Bulgaria Ski discussion board
Read this posting from ski club of GB site - BG has secret fans!!!
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posts : 13 (Beginner)Date : 01-15-04 09:01Read this posting from ski club of GB site - BG has secret fans!!!
Borovets - someone tell me its good
sally howe
8 Jan 2004 Hi weve got two kids who have both skied before. This yr we thought we'd give Bulgaria a try because its cheap, the hotel has got a pool, and because it is at the foot of the ski lift. Apart from those three points i,m dreading it. Ive been told that the snow is unreliable and ive just read that the lifts are crap and the pist is anything but well groomed. we go at the end of Feb and stay at the Rilla sport hotel. we thought we ...
sally howe
8 Jan 2004 Hi weve got two kids who have both skied before. This yr we thought we'd give Bulgaria a try because its cheap, the hotel has got a pool, and because it is at the foot of the ski lift. Apart from those three points i,m dreading it. Ive been told that the snow is unreliable and ive just read that the lifts are crap and the pist is anything but well groomed. we go at the end of Feb and stay at the Rilla sport hotel. we thought we ...
Borovets - someone tell me its good
sally howe
8 Jan 2004 Hi weve got two kids who have both skied before. This yr we thought we'd give Bulgaria a try because its cheap, the hotel has got a pool, and because it is at the foot of the ski lift. Apart from those three points i,m dreading it. Ive been told that the snow is unreliable and ive just read that the lifts are crap and the pist is anything but well groomed. we go at the end of Feb and stay at the Rilla sport hotel. we thought we would try snowboarding for the first time because the resort is good for beginners. Please tell me its going to be great!!!
Chris Brookes
8 Jan 2004 Don't worry !!
Stayed in the same hotel as you but that was over 10 years ago. I can remember the resort and the runs well. The food was slightly ok,slopes were ok aswell as the lifts. At the end of the day just remember how much you paid for it.. You will have a great time..
judith gamse
9 Jan 2004 Check out www.bulgariaski.com - most of the regulars go there and you'll know all the latest informatino
Christopher Bish
9 Jan 2004 One really good thing we found is that they are happy to accept mixed-ability groups as ski school groups. This meant that as a group of two families and friends we could ski and learn together.
We found the tuition and friendly atmosphere excellent.
Everything is very cheap.
Slopes and snow are fine usually in feb. Bare rocky patches can be a problem.
Downsides:
hire equipment in 2000 (last time there) was poor.
big lift queues at 10 o'clock (more than an hour)
Toilets on the mountain are rare and horrendous.
There is a long walk back from the bottom of Yastrabets, though you can hire a pony. You will probably find Euros or even those funny old pounds will be better than Leva.
All in all it is a lot of cheap fun for families and beginners. Intermediates will ski the whole resort in a day or so.
Paul Mason
9 Jan 2004 Sally - its good ! Is that ok for you !
Mike McGrath
9 Jan 2004 Sally - can I just qualify Christopher's promise that you can hire a pony? It is a pony and cart - you ride in the cart, on a seat! It's fun, don't worry! Borovets can be a great early beginner resort with good instruction, cheap apres ski and a light-hearted, rather than intense, enjoyment of ski-ing. The food wasn't great in my experience, but the Rila was better than some - we ate there at lunchtime, and the Rila is in a very good ski-in, ski out position at the bottom of a chair. If the snow is good, you'll have a great time and if it's not, you'll still enjoy it.
Mogul King
9 Jan 2004 Sally,
I have been to Borovets and stayed at the Samokov....or the Samo' as I call it. I would have preferred the Rila...it has a beautiful indoor pool.
Bulgaria has its ups and downs. The pros are that its cheap, the people are marvellously friendly and helpful. The ski instructors are patient and go out of their way to entertain you in the evenings.
The downside:
- the hire skis were lousy;
-lots of draglifts at the top of the gondola station; One of them is the "mother of all draglifts"
-it can get very busy
-petty crime is a problem- watch your mobile phones and cameras
- Thefts are fairly common at all the hotels- even the ones with electronic card access
- Sofia airport can't handle take-offs in fog - if that happens they will bus to Bourgas airport which is about 7 hours away!!!
Mogul King
9 Jan 2004 Having said that......most people go there the second time. Apparently, Bulgaria is also great in the summer too!!!
As Judith said, for detailed information, check out bulgariaski.com
Gary Congdon
9 Jan 2004 Sally, spent our first 3 years skiing in Borovets (1996 onwards). Even though the snow wasn't the best in the world we always had a fantastic time (and we stayed in the Olymp which is nowhere near as nice as Rila). The snow looked pretty good the last time I looked at the webcam (bulgariaski.com). If they still do the ski jumping do go and watch, it's mad. You'll enjoy it.
Margaret Blackwell
9 Jan 2004 Brlliant I was first time on snow and it was great. We took the family as well and had a child in the crech, they were fantastic. Flying into Borovits was scarery, It looked like a war zone. - Plovdiv, not Sofia. Got better as you went up the mountian. We stayed at the Boar, it was a lovely hotel, a bit fifties though. Visited the Rila good bar and shops. The Happy Duck is brilliant and White Magic is run by an ex olympic champion skiier. (They run private ski lessons through the day - off piste as well). The instructors were very good and patient as well. The street market is small but interesting. The hire equipment is not so good - take your own SwixF4 to wax them before you go out. Toilets on the mountain are horrendous, frightening if you look down. The food on the mountain and off the mountain is good, you can get whatever you want, pizza, pasta and burgers, (big chicken breast bashed flat in between bread). Big ques in the morning for the drag lifts and gondolas. You will have a good time, the people are very friendly. We had no bother from thefts.
sally Howe
9 Jan 2004 thanks for all the advice. I,m feeling a little bit more confident and on of my life theoies is that if you are not looking forward to somthing its usually great.
DUNCAN ABBOTT
14 Jan 2004 GOING 15 TH FEB 3RD YR.DONE VALDIS + AUSTRIA + ANDORRA LAST 3 MNTHS BUT STILL GO BACK 2 BULG WITH KIDS.WHITE MAGIC PRIVATE LESSONS A MUST.U WILL LEARN MUCH MORE QUICKLY.AVE FUN.
sally howe
8 Jan 2004 Hi weve got two kids who have both skied before. This yr we thought we'd give Bulgaria a try because its cheap, the hotel has got a pool, and because it is at the foot of the ski lift. Apart from those three points i,m dreading it. Ive been told that the snow is unreliable and ive just read that the lifts are crap and the pist is anything but well groomed. we go at the end of Feb and stay at the Rilla sport hotel. we thought we would try snowboarding for the first time because the resort is good for beginners. Please tell me its going to be great!!!
Chris Brookes
8 Jan 2004 Don't worry !!
Stayed in the same hotel as you but that was over 10 years ago. I can remember the resort and the runs well. The food was slightly ok,slopes were ok aswell as the lifts. At the end of the day just remember how much you paid for it.. You will have a great time..
judith gamse
9 Jan 2004 Check out www.bulgariaski.com - most of the regulars go there and you'll know all the latest informatino
Christopher Bish
9 Jan 2004 One really good thing we found is that they are happy to accept mixed-ability groups as ski school groups. This meant that as a group of two families and friends we could ski and learn together.
We found the tuition and friendly atmosphere excellent.
Everything is very cheap.
Slopes and snow are fine usually in feb. Bare rocky patches can be a problem.
Downsides:
hire equipment in 2000 (last time there) was poor.
big lift queues at 10 o'clock (more than an hour)
Toilets on the mountain are rare and horrendous.
There is a long walk back from the bottom of Yastrabets, though you can hire a pony. You will probably find Euros or even those funny old pounds will be better than Leva.
All in all it is a lot of cheap fun for families and beginners. Intermediates will ski the whole resort in a day or so.
Paul Mason
9 Jan 2004 Sally - its good ! Is that ok for you !
Mike McGrath
9 Jan 2004 Sally - can I just qualify Christopher's promise that you can hire a pony? It is a pony and cart - you ride in the cart, on a seat! It's fun, don't worry! Borovets can be a great early beginner resort with good instruction, cheap apres ski and a light-hearted, rather than intense, enjoyment of ski-ing. The food wasn't great in my experience, but the Rila was better than some - we ate there at lunchtime, and the Rila is in a very good ski-in, ski out position at the bottom of a chair. If the snow is good, you'll have a great time and if it's not, you'll still enjoy it.
Mogul King
9 Jan 2004 Sally,
I have been to Borovets and stayed at the Samokov....or the Samo' as I call it. I would have preferred the Rila...it has a beautiful indoor pool.
Bulgaria has its ups and downs. The pros are that its cheap, the people are marvellously friendly and helpful. The ski instructors are patient and go out of their way to entertain you in the evenings.
The downside:
- the hire skis were lousy;
-lots of draglifts at the top of the gondola station; One of them is the "mother of all draglifts"
-it can get very busy
-petty crime is a problem- watch your mobile phones and cameras
- Thefts are fairly common at all the hotels- even the ones with electronic card access
- Sofia airport can't handle take-offs in fog - if that happens they will bus to Bourgas airport which is about 7 hours away!!!
Mogul King
9 Jan 2004 Having said that......most people go there the second time. Apparently, Bulgaria is also great in the summer too!!!
As Judith said, for detailed information, check out bulgariaski.com
Gary Congdon
9 Jan 2004 Sally, spent our first 3 years skiing in Borovets (1996 onwards). Even though the snow wasn't the best in the world we always had a fantastic time (and we stayed in the Olymp which is nowhere near as nice as Rila). The snow looked pretty good the last time I looked at the webcam (bulgariaski.com). If they still do the ski jumping do go and watch, it's mad. You'll enjoy it.
Margaret Blackwell
9 Jan 2004 Brlliant I was first time on snow and it was great. We took the family as well and had a child in the crech, they were fantastic. Flying into Borovits was scarery, It looked like a war zone. - Plovdiv, not Sofia. Got better as you went up the mountian. We stayed at the Boar, it was a lovely hotel, a bit fifties though. Visited the Rila good bar and shops. The Happy Duck is brilliant and White Magic is run by an ex olympic champion skiier. (They run private ski lessons through the day - off piste as well). The instructors were very good and patient as well. The street market is small but interesting. The hire equipment is not so good - take your own SwixF4 to wax them before you go out. Toilets on the mountain are horrendous, frightening if you look down. The food on the mountain and off the mountain is good, you can get whatever you want, pizza, pasta and burgers, (big chicken breast bashed flat in between bread). Big ques in the morning for the drag lifts and gondolas. You will have a good time, the people are very friendly. We had no bother from thefts.
sally Howe
9 Jan 2004 thanks for all the advice. I,m feeling a little bit more confident and on of my life theoies is that if you are not looking forward to somthing its usually great.
DUNCAN ABBOTT
14 Jan 2004 GOING 15 TH FEB 3RD YR.DONE VALDIS + AUSTRIA + ANDORRA LAST 3 MNTHS BUT STILL GO BACK 2 BULG WITH KIDS.WHITE MAGIC PRIVATE LESSONS A MUST.U WILL LEARN MUCH MORE QUICKLY.AVE FUN.
