Bulgaria Ski discussion board

Hi I have been given the challenge of sorting out the next Snowboarding + Skiing Holiday for me and my friends. There are 10 of us in total (9 Snowboarders and 1 Skier) and I have been looking at Bansko.
We went to Soldeu, Andorra in January and had a blast there, but we found some of the prices to be a bit silly like 5 euros for a pint so we were looking for somewhere a bit cheaper this time.
We are looking to go to Bansko on the 17th of January 2009 is that a busy period as I have heard that the gondola queues can be huge in peak times. Also is there usually a lot of snow at that time of year?
How much does a pint cost roughly in £'s out there.
I was looking at staying at the Hotel Lion is that a decent place for our group (we are aged between 21-26) as we want to be close to the slopes in the morning and not have to walk miles to get back from the pubs at night.
Whats the off pisting like in Bansko is there plenty of mountian to explore?
I have also been looking at Tignes in France which yes is expensive but you know the conditions there are going to be awesome but it would mean staying in the cheapest of cheap self catering apartment where as for the same price we could live like kings in Bansko, which would you rather do?
I have seen a lot of bad reviews for the resort but I think of it this way, if you had a bad time you are more likely to go on the internet and moan about it than if you had a good time in which case you probably not have as much of a urge to broadcast you feelings on the web.
Anyway any help anyone can give on answering any of these questions would be greatly recieved.
Thanks

Only been to bansko as normally go to borovets. Stayed at the lion which we found to be good and even though it is not in the centre of the nightlife it is only a short walk.It is about a 10 minute walk to the gondola but it runs its own ski bus which goes every 20mins. Never once queued for the gondola but we were always there before 9am. As to eating and drinking if you look around and stay away from places like the happy end etc you can still find very reasonable prices. Beer about £1-£1.50 pint and well priced meals. If you are going half board we found the food in the hotel OK with a good selection. Breakfast certainly OK . You will not get the same piste selection as in some european resorts but can find plenty to do unless you are experts. One benefit of bansko is that you can get to all the slopes via chairlift which makes it better for the boarders.So all in all it depends on what you want. You should have good snow cover in january but who knows
dbut

Price of beer = £1 in cheap/quite places, and £2 in the places like happy end.

Is Jan 19th a quite time = yes as long as it does not clash with school half term ( thats when the queues get bad)

How bad are the queues = on peak weeks avoid the gondola between 9 am and 10 am. This is when everyone who is going for a lesson is heading up the mountain. So either get there for 8.15-8.30 and get up there first or have a lay in and head up after the crowds. Personally I have been 3 times and always stayed clear of school hols and never queued for more than 10 mins.

Hotel Lion is very good, not quite upto the Kempminski's standards but one of the best in Bansko all the same. the pool is lovely. Onlt a 10 mins stroll to the gondola, no exageration.

Quality of skiing = i am no expert , but enough to keep most skiers happy for a week on the pistes, not sure about the off piste

hope this helps
Cheers
Smag

For a group of 21-26 year olds, i would stay clear of bansko. Not great on the social front.

Queues can be very annoying ( thats before the bansko property class come on board and say "what queues" ).

Skiing is good.

I found bansko as expensive as andorra but severely lacking atmosphere. Yes you can get cheaper drink in a small local establishment but you are then sacrificing the pub/club/apres ski atmosphere for a more cultural experience.

In regards of living like kings in bansko, those days are finished!

Borovets or pamporovo would have much better nightlife and atmosphere but once again you will sacrifice the skiing/boarding with the size of the mountain.

As snowboarders you will love it, we are 2 snowboarders and have been at end of jan and mid march past 2 years, no queues at all, don't listen to the moaners on this forum, plenty of off piste if conditions allow, we had a week of powder this year, cheap to hire guide/instructor, great park this year but no half pipe. Night life is a bit hick but fun if your in a gang, very cheap to drink/eat. Last year we took a week in Obergurgl couldn't believe the prices and went back to Bansko in march, something nice about the place, fun atmosphere and they don't over groom everywhere like Austria. Bansko really is becoming a snowboarder destination but take your own gear, hire stuff lacking quality. We met up with loads of snowboarders and they were all well happy with the holiday, we stay in Kempinski right on gondola and seems very cheap to us, check out Balkan holidays.

Thanks guys we went to travel agent today and couldn't get a very good deal on the Lion as all the twin rooms were gone so had to pay extra for the family ones worked out about £470 so need to look for some other hotels in Bansko.
On a seperate note we did get a good offer on Les Arcs 1950 so looking into that as well as it was only £300 but then it was self catering so need to check out food prices there.
But thanks for the input its put my mind at rest about some of the horror stories you hear about Bulgaria and I'll check out Balkan Holidays too.

I usually go to Tignes myself and for my second ski holiday went to Borovets in Bulgaria and will not be returning. In the end It worked out the same price as my usuual France trip but the skiing and snow cover was so poor i regret going. I can't comment on Bansko but if you've used to Alps resorts you'll immediately notice the difference. Prices seem to be getting more expensive each year and you'll prob end up sacrificing the quality of ski just so pints might be a £1 or £2 cheaper. My advice would be to stick to the Alps if its what you are used to

Hi
We stayed in Bansko in both Jan and March of this year.
Our 2 teenagers board and are more or less advanced now, and still haven't tired of Bansko.
We looked into going to La Rosiere and nearly booked it, but once again found ourselves drawn back to Bankso.
We are out there the same time as you plan to be, 17th Jan, and we managed to get a cracking deal with Inghams on their early bird offers.
We are staying at the Emerald Hotel, which is a a couple of mins walk to the gondola, on a HB basis, 2 x tw rooms and its costing £220 each.
Well happy with the price