Record summer for the Sierra Nevada

SNOW joke! Spain’s famous Sierra Nevada winter sports resort is celebrating its longest and most affluent summer in history.

During its 72-day summer season, the mountain enclave welcomed more than 37,000 visitors – a 23.5% increase on the previous summer.

According to the CEO of Cetursa Sierra Nevada SL, Maria Jose Lopez, the sudden boom in visitors results from new sporting activities, cultural events and the take-off of the Sierra Nevada Bike Park.

The park – which has doubled its number of users since last year – has been nicknamed the ‘star of the summer’ by Lopez, after doubling its number of visiting bike enthusiasts last year.

More than 2,200 visitors used the newly-renovated bike park this season, enjoying an extra 30km of new circuits and the Bike Park Mini for beginners.

New transport links to the top of the mountain saw three different lift systems operating for the first time, a telecabin, a chairlift and a travellator.

Park organisers announced the official end of the summer season on September 7.