News for the 2018 / 2019 Ski Season
New cross-country ski trail
A new 2,500m-long cross-country (Nordic) trail is located next to the lower chairlift at Virgen de las Nieves, to cater for the growing number of those practising this winter sport.
Ski touring/mountaineering run
The station has also added a new ski touring/mountaineering run, first tried last season, which will be added to the piste map once its compatibility with downhill skiing has been checked. The route, which climbs up parallel to the Águila run, leaves from the lower station of the Virgen de la Nieves chairlift. After 6,2km and 920m of climbing, it finishes in the upper station of the Laguna chairlift, near the peak of Veleta.
Six new downhill runs
Six new runs will be included on this year's piste map - while already open to the public and used as alternative routes on busy days, they have not been recognised as official runs until now. The runs are: Edelweiss and Pandereta in Cauchiles, Ardilla and Los Topos in Borreguiles, Las Campanas in La Laguna, and Tropical in Loma de Dílar.
New app features
The Sierra Nevada app, which has been downloaded 50.000 times over the course of the three seasons since it was launched and had 180,000 active users last season (source: Google Analytics), offers new features this year.
In addition to basic information - charging your lift pass, snow report, run and lift updates, current weather, and webcams - this season you can also check your exact location using the audio-guided GPS navigator, which provides information about possible ski lift and run routes.
In addition there's a 3-D interactive piste map which offers a video-recreation of the runs skied at the end of the day, as well as additional data such as distance and change in altitude skied in m/km. Last year, the app had more than 180,000 active users.
Special April programme
For the final month of the season, Sierra Nevada will offer a special programme of sport, music and entertainment aimed at families, as well as the two annual fun events scheduled for this month: the Bajada Retro (Backwards Descent, 21 April) and the Descenso en Bañador (Swimsuit Run, 27 April)
In addition to the official competitions in April will be Salomon Quest (6 and 7 April), which combines several different disciplines to search for the best winter sports all-rounder.
On 4, 5 and 6 April, elRow is a colourful family event which will finish with music in the Mirlo Blanco snow park.
The music and sport programme will also include Sun and Snow, the festival which brought music to the Sierra Nevada last year.
