Guide to Spain skiing holidays and Spanish snowboarding

Spain isn’t the first place that springs to most people’s minds when they’re looking for a ski holiday. But the country is about more than sangria and beaches. Spain offers some fantastic skiing options, from the Pyrenees in the north, to the area around Granada in the south.

Skiing in Spain is great value, and there is plenty of choice with 27 resorts to choose from. Skiing in Spain had been in the doldrums, with few venturing to the country from outside. This is changing. Spanish resorts are investing in better facilities and are enjoying more visitors.

In the Pyrenees, Formigal has 81 km of piste across several lift-linked valleys. There is no shortage of challenging skiing in Formigal: its runs are mostly red and black. Buy a lift pass for the Aramon ski area and you’ll have access to four other resorts’ ski areas, giving you a total of 259 km of piste to ski.

Beginners might do better to head to Baquiera-Baret, also in the Pyrenees and is Spain’s largest resort. The resort offers 160 km of varied skiing for beginners and intermediates and a decent smattering of black runs. Experts can test themselves further with cheap heli-skiing – not an option at most European resorts. Other Pyrenean resorts worth looking at include the new resort of Boi Taull, and Espot Esqui, Spain’s oldest resort.

In the south, Sierra Nevada is the resort of choice. It has 102 km of runs and is just a short distance from the Mediterranean. Time your visit right, and you could ski in the morning, before driving to the coast to sunbathe! Despite this, Sierra Nevada’s high altitude means snowsure slopes and a season that can stretch from November to May.

Choose a Spain ski holiday, and you’ll get varied, affordable skiing. As a package, that’s hard to beat.