Teide's Snow: From Persistent Cover to Seasonal Symbol
Teide's snow, historically so persistent that ice became a valuable commodity, has significantly diminished over the past two centuries but remains a fundamental part of the Canary Islands' climate and identity.
For much of the year, Teide's slopes used to be covered in a blanket of white snow. This beautiful sight was common for centuries. In fact, the snow was so persistent that for almost 600 years, climbing to the summit – whether for pleasure or exploration – was only possible during the summer months. Ice became a valuable item to buy and sell, and some people even resorted to stealing it.
Over the last 200 years, however, snow has gradually become limited to the winter months and never really turned into a tourist draw. Despite this, Teide's snowy peaks remain a fundamental part of the Canary Islands' climate.
Meteorologist Inocencio Font Tullot highlighted this in one of his texts, shared by science communicator José Miguel Viñas on the digital newspaper Tiempo.com. Font concluded that, on average, the ground in Las Cañadas is covered with snow for fifteen days a year. Viñas sees this as proof that snowfall "has never been just a rare occurrence in Tenerife."
This was even more true during the 550-year Little Ice Age. From the 16th to the 19th century, this cold period saw hundreds of explorers and scientists come to study the unique geology, ecology, and weather conditions on Tenerife's peaks.
In their writings, these explorers often noted that climbing the mountain was impossible for most of the year due to the ice and deep layers of snow.
French naturalist and traveler Perón, who visited Tenerife in 1800, explained that due to its height, "a large quantity of ice forms in the mountains of Tenerife."
Zoologist Ernst Haeckel also confirmed the presence of thick layers of snow in his account of climbing Teide in 1867. He wrote: "At every step, we trembled at the thought of slipping on the snow or sinking into the snow that covered the spaces between the large blocks."
There was so much snow that it became a valuable resource, particularly from the 18th century onwards. People began to collect this frozen resource for profit. Ice became so prized that some landowners reported thefts, as locals would gather snow that accumulated on Montaña de Arafo, even at an altitude of just 1,500 meters.
Today, even though snow is mostly limited to winter and often just a single snowfall, Teide's snow remains not only a symbol of identity but also a unique characteristic of the Canary Islands' climate.