IN SPAIN THEY SAY SKI, SKI

What important thing did Queen Isabella do for winter sports in 1492? Answer: she threw the last Moorish king out of Granada so people like Artist Marc Simont could ski there and happily decorate these and the next three pages with drawings of Solynieve, a Spanish ski spa

FREEZE, GYPSIES
The caves of Andalusia's mountains are popular but chilly bistros for the ski set, who huddle over glasses of sherry in full ski regalia to watch Gypsy dancers cavort in cold-weather gear. The Pradollano restaurant (left) is a favorite of both Sierra Nevada skiers and local Spanish hard hats.

CREDIBILITY GAP
Skiers lounge among concrete forms at Borreguiles, where work on a modern ski village—at 8,528 feet in Solynieve (sun and snow)—is five years behind schedule, though brochures show it finished. Skiers used to timbered U.S. slopes are dazzled by the unbroken expanses of snow.

ANDALUSIANA
Sudden storms may becloud the unwary Sierra Nevada skier. Albergue Hoya de la Mora is the brooding preserve of members of an influential Catholic organization. The botones (bellboys) of the Hotel Sol y Nieve get their kicks holding open the last of three glass doors while watching fully laden skiers fight their way through the first two.

SEVEN ILLUSTRATIONS