Report for 2014/2015 Ski season - sierra nevada
The 2014/2015 ski season started on 29 November 2014, and finished on 3 May 2015, with the best winter season for five years.
The season lasted 156 days (the longest in southern Europe), with four total days of complete closure and two days of partial closure due to poor weather conditions - the second-longest season in history.
The total number of skiers for the season was 878,958 (12.5% up on 2013/14), with a further 98,033 visitors using the lifts, and 59,593 using the recreational area of Mirlo Blanco (16.1% up on the previous season), making a total of 1,033,584.
In addition, an estimated 200,000 visitors came to Sierra Nevada but didn't use the lifts or other winter sports facilities, instead eating and drinking, shopping, playing in the snow, and walking about the ski resort. This brings the final total, including all visitors to Sierra Nevada during the 2013/14 season, to 1,233,584, which is 10% up on the previous season.
The weather at the start of the season, in November and December 2014, was challenging, with high winds moving what little snow there was. Snow cannons were used widely to produce enough snow to cover the slopes for the December puente, as well as for much of the season, due to limited snow fall.
HOLIDAYS
All months and holiday periods were better than the previous season.
The early part of the season was challenging, with little snow until the Puente de la Constitucion, with. 29,539 visitors in total, including both skiers and non-sporting. The Christmas period (23 December 2013 to 6 January 2014) saw 136,976 skiers and 28,240 visitors. The resort had 61km of runs open over Christmas on 70 runs.
January and February both had strong weather, with 13 days of snow and two of rain, which helped to cover the runs, but also caused some days of total closure and one of partial closure. In January, with 100km skiable, there were 194,507 skiers, and in February, at 105km of runs skiable, 228,057 skiers,
In March, 212,005 skiers enjoyed their sport in Sierra Nevada. Semana Santa, which was in April, had 75,000 skiers and 10,000 other visitors, the best Semana Santa in five years.
Again, like previous years, the majority of visitors - 87%, up 4% from last year - were from inside Spain. Over 70% were from Andalucia - mainly Granada province, followed by Seville and Malaga - with 15% from Madrid and 5% Valencianos.
The foreign share of visitors was 13%, down on the previous season, with the majority (nearly 60%) coming from the UK, Portugal (32%), followed by France, Russia, Germany, and Italy made up the majority of remaining non-Spanish visitors.
COMPETITIONS
A total of 4167 skiers and snowboarders took part in 31 official competitions in downhill skiing, freestyle, snowboarding, adapted skiing, mountain and cross-country skiing.
