Pico de las Nieves

Pico de las Nieves

Pico de las Nieves, at 1,949 metres traditionally the highest point of Gran Canaria, Spain, takes its name from the snow pits dug near the summit in the 17th century. Snow was packed into them in winter and carried down to Las Palmas as ice. The climb from the east is counted among the hardest in Europe, a reputation built by the international uphill races that start on the coast below.

This ride starts on the edge of Telde, once the seat of one of the island’s two aboriginal kingdoms, and climbs about 1,800 metres to the summit. Higher up it passes Cazadores and runs along the rim of the Caldera de los Marteles, a volcanic crater protected as a nature reserve. The ride ends on the summit, where an air force radar station now stands.