Dominated by the Sierra Nevada
mountain Range with its highest peak (the Mulhacén)
reaching 3,482m above sea level, the Alpujarras
stretch down to the coastal ranges of the Sierra
de Lujar, the Sierra de Contraviesa,
and touching the Sierra de Gador
to the East and finish on the Mediterranean
coastline.
In the mountains the air is the cleanest in
Europe and, because of the altitude, the heat
in mid-summer is not as oppressive as it can
be on the coast.
This area is also a paradise for walking and
trekking with a myriad of footpaths snaking
their way through the Sierra Nevada, overnight
stops too, are possible with the refuges dotted
along the way.
The ski station at the Estación de Esquí
de Solynieve (“Sun and Snow”)
is also known as Pradollano
and is Europe’s southernmost ski resort
and one of the biggest in Spain, with good skiing
and facilities, so good in fact, they hosted
the 1996 Alpine Ski Championships. It also lies
in the heart of the Monachil municipality.
The resort has 45 downhill runs totalling 65km,
of which five are graded black, the most difficult;
18 graded red (difficult), 18 blue (easy) and
4 green (very easy). Two cable cars run from
Pradollano (2100m) to Borreguiles (2645m), and
from here other lifts will take skiers to higher
slopes; some of which start almost at the summit
of Pico de Veleta. |
