Heavy rain over the past 12 hours has forced the closure of Sierra Nevada, marking the ski resort’s first shutdown of the season.
The resort had initially delayed its opening on Monday morning in the hope that conditions would improve.
However, shortly after 10.30am, management confirmed that the station would remain closed for the day.
In a statement, Sierra Nevada said the decision was taken ‘due to a severe episode of rain at all altitudes over the last 12 hours, which has seriously affected the skiable area and caused ice to form on all lifts’.
Ski passes for Monday will be refunded. Customers who bought in person or via ticket machines can do so at the User Services Centre, while online purchases will be refunded through a web form.
It comes after dozens of tourists and residents were trapped in their cars overnight while trying to leave the resort.
One visitor, Rocio Abad Morante (@rocioabadmorante), shared a series of videos online, explaining that a car accident at the bottom of the exit road had closed off the only viable route.
The extremely heavy snow meant the accident took far longer than usual to clear. The road was then too covered for the majority of vehicles leaving the car parks to use.
There was no snow plough available until late on Sunday evening, leading many to accuse the local authorities of being ‘irresponsible’ and ‘unprepared’.
Many cars then ran out of battery and had to be recharged with the help of firefighters. The traffic began moving again by Monday afternoon.
Avalanche risk at level 4
The bad weather has also pushed the avalanche risk up to level 4 out of 5 (red). In recent days, and again early on Monday, skiers were strongly advised not to venture outside marked and controlled areas.
Despite the closure of the ski slopes, activities at the Mirlo Blanco leisure area remain open to the public.
First closure of a record-breaking season
This is the first time Sierra Nevada has had to shut this season, which until now had benefited from favourable weather and exceptionally strong visitor numbers.
The resort had been heading towards one of its best years on record, particularly over the Christmas period, when more than 185,000 visitors passed through the station.
