Bansko Ski Resort Bulgaria

Here’s an interesting article I picked up online on Skiing in Bansko:

Skiing in Bulgaria: Bansko Essentials
travelconnect.co.uk

The Bulgarian ski resort Bansko is becoming increasingly popular with British skiers, who are enticed by cheap flights to the country, excellent skiing conditions and excellent value for money compared to more established resorts in France and Austria.

The traditional ski season in Bansko runs from the 15th of December to the 15th of May and The Guardian newspaper recently placed Bansko as the world’s number two spot in the world on its ‘most recommended’ list of ski resorts for beginners and intermediate skiers - and their noteworthy praise for the resort is predicted to push 2007 travel and tourism arrivals even higher than the predicted 8.2% increase on last year’s impressive statistics.

Bansko Skiing

The ski pistes are located in two main ski centres namely Chalin Valog which is at an elevation of between 1,100 and 1,600 metres, and Shiligarnika which sits between 1,700 and 2,500 metres. Both centres are about 10km above the town of Bansko on the northern slopes of Pirin Mountain itself.

Accessibility is easy, affordable and fun with the required 25 minute gondola ride starting in Bansko town itself and providing an exhilarating and stunning ride as skiers take in the breathtaking views of the mountains, valleys and geography above and around Bansko.

The total length of the marked pistes is 65 kilometres – but there is plenty of off piste action for the adventurous skier or snow boarder. Bansko and its slopes enjoy the best snow conditions in Bulgaria with great snow cover guaranteed from at least December to May, and there are over 40 snow cannons covering most slopes making the ski season last longer and ensuring climate changes will never affect the ski action in Bansko.

The main company licensed to offer skiing and winter sports related activities in Bansko has certainly seized and embraced the opportunity they have been afforded. The company has been behind the multiple millions of euros invested into the town and its facilities – including the construction of the brand new gondola ski lift – and they have managed to encourage foreign direct investment, (FDI), on a scale not witnessed in any of the other winter or summer sunshine resorts in Bulgaria.

Snowboarding

Alternative winter sports appeal comes in the form of snow boarding on piste, off piste and at the nearby fun park where there are jumps, half pipes and challenges for all levels of ability. Slalom and giant slalom runs are available and Bansko also has plenty of cross-country tracks and a ski run Rollbahn track as well.

Heli-Skiing

If you’re looking for more adventure then try extreme skiing, heli-skiing or even paragliding down onto the pistes – as one adventurer put it: “you look like James Bond and you have the most enlivening experience of your lifetime!” And if the pistes are too tame for you by day then you can night ski in Bansko or even try powder skiing perhaps?

You can ice skate, ride skidoos, you can go tobogganing, or you can get in out of the cold and enjoy spa breaks and shopping experiences in Bansko during the winter months.

Tags: ski resort Bansko, snowboarding, Heli-Skiing, bansko skiing, bansko bulgaria

Booking Ski Lesssons in Bansko, Bulgaria

When visiting Bansko and if interested in skiing then it is important that you pre-book some ski lessons, especially in the busiest months of January and February and during kids school holidays, like winter mid-term break.

Which ski school to book though?

I have heard great reports about Method Ski School.

They are an establshed company with great feedback on Bansko forums that I have been visiting.

You can check them out at the link below:
Bansko Ski School

I suggest that you call them directly rather than awaiting an email response which can take a while longer.

Tags: bansko, bansko ski school, ski lessons bansko, bulgaria ski

Bansko Compared to Top Class Ski Resorts

Well, the ski season has officially started and it was a welcome surprise to read Bansko being compared to other high class ski resorts.

No doubt, the resort has loads of potential and can compete with the best of them but it was nice to read an article in the Standart News which carried quotes from Kjetil Andre Aamodt - a famous Alpine skier - who said:

I haven’t seen a wonderful opening like this anywhere in the world, not even in St. Moritz. Bansko resembles Colorado which is my favourite resort, but now I’ll change my mind and start skiing here.

Here’s the complete article:

Bansko Fascinates World’s Ski Elite

“The presence of great skiers like Kostelic, Girardelli and Aamodt proves that our resort has a promising future, many prestigious competitions will be held here. I believe that as early as next season we’ll make true our dream to organize a start for the World Cup in Bansko. This wonderful resort is a stimulus for the development of the whole Pirin region,” said Mayor of Bansko Alexander Kravarov.

The completion of the current building work and the continued upgrading of the infrastructure in and around Bansko should continue to bring positive reviews from experts and novice skiers alike.

This time last year there was no snow at all so that yet more positive news from the best ski resort in Eastern Europe

Tags:bansko ski resort, ski bulgaria, ski world cup, alpine skiers, top class skiing, International Ski Federation

Americans for Bansko?

I just read a very interesting article in the New York Times on one of it’s reporters recent visits to Bansko Ski Resort.

Ok, the article in not all positive but gives an objective view of Bansko - a warts and all view.

It’s a quite long article and here’s a short sampling:

Is Bulgaria Really Skiing’s Next Hot Spot?

As my friends and I rode the eight-seat gondola back down, however, I was confused. Over the past few years, hundreds of millions of dollars in investment had flowed into Bansko, a little town bordering Pirin National Park, about 100 miles south of Bulgaria’s capital, Sofia, itself a semifinalist for the 2014 Winter Olympics. The mountain boasted shiny new gondolas and detachable chairlifts built by Doppelmayr, an Austrian company, while in town dozens — if not hundreds — of vacation homes and hotels had gone up, including the five-star Kempinski Hotel Grand Arena, the surest sign that this formerly off-the-beaten-path destination had gone mainstream. The typical Bansko vista was now of construction cranes first, then the mountains.

Get the rest of the article here.

So will there be a deluge of U.S skiers to the nether regions of Eastern Europe? Not likely unless global warming completely obliterates the yearly snowfall in Aspen.

It’s good though to see that Bansko is getting more exposure. When the New York Times sends a reporter then things must be looking up. If I’d known he was coming I’d have offered an apartment on the cheap.:wink:

Tags: bansko, new york times, ski bansko, bulgaria skiing, bansko ski resort