The week before had been warm. Granada basking in 30 degree heat. The snow had retreated uphill. We aimed to start low at 1800m but would we still find good ski touring on the southern slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountains?
Cerrillo Redondo above the forest
We enjoy Cerrillo Redondo and Tajos de los Machos. They form our "back garden! Both are accessible from dirt tracks above the spa town of Lanjaron in the Alpujarras and give good winter mountaineering and ski touring. Puente Palo at 1700m is the normal start point but we have found a higher access this year that usually gets us to the snows in under 30 minutes.
Leaving the car and kitted up with skis and boots strapped to our sacks we headed for the top of the forest. I had to admit it didn't look good. Lots of greens and very little white. Maybe I had miscalculated the retreat of the snows.
After 45 minutes traversing and then steeply up a forest break we arrived at our very own shangri-la at 1900m. A shallow valley above the forest edge with a beautiful babbling brook running alongside.
Skiing up the shallow gullies
Overhead we spotted the usual Bonellis and Golden Eagles. Above is the snow clad peak of Cerrillo Redondo. It is an idyllic place. We have been here many occasions throughout the winter running winter mountaineering courses or back country skiing tours.
And there at the left hand edge was a shallow series of gullies filled with snow and providing our access route to the heights. We geared up, donned skins and started uphill. The day was warm and the skies blue as we skinned uphill. On a couple of places we met broken ground and had to remove skis for a few metres.
After two hours of almost continuous snow ascent we arrived at a sub summit south of the reigning peak. A sharp breeze sprang up as we ate our sandwiches. Over to the east we could see las Alegas and the long south ridge of Mulhacen. Then it was time to set off down.
It is always a testing moment on the top of a remote mountain when one sets off downhill. What would the snow be like? Were we to have a nightmare descent in soft slush or a rapid one in perfect piste-like conditions.
Approaching the ridgeline
The reality was that we had a combination of both. The 25cm upper surface was soft spring snow. This resided on a hard and compacted base. It was also consistent all the way down. Once you had got a few turns in and got used to the snow resistance it provided a magnificent run down.
Towards the bottom the narrow gullies added interest to the run. Within 20 minutes of leaving the top we were back at the forest edge. A short walk back to the car and we were heading down for a welcoming beer. One of my favourite ski touring days out this. Recommended!