Bulgaria Ski discussion board

Hey everyone,
This is yet another forum I've joined so I can try to hit up other 'like-minded' winter sport dudes for accurate information.

To all those of you who follow the two-plank religion, I apologise. I am one who can only slide sideways. But fellow shred-heads, I am in need of your advice and wisdom.

I and my partner will be going to Borovets on 28th January. This is our first trip to Borovets, but we have been to Bansko & Pamporovo for the last 3 years [twice a season each]. So we are. kind of, used to 'Bulgaian Ways'.

However, I was reading a post on snow-forecast last night about Borovets which gave me cause for concern. The person logging the post suggested that there had been some incidents involving the gondola / chairlifts and staff.

Reports of lifts being stopped due to power-cuts and people being stuck on them for 2 hours.

Reports of staff at the gondola waiting for people to make a complaint so they could beat them to a pulp !

Borosports suddenly and without explanation recinding lift passes and not offering to replace or refund.

It all sounds horrendous, but can anyone say how accurate these comments are?

I have to say that I have never experienced these kinds of things in either Pamps or Bansko, and as this is my first visit to Borovets I wouldn't want it to spoil my first trip.

HELP !

Hi John,

If you read some of the other recent posts on the site you will see that there were power problems over the weekend due to the massive dump of snow. It was also obvious from the webcams that anyone on the chairs (and presumably the gondola) was not moving anywhere.

I'm not in Boro and not able to comment on what happened with Borosports staff but in that sort of situation it's clear that frustration will be high and tempers short so anything is possible.

In my experience most of the Borosport staff have been fine with the exception of the guys at the top of the chair that goes up in front of the Rila.

I wouldn't worry at all - you will have a great trip. There are plenty of top people in Boro (e.g. Kas & Bobby) and they are the icing on the cake of what is, in reality, a really good place to go skiing.

Welcome the board John.

1. Reports of lifts being stopped due to power-cuts and people being stuck on them for 2 hours.
Correct lifts stopped dur to power cuts. With regard to people being stuck for 2 hours, nothing has been reported on this disscussion board this season. I do recall 2 years 16/01/09 ago there was a problem with the chair lift in front of Rila Hotel which needed a new motor, I know Christo from White Majic was stuck up there not a happy bunny.

2.Reports of staff at the gondola waiting for people to make a complaint so they could beat them to a pulp !
Never in 10 years have I heard of any kind of incident, and again nothing reported on this board.

However you have picked one of the most dangerous weeks if you look at the "Roll call Jan 28th" as there are some heavy dudes hitting the slopes that week. Don't stand in the way of Manc Tom, PLEASE

Anyway looking forward to meeting up with a tray slider, head for Bobby's bar, just up the road from the gondola station. Where are you fly from and what Hotel ?

S.P.

Hi Guys,

There were power cuts over the weekend but a lot of these were due to fallen trees / power lines etc. We also had no electric all day Saturday but it came on in the evening.

On Sunday all the lifts did shut but as per the comment above, the gondola has an emergency diesel engine and this was powered up to get people off of it so people weren't stuck for hours...

In terms of rows about the lift passes a lot of these took place between the workers and locals so we can't comment as we don't know what was said at the time of buying etc. Most of the English sat in the bar, watched the footie and didn't seem that annoyed at all....there also weren't any fights that we know of but I imagine tempers were frayed hence all the stories flying round...

K

Hey,
Thanks to everyone who took the time to respond to my post. Myself and Tracey are re-assured and, in truth, our faith in the Bulgarian people was never really in doubt. Heck I even work with a Bulgarian doctor and he's ace !
We did suspect at the time, that maybe this was a disgruntled Bulgarian chap with an axe to grind and an open forum to do it on. There were no other similar posts on there and, as you say, none on here either.

I've been checking the webcams daily [saddo ! ] and I cannot wait to hit the mahoosive amounts of pow that Borovets seems to have at the moment.

In reply to your post specifically SP, we're flying from Manchester on Saturday 28th Jan and we are staying at the Moura. We have been to Borovets once before so we kind of know the layout. But this was in the summer when I was wakeboarding on Lake Iskar. Now that is a lake !

As a fellow Manc myself [although for my sins I have emigrated a bit further oooop North to the land of Newcastle Brown and canny bag of tudor] I would be well up for meeting up with fellow boarders and skiiers to get some serious shred in. Especially with those who know the "secret spots" where lines are few, the stoke is high and pow is deep.

We'll definitely look out for Bobby's Bar and get down there to see if we can meet up with people. I am also trying to put together a posse of fellow boarders from GONEBOARDING forum, so it looks as though the Brits winter sports mob will be in full effect that week.

Bring it on. Thanks guys.