With MOD Abbey Wood in Bristol neatly dodging most of the snow that fell on England during the early part of the year, John Corderoy and Andy Reynolds decided that it was time to find a better winter mountaineering venue! In March, an early Thursday morning train to Birmingham, followed by a budget 2½ hr flight to Malaga might not seem like a move in the right direction, however - read on!

From Malaga it is only 90 miles to the Sierra Nevada - the "Snowy Mountains". It may seem strange that only 50 miles from the Costa-Del-Sol there can be a good winter venue, but there is. The Sierra Nevada rise up to over 11,000 ft and boast summits that rise above the highest peaks in the Pyrenees; from October to May the mountains offer a number of mountaineering and ski touring possibilities, with March offering the most stable weather. The plan for this trip was to have a hassle free few days to climb Mulhacen (3479m).

Arriving in Malaga at shortly after lunch, and after a quick trip into town to buy food & gas, a hire car provided the transport for the 2 hour drive to Pradollano, home of the Sierra Nevada ski resort. After an overnight 'beer' stop, Friday morning was spent on the long plod up to lunch at the Valeta refuge at 3329m. By evening, after a further 6 hours postholing through rotten snow, the Refugio de la Caldera (3080m) was finally reached. Apart from a few rodents, the refuge was empty; but it was found to be in much better condition than the guide book had suggested.

Of course, the trouble with a weekend exped is that there is little flexibility. Knowing that the walk in had taken much longer than expected, the walk out would have to start on Saturday, not Sunday; Refugio de la Caldera to Bristol in a day would not work! Descending down to the Hoya del Mulhacen (2890m) followed by the climb to 3479m just wouldn't leave enough time to get back for the flight home. So the original plan, to climb Mulhacen's North Face (PD+), had to be changed, and instead we ascended the western flank of the mountain, summiting mid-morning. The fantastic view was reward enough. Returning to the refuge at lunchtime, the hike out began after the snow had softened up in deplorable fashion. The misery of each thigh-depth sinkage was compounded by the frustration of carrying an unused tent and climbing gear. The final front-pointing up to the Valeta refuge certainly worked up an appetite!

Sunday morning started with a short trek over the summit of Valeta (3396m), followed by a descent past the edge of the ski area to the car. Fighting through the entire population of Granada, who were tobogganing and picnicking at the road's end, we made it back to the car and headed for the airport. Being an EasyJet flight, leaving on time wasn't an option. We finally reached Bristol after midnight, and were back at work, sunburnt bewildered and knackered, by 0800 on Monday morning.

How would we do it next time? Same time of year, fly out Wednesday night, snowshoe in Thursday, climb on Friday, early move to the Valeta refuge Saturday and explore interesting routes in its vicinity before snowshoeing out Sunday. Contrary to the guide book, the unmanned refuges are good and a tent is not needed. Although we didn't get onto the North Face of Mulhacen, we did get a close look. Generally speaking the rock looked poor, so carrying a full rock rack would be pointless.

Total cost: about £250 each. (Return flights would have been cheaper than open-jaw Birmingham/ Bristol).

Worth it? Oh yes.