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Mountain in Granada, Spain
Veleta is a mountain in the Sierra Nevada (Spain). Its summit stands 3,396 m above sea level. It was first climbed in 1754.
From the lowest point within 5 km (1,813 m), it rises 1,583 m. The steepest side is the south face: 28° on average over the first kilometre. In places the ground near the top reaches 63° — terrain for climbers, not walkers.
The nearest town is Capileira, 10 km away at 1,454 m: 1,942 m below the summit.
Scores
Two scores out of 10, built only from open data — every part is shown. They describe what the mountain offers, not how safe it is.
Hiking & mountaineering
9.1/10
Difficulty to the top
Hike
Most path sections around the top are T2 on the SAC hiking scale.
Indicative only — never a safety assessment. Conditions change: ask local guides and check the forecast.
Ski score
8.0/10
Runs by difficulty
Snow season on the slopes (estimate)
Around 2,600 m, in the middle of the ski area: snow from December to April (some years from November to April).
22 lifts · lift stations from 2,149 to 3,050 m · 5 km cross-country
Ski (where OpenStreetMap has skiing within 12 km): up to 4 points for the length of downhill runs (300 km or more = 4), 1.5 for the number of lifts (40+), 1.5 for the vertical between lift stations (1,500 m) and 3 for the snow season — a month counts when the estimated mean temperature at the height of the ski area is −1 °C or lower and snow falls or lies there (NASA POWER, 2001–2020). Hiking & mountaineering: up to 2.5 for waymarked routes and paths, 1.5 for huts, 2 for the ascent from the valley (2,000 m), 1.5 for prominence (3,000 m), 1.5 for the season (months with summit afternoons above −5 °C) and 1 for via ferratas, climbing and glaciers. OpenStreetMap is built by volunteers: where few things are mapped, a score can be lower than reality.
Plan your visit
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Snow
At the summit, snow from November to May (some years from October to June). Month by month below, at different heights on the way up.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Summit3,396 msnow from November to May (some years from October to June) | Snow on the ground all month | Snow on the ground all month | Snow on the ground all month | Snow on the ground all month | Snow on the ground all month | Snow some of the time | No snow | No snow | No snow | Snow some of the time | Snow on the ground all month | Snow on the ground all month |
Halfway up2,425 msnow from December to March (some years from November to April) | Snow on the ground all month | Snow on the ground all month | Snow on the ground all month | Snow some of the time | No snow | No snow | No snow | No snow | No snow | No snow | Snow some of the time | Snow on the ground all month |
Capileira1,454 mno snow | No snow | No snow | No snow | No snow | No snow | No snow | No snow | No snow | No snow | No snow | No snow | No snow |
Estimate for a normal year: average temperature and precipitation from NASA POWER, carried to each height, in a simple model of snow building up and melting. In a given year snow can come earlier or stay longer. It does not replace the local snow and avalanche bulletin.
Summit weather
Not a forecast: long-term averages (1991–2020), carried up to the summit. The orange line is where an average afternoon reaches 0 °C; above the dashed blue line it freezes even at dawn.
On an average July afternoon the summit reaches about 15 °C; on January nights it falls to about -13 °C. In 5 months of the year it stays below freezing at the top even in the afternoon. In July the 0 °C line climbs to about 5,750 m, above the summit: the top thaws on an average afternoon. Across the region, July is the driest month (1 mm) and November the wettest (44 mm).
| Month | Summit high °C | Summit low °C | Capileira high °C | 0 °C line (m) | Rain & snow (mm) | Wet days | Sun h/day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | -5 | -13 | 8 | 2,640 | 31 | 6 | 5.9 |
| February | -4 | -12 | 8 | 2,750 | 32 | 6 | 6.5 |
| March | -1 | -11 | 11 | 3,180 | 40 | 6 | 7.6 |
| April | 2 | -8 | 14 | 3,630 | 32 | 6 | 8.7 |
| May | 6 | -4 | 18 | 4,310 | 18 | 4 | 10.4 |
| June | 12 | 0 | 24 | 5,200 | 4 | 1 | 12.5 |
| July | 15 | 4 | 28 | 5,750 | 1 | 0 | 13.1 |
| August | 15 | 4 | 27 | 5,640 | 4 | 1 | 11.7 |
| September | 9 | 0 | 22 | 4,840 | 22 | 4 | 9.2 |
| October | 4 | -4 | 17 | 4,090 | 35 | 6 | 7.6 |
| November | -2 | -9 | 11 | 3,150 | 44 | 7 | 6.2 |
| December | -4 | -12 | 8 | 2,770 | 40 | 7 | 5.8 |
Estimate: the NASA POWER climate of a ~55 km cell (average height 982 m), adjusted to the summit by −6.5 °C per 1,000 m. Rain, wet days and sunshine are those of the region. Mountain weather changes fast — always check a local forecast. ★ = mildest months at the top.
Relief
Two cuts through the summit, 16 km long, from the 30 m Copernicus elevation model. Heights drawn 2× taller than lengths, so the shape can be seen.
Average slope of the first kilometre from the summit. The orange petal is the steepest side.
Around the mountain
Counted around the summit in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit. The satellite plate shows 14 × 14 km.
N
5 km
Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 (EOX, CC BY 4.0), 14 × 14 km, north up. Points © OpenStreetMap contributors.
A lift reaches Telesilla Stadium at 3,050 m — just 346 m below the summit.
Refugio vivac Loma de Cáñar, Refugio del Caballo (2,860 m), Cortijos del Hornillo (1,838 m), Refugio Poqueira (2,500 m) and 13 more
Telecabina Al-Ándalus, Telesilla Stadium, Telesilla Borreguiles I, Telesilla Emile Allais and 12 more
Estación de Esquí y Montaña de Sierra Nevada
Acequias del Poqueira, Trevelez-Alto de Chorrillo, Puerto de la Ragua-Mulhacen, Cañada Real de Sierra Nevada and 14 more
Cascada de los Militares
Mirador de Trevélez, Mirador del Corral del Veleta, Peña del Perro, Viso de las Nortes and 16 more
Parking Los Peñones
Hotel La Fragua I, Hotel Telecabina, Hotel La Fragua II, Hotel Ziryab and 22 more
247 path sections within 5 km, by SAC hiking scale (T1 easy walk … T6 difficult alpine).
OpenStreetMap is built by volunteers: a low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet. Places © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
Recent years
Afternoon high at the summit (estimate). The first row is the reference, the 1991–2020 average in °C; the years show only the difference.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991–2020 average | -5 | -4 | -1 | 2 | 6 | 12 | 15 | 15 | 9 | 4 | -2 | -4 |
| 2020 | +0.3 | +5.0 | +0.8 | −0.8 | +1.4 | −0.9 | +1.4 | +1.4 | +0.3 | +0.1 | +2.0 | ±0.0 |
| 2021 | −0.7 | +2.2 | +0.4 | −0.3 | +1.3 | −0.8 | +0.9 | +1.1 | +1.5 | +1.4 | −1.0 | +1.8 |
| 2022 | +0.9 | +3.3 | −1.4 | −0.8 | +2.9 | +2.5 | +1.9 | +1.5 | +1.4 | +3.2 | +3.3 | +2.5 |
| 2023 | +0.2 | −0.4 | +4.1 | +5.6 | −0.1 | −0.3 | +2.5 | +2.5 | +0.8 | +2.0 | +3.6 | +2.4 |
| 2024 | +3.4 | +3.2 | +0.9 | +2.4 | +2.2 | −0.1 | +2.0 | +1.9 | +1.0 | +0.3 | +3.1 | +1.4 |
| 2025 | +1.3 | +2.2 | −1.4 | +1.1 | +1.0 | +3.6 | +1.2 | +1.9 | +2.1 | +2.1 | +1.0 | −0.9 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
Nearby
| Names, elevation, prominence | Wikidata (Q1420262) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Relief, 3D view, profiles | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Climate | NASA POWER, 1991–2020 · CC BY 4.0 |
| Around the mountain | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
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