Skiing

Best for skiing:

Pradollano ski resort

The Pradollano ski resort in the Sierra Nevada boasts 94.8km of piste comprised of 103 runs. There are nine exhilarating black runs, including one down the north face of the shark-fin peak of Veleta – mainland Spain’s second highest mountain. For those even more intrepid skiers, off-piste skiing in Sierra Nevada has made a great name for itself with easily accessible zones all over the terrain, very little avalanche risk by European comparisons and wide-open expanses for all to explore and enjoy! Get kitted out at Rio Sport Intersport equipment-hire shop, where you’ll find top-notch rental equipment and a team of expert staff to help you out with the right equipment according to your standard.
Where: Intersport Rio sports shop, Plaza de Andalucía, Pradollano, Sierra Nevada, Tel: +34 958 48 05 43.
Website: http://www.intersport.es/

Boarding

Best for snow-boarding:

Parque Sulayr

For all those cool, bandana-wearing snowboard dudes, there’s a purpose-built snowboard park at the Pradollano resort. Found close to the Collado a Borreguiles blue run, it is complete with jumps, a half pipe and rails so you can impress the chicas or chicos with your skills. Off piste boarding is really accessible, with many natural features to play around with. There’s more than enough up there to keep any boarder occupied for two or three days.
Where: Parque Sulayr, Pradollano resort, Sierra Nevada, Tel: +34 902 708 090. Snowboard rentals: Wax Surfers, Edificio Salvia, Plaza Andalucia, Pradollano, Sierra Nevada, Tel: +34 958 481 136.
Website: Wax Surfers: http://www.waxsurfers.com/

Beginners

Best for beginners:

British Ski Centre

First-time skiers can easily be put off by all the others whizzing around all about them – especially when some budding Franz Klammers are only knee high to an Arctic fox. But fear not, as there are 16 green runs of virgin snow for first-timers and plenty of ski schools. For ski classes in English, try the British Ski Centre, whose tutors are all qualified to the highest level for ski instructors.
Where: British Ski Centre, Plaza de Andalucía, Pradollano, Sierra Nevada, Tel: +34 646 178 406 or +34 629 540 089.
Website: http://www.britishskicenter.co.uk/

Something different

Best for something different:

Skijoring

Ever heard of “skijoring”? No, me neither. At least not until someone suggested my dog would be great at it. Even more confused? Well, skijoring is when a dog, preferably an Artic breed like a Siberian husky, pulls you uphill on skis (that is, you wearing the skis, not the dog!). As a sport, it’s big in North America and Scandinavia, and activity company Spanish Highs thought they would give it a go in southern Spain. As well as skijoring, Spanish Highs offer ski-touring, back country skiing and snow shoeing, along with a wide range of summer mountain activities such as walking, trekking and mountaineering.
Where: Spanish Highs, Lanjaron, Granada, Tel: +34 660 013 445.
Website: http://www.spanishhighs.co.uk/

Best day out:

Granada

No trip to Sol y Nieve is complete without a descent into the nearby city of Granada. Without a doubt one of Spain’s most attractive urban wonders, it’s a place seeped in history and culture. It was the last city to be re-unified under Catholic Spain in 1492AD; and its Islamic past, like a Banksy mural in downtown LA, is writ large all over the place. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the Alhambra, a 13th century fortress-cum-palace perched atop a hill in the centre of Granada. Set in its own gardens of jasmine and orange blossom, this is the most-visited monument in Spain. After a day’s long trawl around the Alhambra (and it does take that long to do it any semblance of justice), you could do a lot worse than spend the night in Casa del Aljibe. Found in the Albaicin district, this 400-year-old former mansion is now a rather plush B&B. If you’re lucky, genial host Michael will put you up in one of the rooms that look out onto the Alhambra. As you sip your sundowners, you can contemplate the Moorish wonder as its sandstone blocks turn to red as the dipping sun says goodbye to the day.
Where: Casa del Aljibe, Calle Aljibe del Trillo 26, Granada. Tel: +34 958 227 843
Website: http://www.casadelaljibe.com/

Best for heights:

Spanish Highs

Calling all budding Edmund Hillarys! Fancy something a bit more daunting than careering down one of Sol y Nieve’s many red slopes? Are you bored with the black run that sees you slalom from the peak of Veleta? If so, and you have a head for heights, then don your gaitors, clip on your crampons and pick up your ice axe – there is rock climbing gold in them thar hills. High altitude adventure company Spanish Highs offers all manner of mountaineering courses in the Sierra Nevada mountain range. From a short two-day introductory teaser for beginners – where you learn how to abseil, rope up and (try your best to) avoid an avalanche – to a hefty four-day course for more experienced climbers (which involves scaling some of Spain’s highest rock faces, such as Mulhacen and Cerro de Caballo), even a Nepalese sherpa will find something new to learn.
Or, if you prefer a more sedate stay at the ski resort, Spanish Highs also organises leisurely walks in the mountains.
Where: Spanish Highs, Apartado de Correos 83, Lanjaron, Granada. Tel: +34 660 013 445
Website: http://www.spanishhighs.co.uk/

Best for relaxation:

YHI Spa

Ask any seasoned skier how they feel after a hard day’s pummelling of the slopes and they’re sure to answer: knackered. Some like to ease their tired muscles stretched out in front of a log fire, with a nice glass of red in hand. Others, perhaps, prefer a more refined method of relaxation – say, with a hot spa followed by a full-body massage. And luckily for the latter, smack-bang in the middle of the ski resort is YHI Spa. Housed in the Melia Sol y Nieve hotel, the spa is the ideal place to treat your tired limbs. From a dip in a hydrothermal swimming pool to a plunge into an ice fountain (as if outside ain’t cold enough!), visitors are sure to leave refreshed ahead of the taking to the pistes on the following day. But if it’s a more traditional approach to your après-ski that you are after, there are plenty of bars at the resort.   
Where: Hotel Melia Sol y Nieve, Plaza de Pradollano, Sierra Nevada, Granada. Tel: +34 958 480 300
Website: http://www.yhispa.com/