What's on in Sierra Nevada (Pradollano), Spain through the year

Busy — Christmas holidays in Spain, school holidays in 6 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in January.

Still on: Ski season (25 Nov – 30 Apr (usually))

Busy — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, one of its best months for weather

• Hazard

  Calima on the snow

  15 Feb – 15 Jun · usuallyDust season

  Saharan dust blows north over Andalusia most often in spring, turning the sky orange and leaving the pistes pink. It ruins visibility for a day or two and shortens the snow's life. Source ↗

Still on: Ski season (25 Nov – 30 Apr (usually))

Peak crowds — Semana Santa on the slopes, Semana Santa (Easter) holidays in Spain

• Season

  Spring snow

  15 Mar – 30 Apr · usuallySki season

  The resort's own selling point: sun, slush by noon and the Mediterranean visible from the top station. Ski the first three hours and treat the afternoon as a terrace.

• Holiday

  Semana Santa on the slopes

  29 Mar – 5 AprEaster & Holy WeekCrowdedBook early

  Andalusian families come up for the whole week and it is the last full house of the season. Lift queues and Pradollano bed prices both peak, snow permitting. Source ↗

Still on: Calima on the snow (15 Feb – 15 Jun (usually)), Ski season (25 Nov – 30 Apr (usually))

Peak crowds — Semana Santa on the slopes, Semana Santa (Easter) holidays in Spain

Nothing new starts in April.

Still on: Calima on the snow (15 Feb – 15 Jun (usually)), Spring snow (15 Mar – 30 Apr (usually)), Semana Santa on the slopes (29 Mar – 5 Apr), Ski season (25 Nov – 30 Apr (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

• Closure

  Resort closed between seasons

  5 May – 15 Jun

  Between the lifts shutting and the summer opening, Pradollano is a shuttered village of empty apartment blocks. The mountain is walkable; there is nothing at the bottom of it. Source ↗

Still on: Calima on the snow (15 Feb – 15 Jun (usually))

Busy — Summer holidays in Spain, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

• Season

  High trail season

  15 Jun – 5 Oct · usually

  Once the snow clears, Mulhacen and Veleta are walkable and the refuges open. This is mainland Spain's highest ground, so it is cool when Granada below is unbearable.

• Opening

  Summer lifts and bike park

  20 Jun – 15 Sep · usuallySummer season opens

  A couple of gondolas run through the summer for downhill bikes and walkers, and the road up towards the Veleta becomes one of the highest climbs in Europe on a bicycle. Source ↗

Still on: Calima on the snow (15 Feb – 15 Jun (usually)), Resort closed between seasons (5 May – 15 Jun)

Busy — Summer holidays in Spain, school holidays in 6 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in July.

Still on: High trail season (15 Jun – 5 Oct (usually)), Summer lifts and bike park (20 Jun – 15 Sep (usually))

Busy — Summer holidays in Spain, school holidays in 6 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: High trail season (15 Jun – 5 Oct (usually)), Summer lifts and bike park (20 Jun – 15 Sep (usually))

Busy — Summer holidays in Spain, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: High trail season (15 Jun – 5 Oct (usually)), Summer lifts and bike park (20 Jun – 15 Sep (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in October.

Still on: High trail season (15 Jun – 5 Oct (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

• Season

  Ski season

  25 Nov – 30 Apr · usually

  Europe's most southerly resort usually opens at the end of November and runs to late April, three weeks past the Pyrenean resorts. Almost everything is above 2,100 m, which is why.

Busy — Christmas holidays in Spain, school holidays in 6 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in December.

Still on: Ski season (25 Nov – 30 Apr (usually))