Bansko Before Mass Tourism (Bansko)

Member Name: flickpugh

Product:	Bansko
Date:	08/05/05 (2964 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: very cheap, Great local taverns and restaurants, Brand new equipment

Disadvantages: Too few lifts, Ancient drag lifts kill your arms, Fairly long transfer

Bansko is in South West Bulgaria in the Pirin mountain region, a site protected by UNESCO. The transfer was just under 3 hours but it passed quickly both ways as the scenery is just so interesting.

We were skiing for the second time in February last year. If it had been last year as complete beginners I'm not sure I would have enjoyed it quite so much, although the ski school is excellent. For under £100 you get your skis, boots, sticks, 6 day lift pass and 4 hours a day tuition in small groups.

Advanced skiers claimed that the rating of the slopes is somewhat erratic. In fact they are in the process of re-rating all the slopes as at the moment some of the reds are more like blacks and some of the blues are more like reds. There are no greens, but a couple of great long ski roads so snow permitting you can ski right down to the bottom of the mountain instead of getting the gondala back down. Most of the lifts are fine but some of the drag lifts really do take the term 'drag lift' a bit too literally. You really don't want to use these ones if you have a shoulder injury! On that subject the medical facilities were tried and tested by some in our group who suffered minor injuries and they were very impressed by the attention received, especially as they treated them without worrying about seeing insurance papers first, which apparently is the norm in other European resorts.

All in all the conditions weren't bad at all. It was very sunny almost every day and the snow had melted alot at the bottom by the end of the week, making it difficult to ski all the way back down, there was some ice on the higher up slopes. The Bansko committee have invested a lot in this new resort in the last 2 years, 14 million US dollars on equipment alone - all the ski rental gear is brand new and an excellent make - Saloman. Lift passes are magnetic and you pay a 6 lev (£2) returnable deposit in case you lose them, stick them in the inside pocket of your jacket and then just lean against a sensor as you go through each gate. I loved not having the usual hassle of taking gloves off, unzipping pocket, taking out pass, swiping, then doing everything back up each time I went on a lift! Also as you wait for the gondola at the bottom (18 minute ride) there are screens everywhere showing different runs where you can spot your friends, good for a laugh!

Feedback from boarders is that it's a great place to learn/ improve but there is a lack of places to practise tricks - a half pipe is in the 'pipeline' though! The snow is a bit 'packed' but plenty of powder in the tree lined areas if you are brave enough to do that ...

Our instructor, Vasi, was great fun. She spoke excellent English and was determined that we would enjoy our holiday. I learned loads and would happily recommend her to anyone going there. On the last day all classes take part in a short slalom and you can buy a video/ dvd of your lessons during the week and/ or a group photo. On the last night certificates are presented in a local nightclub and most groups go out for a meal with their instructor afterwards. Make sure you pay for the ski school package before you go though cos it's over twice the price once you're in the resort and you may find it all booked up. Bulgarians move at a very slow pace, with a very 'manana manana' attitude like the Spanish so it's best to give as much notice as possible for anything you wish to book be it an excursion, massage, whatever.

We stayed in Hotel Bansko, a four star hotel. The facilities were good, great swimming pool/ sauna/ gym area, massage, table tennis, billiards, 2 bars including an all night karoke bar (don't worry they've sound proofed the walls well"). It was extremely clean - the chamber maids even folded up by pyjamas and practically repacked my suitcase each day! Only down side was that you have to rely on the free bus each day to escort you to the slopes - every 20 minutes, 5 minute duration. The food seemed fine at first - half board buffet breakfast and dinner, but by the end of the week we did get very sick of scrambled egg for breakfast and chicken type dishes with sticky rice for dinner. They did sometimes add extra dishes such as mousaka and chips, but be warned although they tell you the restaurant is open from 6pm til 10pm, we got there for 8.30pm one night and there was barely anything left. The food is of much better quality and there is more selection the earlier you go. Another point to note here is that Bulgarians don't believe in hot food, thinking that it is not good for the digestive system so they often leave it on the side to 'cool' before serving it to you. Some restaurants are wising up to the English preference for a warmer plate of food, but to be on the safe side like you always stress you want your steak WELL done in France to avoid a plate of blood, it's best to ask for 'hot food' in Bulgaria.

Social life - this was much better than we expected. There are a couple of nightclubs but mainly it is centred round the 'mahanas'. These are like 'tavernas' and are mostly in beautiful old buildings, traditionally decorated. We had a wine tasting night, others went on organised pub crawls and other nights just met up with friends from 'ski group' and explored them by ourselves. One 'mahana' in particular stood out, a traditional type place right at the end of the main square, along a cobbled street, it is run by a lovely Bulgarian called Dinko it was where Neilson held their wine tasting night. We went back there another night in a group of couples and he kept giving us drinks on the house, he spoke excellent English too which isn't as common as you might think in this resort as it has only been open to foreigners for the last couple of years. Other activities included 'bum boarding' - basically sledging but on a plastic tray, quizzes, bowling, karoke, day excursion to the Rila monastry, trip to Sofia (conveniently depending on your tour operator this was on the day of departure so you got 4 or 5 hours in the city before going to the airport - well worth it for the fantastically cheap markets selling everything from £1 a bottle vodka, to food, wallets and CDs. There were several non-skiers around as well and they seemed to find plenty to do, although the town itself is quite small. The ski instructors run a trip to a nearby thermal pool in the woods as well. The Dutch couple in my ski group raved about it, but can't tell you for myself since I, like most of the Brits chickened out of the naked dipping.

Bansko, like most of Bulgaria is CHEAP, CHEAP, CHEAP. A vodka in one of the local bars is equivalent to a triple shot at least at home and comes to the princely sum of around 30p plus the 40 odd pence for a mixer which only the foolish or very brave would go without! A large bottle of Bulgarian beer - by all accounts very good - will set you back 35p to 50p. Even the hotel bar prices are rarely over £1 and they haven't yet caught on to the fact that mini bars are meant to be an absolute rip off! Food in the restaurants is also dirt cheap so even if you're half board it's worth going out for a few meals as no doubt you'll get sick of the hotel buffets. Bulgarian food, like its culture seems to be a delicious melange of Eastern and Mediterranean with the traditional East European soups and stews combined with lots of Turkish style meze and Greek salads and feta cheese with lots of ham and chicken.

Bansko has a population of around 9,000 and is definitely 'up and coming' but at the moment, like most of Bulgaria is still quite poor - half the cars on the roads wouldn't stand a chance of passing their MOT in England! Most of the locals are really friendly but you did sense resentment of 'foreigners' among others, especially one shop I went in where I had to practically beg to be served and then was met with scowls and sighs! You can understand the few that are like this though. Bansko is bound to change beyond recognition in the next few years and they must fear it turning into another 'Benidorm of the slopes' - Boravets. They are planning to double the amount of slopes in the next 5 years but clearing thousands of trees of the mountains and building dozens of new lifts. My advice is to get there soon if you want a skiing holiday with a bit of 'authentic Bulgaria' thrown in without the lager louts cos this place is going to get more and more popular. As a clue property prices in the town have QUADRUPLED in the last 18 months. At the moment the holiday, including ski school, hire, pass and spending money should all come to under £600 in peak season staying in one of the best hotels, so you can't beat that really.

Get out there soon and experience it how it is now!!!

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