Bulgaria Ski discussion board

Hi All,

My fiancée and I are flying out on Friday the 8th of Feb and staying at the Samokov Hotel for 7 nights. Neither of us have skied accept for a couple of times when we were 10 and on a school trip. Sorry about what might be annoying to the experienced but, I have a few questions.

1. We need to buy goggles but, with so much choice we are unsure of which tint/colour. We would like to ski at night too. Is there an all purpose beginner goggle anyone can suggest?

2. Do we need to buy/borrow all our kit here in the UK? I've heard ski shops at the resort will have hyper-inflated prices. btw we have already purchased a beginner package which includes skis, boots & poles.

3. Do any of the resorts have an outdoor jacuzzi? We would like to celebrate Valentine's day under the stars with a bottle of bubbly.

4. What is everyone's views on helmets, do we need to wear them?

Thank you for your time and we look forward to buying drinks for all those that answer our questions LOL

Ron & Dee

Hi Ron & Dee Welcome.

Goggles, I would suggest that, unless you want to spend lots of money on the latest multi-light goggle, that a yellow or orange tint would be best for most conditions, You can get a good pair for about £20-£30.

By gear I guess you mean clothing, I would get it at home, lot of cheap outlets, with decent prices.

Not sure about the jacuzzies.

A helmet is a must in my opinion, however I would take them off in the jacuzzi!!!!

Take care and enjoy your time in resort!!

Manc Tom

Hi Ron & Dee

There should be lots of help for you on these questions. Here's my take...

1 - Goggles - I personally like Oakleys. Try ebay or somewhere like http://www.eyewearoutlet.co.uk for A or O frames. They are good general purpose goggles that you should be able to get new for under £60. A persimmon (yellowish) should be fine for most conditions.

In my opinion having a double lens is more important than colour. This vastly reduces fogging, which if it's cold and/or whiteout, will freeze and make visibility really hard. If conditions are poor then you need to slow down anyway and stick to skiing what you can see.

2 - Kit. Do you have any kit at all? If you are looking for trousers and jackets then ebay is a good bet but this time of year you need to be looking all the time as stuff comes and goes quickly - you only have a couple of weeks. You can get kit pretty reasonably priced in the high street as well. If you have a outlet centre near you try there are there can often be bargains around. Layers are important so you don't need a highly technical jacket. At the end of the day it's about keeping dry and warm. The chances are that if you are a beginner/low intermediate then you will have to work harder than a more experienced skier so it's surprising how hot you can get - use layers.

3 - Jacuzzi - don't know.

4 - Helmets. Yes. Do not take the risk of not using one. You may be fine but the slopes do have their fair share of muppets who don't care about any one else. Someone else may lose control and crash into you. A helmet could be the difference between you being able to carry on after an incident or getting a serious brain injury.

There was a sale on the other day for Nevica helmets for a £10 at Sports Direct but I think that was 1 day only. Check out your local Aldi/Lidl as they may still have some - cheap but perfectly fine. You can hire in the resort as well - they may even chuck them in if you ask when picking up your skis and boots.

Hope this helps and have a great time!

I don't know of an outdoor Jacuzzi but assuming it's still open the Samokov does/did have an a la carte restaurant on one of it's higher floors which might be a bit more romantic. Then you can go for a walk through the forrest under the stars if you want.
I tend to agree with what has been said above although you should be able to pick up a pair of double lens goggles for about £30. Also if you are beginner in a class, you may spend the first day or two doing a lot of standing around. This may be cold.

Hi Manc Tom, Jez & Emjay,
Thank you for your comments, very helpful indeed.
1. We’ll definitely get a pair with double lenses and the Oakleys look very good. Could we wear persimmon lenses safely at night? I had read somewhere that you had to wear only clear lenses at night.

Bolle do a photochromic pair for sub £50. That’s the problem with kit, for a few quid more you could get …
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BOLLE-photochromic-NOVA-Ski-Snow-Goggles-Black-Coral-Citrus-MODULATOR-20460-/330786842181?pt=UK_SportsLeisure_Skiing_GogglesSunglasses_JN&hash=item4d046ea645
Would you be able to wear a photo-chromic pair at night safely?
2. Yeah when we say kit we mean clothes. We bought a couple of gore tex ski jackets from 2/3 seasons ago BNWT. Tried TXMaxx but they had been picked clean. Will try checking out our local Aldi/Lidl. We want to get enough kit to enjoy ourselves but, will wait until we are truly in love to make any serious purchases.
3. If I find a Jacuzzi I will follow your advice and take the helmet off. Ha Ha. Is the panoramic restaurant at the Samakov the most romantic place in town?
4. We weren't going to buy helmets but, you all make very good arguments for their use. I think various online outlet shops have them for sub £20 or we will rent them there as suggested.
5. How does this sound as a packing list for one person on a 7 day holiday?
2 X Long Sleeve Top Base Layer
2 X Bottom Base Layer
2 X Ski Socks
1 X Long Sleeve Top Mid Layer
1 X Short Sleeve Top Mid Layer
2 X Bottom Mid Layer
Then the usual for the evenings etc.
Kind regards,
Ron & Dee

Ron where are you flying from??? 14 of us are on the esayjet out of gatwick on the 8th.

dare say we will be in Bobbys bar for Valentines (id forgotten it was that week with the amount of skiing youve done not sure id bother with night skiing to be honest, either go sledging, fun for ALL ages of go hire a skidoo for a night trip.
Sports direct have a lot of ski kit they are making a big prescenc in the market they own 'Nevica' brand and have recently bought Skiwear4less as well as another whos name escapes me. Our TK Maxx still has stuff and some good bargains. Helmet is a must, goggles, ive got photchromatic ones myself (zeal) and they work in any condition night time included. If you get your ski legs back you could also try one of the 'lock ins' and ski down as the sun sets, thats nice and romantic!!