Sierra Nevada Honors Top Athletes of Past Season at 2025/2026 Inaugural Gala

The event was held on Thursday at the Sierra Nevada ski resort itself, which provided the setting to bring together some of the most prominent figures from last season. Among the most relevant names is Ana Alonso, who, after her accident this summer, is making favorable progress in her recovery with her sights set on the Milan–Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games. Also present was the Minister of Public Works and President of Cetursa, Rocío Díaz, who encouraged workers and business owners to face the new season with optimism and determination, a season in which both the resort and the Junta have made a significant investment.

One of the awardees at this ceremony was Unai López, a rider from Cadiz who received the award for Best Winter Sports Athlete thanks to his two gold medals in snowboarding at the European Youth Olympic Festival (Georgia 2025). Meanwhile, the Fundación También, represented by its president Teresa Silva, was recognized as the best organization in honor of its 25 years of work and commitment to the development of adaptive skiing.

Likewise, the award for Best Mountain Sports Athlete 2025 went to the aforementioned Ana Alonso, world champion in the mixed ski mountaineering modality and a native of Granada.

Undoubtedly, the highlight of the evening was the screening of the documentary "Pioneers of Sierra Nevada – History of an Improvised Resort," produced by Cetursa. The audiovisual piece reconstructs the beginnings of the resort through the installation of its first ski lifts in the 1950s, including the Austrian Stemag ski lift, the French Schippers rope tow, and the characteristic itinerant "telebabys" championed by Pepe Rivas. All historical material presented is based on the work of engineer Juan José Lapuerta, which serves as the documentary foundation for the narrative.

Rocío Díaz delivered a speech in which she highlighted the legacy of the pioneers and the historical relevance of their contributions. She also emphasized the significant investment dedicated to the modernization of the resort and announced the imminent start of comprehensive improvement works on the access roads, an action with a budget exceeding 18 million euros.

In turn, the CEO of Cetursa, Jesús Ibáñez, presented the main improvements for the new season in Sierra Nevada: two beginner conveyor belts; twelve new snow cannons and a closed container production system; three snow groomers, and the renewal of the lighting on the El Río–Maribel slopes for night skiing; a new access gallery to the Borreguiles gondola, and the reopening of the Nevasol restaurant under COVAP management.

Finally, Marifrán Carazo, Mayor of Granada, expressed gratitude for the support for the city's bid for the European Capital of Culture 2031.