Travel Article - Spanish Skiing

If skiing is your thing, it's all too easy to hastily think of France, Switzerland and Italy for a ski holiday. But Spain is also ideal for the sport and there are a number of good reasons to visit one of the country's many ski resorts. The snow is as good as anywhere else and the wintery sun keeps you warm as you tackle the slopes. The facilities are generally very good and the Apres-Ski opportunities and entertainment also live up to expectation. Spain is surprisingly Europe's second most mountainous country and you have 36 resorts to choose from, most of which are easily accessible via car, train, plane or coach, making it a great choice for families and big groups alike.

Many of the resorts are smaller ones with smaller runs, ideal for families with small children and beginners of all kinds wanting to take their first steps, or more appropriately skis, on the slopes. And the choice of resort is large ranging from the Pyrenees Mountains, with breathtaking landscapes and quaint villages to Sierra Nevada, in Andalusia, with the Granada coast just over 100 kilometres away, making a half ski half sun holiday very tempting. The resorts of the Cantabrian Mountains, and those situated in central Spain are also popular.

In terms of Apres-Ski the Spanish resorts are second to none, offering trendy bars as well as relaxed cafes, firework displays on New Year's Eve and restaurants ranging from traditional tapas to modern cuisine. The prices are largely good value for money and variety for everyone. Possibly the best thing about visiting a Spanish ski resort is the difference of experience to the resorts you'll have visited before. The Spanish zest for life in instilled in their tiny mountain villages and you feel this as you ski and dine to your heart's content. Not only does Spain offer great slopes, it offers culture, good food and sun topped off with lovely people to welcome you for your stay. One great advantage is you'll often find that flying to a Spanish airport is cheaper than flying to the nearest ones to the French resorts as the prices are pushed up due to the large influx of skiers. So instead of thinking of the more traditional destinations, you could try Spain and its sunny slopes and you should discover a fantastic holiday.