Spain is ranked second as the worlds hottest tourist destination and for most visitors its the sun and sand that brings them to the land of passion and not the skiing...until now !!.

For the winter sports and skiing enthusiasts Spain currently offers some 1.000 Kilometres of quality marked trails and slopes situated in over 36 superb ski resorts half of which are proud owners of the Q awards for their quality tourism facilities and services offered. And all this set in a country that is second only to Switzerland with the greatest amount of mountains.

The main skiing regions of Spain are located in Aragon and Catalonian Pyrenees , the Cantabrian, Iberian and Central mountains and the Penibetico mountain range in the south.

The Aragonese and Catalonian Pyrenees in Northern Spain is the home of most of this countries leading ski resorts although the Sierra Nevada located in the heart of Andalucia in Southern Spain ranks amongst one the most popular. Sierra Nevada although the southern most ski resort in Europe has the longest winter season with skiers enjoying snow for almost 5 months a year. There is also a good selection of Ski resorts near Madrid, Galicia, Leon and Cantabria in the north west and La Rioja and Teruel in the mid north.

Spain may not presently be in the league of the some of the Swiss, Austrian French and even some Italian resorts however the tide is definitely turning as Spain becomes one of the best value ski destinations in the EEC. Value for money with resorts offering quality slopes, trails, facilities, snowmaking equipment, ski schools, winter sports activities, accommodation and food are slowly making this country a hot spot and I'm not referring to the long sunny days we are usually accustomed to.

There are plenty of good web sites to check out when planning your skiing holiday and most of the resorts now have their own dedicated web sites with up to date info in English providing all the info you will require including lift prices, weather conditions, accommodation and online web cams so its easy to make a choice when searching for the resort that best suits your needs.

Most of the resorts are very family orientated catering for all levels of skiers, and as skiing becomes ever more popular in Europe there are plenty of schools on hand with well trained professional teachers to lend a hand with your first tentative steps on the slopes.

According to Atudem ( The Ski and Mountain Resort tourism Association) some 24.5 Million Euros has been invested at all the major resorts around Spain and will really make a difference to all winter sports enthusiasts in 2012.

The main areas of investment have been made on the purchase and installation of new and modern machinery and ski lifts with a much higher capacity in carrying skier numbers up to the pistes. It will now be possible to transport some 500.000 travellers and hour at the 28 main ski resorts around Spain.

There has also been a significant investment in the overall services available at the resorts including better hotels, parking, pistes restaurants and access areas.

The overall investment amount has been disrupted between the following areas.

Aragon. 5.2 Million
Catalonian Pyrenees. 10.5 Million
Cantabria. 2.8 Million
Iberian Range.150.000 Euros
Central Range. 1.5 Million
Penibetico Range . 4.1 Million
Navarro -. Pyrenees 25.000 Euro

In respect to accommodation offered by Hotels, Hostels, Paradors and other establishments located at or in close proximity to the resorts , there are now around 23,000 beds available with a further 22.000 beds located in the various catchment areas.