Bulgaria Ski discussion board

Hmm. Bit of an unreasonable report there Dave, and quite misleading!
I was up there yesterday - the conditions in the morning were lovely. EVERY lift open, and every run apart from the black at CV open (and a small section of the red to the secret lift - but that was still skiable anyway). Was really impressed that they'd managed to keep the pistes in such good condition.
OK - so the off piste is not going to be good (although people were still heading down the side of Todorka) as there just isn't enough snow, but the pistes were fine. Park was in decent nick as well. The problem is (yesterday especially) it was really hot! So the snow in the afternoon was really slushy, particularly near the bottom (Shilgarnika and below). Combine that with the fact that it's really busy and it means the main runs get really choppy in the afternoons, but no big deal.
Overall I'd say that they'd done an amazing job in really bad snow year. If the top lift was closed then it must have been down to wind (as it often is) because the snow up there is fine.
Piste conditions are overall good (not fantastic - but absolutely fine), but off piste is poor.
Got to the Gondola at 8:25 yesterday (which should have been the busiest day) and was on board by 8:45. Not too bad really. 4 or 5 min queues at some of the lifts up the mountain but really nothing to speak of. Pistes were pretty busy, but then it's half term so what do you expect.
Matt

Been in bansko for the last week , conditions have been pretty good , pistes fine some closed runs red 12 and ski rd 2 to halfway and chalin valog black on the left side . Conditions were always best early on and a bit soft after lunch . Chalin valog red has been great to ski all week :-) , today was horrendous though top lifts closed due to high winds so many people on soft slushy runs has bashed them to bits . Blue 5 and 10 were both getting bare by 2 pm , pretty much water skiing through bunderishka , ski road very slushy and deadly slow , chalking valog black right side getting very thin the Red still ok but the path that leads to it is a pain . End of the ski road is melting away , I'd say 2 more days of high temps and busy slopes will lead to slopes closing .
Sorry to sound negative but that's the truth .
It's so warm here you could sunbathe next to a pool at resort level .

Firstly yes it is half term and yes it will be busier than other times of the year. Queues to Lempinski at 08.30 c0omplete lie. I drove past with my guests in the bus up the mountain road at 08.35 and the queue was just outside the door. My friends got to the gondola at 08.40 and the queues were still just outside the door and they were up the mountain on the 6man chair at 09.10 texting me where to meet them.
No doubt it will have got busier towards 09.00 and after as sunday tour operator guests will have been fitted with skis etc and then joined queues. It will be busier as week goes on. It is always like this at half term why do people still complain about it. Queues no dounbt may have been 2hrs at a certain point but certainly not at 08.40 where the queues were only just outside the doors.
Lifts at the top were closed due to very high winds...... Can you remember last year when the high winds were there and trees were coming down onto the lifts cables..... would you want to be on the chair when this happened????
Queues at the actual chairs on the mountain were great first thing. I skied until 2.30pm and the longest queue i had to wait in was 5MINS. Again it will get busier as the week goes on. The pistes were again prepped very well for the current conditions. Hats off to Ulen and to Pamporovo who have both worked very hard to keep cannons running and pistes well prepped. Very hot day and yes the pistes lower by 1pm were starting to get slushy. I skied the ski road to chalin Valog at 2.30pm and apart from the top just behind gondola which had the sun on it all day and was watery i thought the ski road was running really well. The black into the red at chalin looked in great condition(i dodnt ski as we were going back up gondola to collect bus.

Personally I think the conditions are like March spring skiing. Ulen have done a great job to keep the resort up and running as they have. Queues, yes there will be queues as week goes on but again it is half term what do you expect.

Dave all you have done all season is complain...... if it is that bad why are you still here??? Sorry mate but every post is negative. It is not the resort fault we have not had the snow but just look at borovets and then say Ulen are shit and have not done anything to improve the situation. I for one and i know all guests we have taken back have been very impressed with how the slopes are given the circumstances and most people have been completely surprised how well that it has been skiing. Dont take my word take the word of around 2k guests we personally have dealt with. We are only a small company but not one complaint.

It is going to get worse with the temps and yes we do need snow but lets make the most of what we have and give praise where its due.

Bring on the snow for the new guests coming out and the guests that are here but for now lets have fun and make the best out of the situation which is nowhere near as bad as some of the comments beiing posted.

As you may have guessed from some of my posts, i am not much of a fan of the ski concessionaire.... but, that said, i have to take my hat off to their efforts regarding keeping as many slopes open as they can through this unseasonal weather.... Two runs are not covered by cannons, red12 and the linking run between the base of red12 and the middle station of the gondola. Red12 is actually skiable, but not pisted, the link road is not worth the effort.... The combination of high daytime temps and high numbers of boarders and skiers is hard for any piste, but low overnight temps and decent piste work will lengthen the use of the runs... I skied yesterday, the piste being quite heavy especially lower down, but i reacted by preparing my skis with a higher temp wax, and had no issues with sticking skis, most local ski shops will do this if you ask....
Look, it's not great, but you can definitely ski/board... the mornings finding the pistes quite hard (suited a group of young ski racers from Avon ski club who moved over from Boro) softening as the day goes on, spring conditions basically... A normal Feb it is not, fingers crossed we will be back to near normal temps by the weekend

Well done Steve and Wendy for telling it as it is, when people make swinging statements it can be very worrying for the less well informed, I can understand your frustration at the conditions Dave but there are many people who will be ready to give up on Bansko, but by adding a description of what is actually possible under the circumstances is I am sure you would agree somewhat more helpful.
Lets just hope for you all that conditions improve, even if just a cold spell so that cannons can be used more, though of course a bloody good dump of snow would be great.

But it certainly wasnt st 08.30 in the morning. when I drove past this morning the queue was half way to the road. When I came down for my next guests it was near the buses. 3rd guests in between gondola and where buses pick up. I certainly have not seen it to the road. The group I took took up at 09.30 said they were in the queues yesterday at 10ish which was similar to where they were today halfway across and it took 45mins to get on gondola.
It is nowhere near as busy as normal half terms as yet ,it may increase as the week goes on and today there was more traffic driving up the mountain road. Again this will increase as the week goes on and the 2nd lot of half termers start to arrive nearer the weekend.

The buses you are correct not great I dropped off at hidden lift first thing an ulen bus was there just dropped off. He was outside bus having a ciggy and a coffee. As I pulled away to turn round a little way up on the big corner and got back to that lift he pulled out oin front of me. He then let me past and offf i went. On my next run up that same driver was maybe 2km firther down the mountain road from where i past him. He obviously was in no rush to get back down. As I went down for my third group and reached the gondola he was just pulling out of car park with his 2nd lot of guests as I was picking my 3rd lot up. So all in all I maybe did 2runs more than him in the same time. Gondola cars most running 4-6people not may full 8people capacity. Yes Ulen should ensure the cars are full but also so should the tourists who want to sit together. Stupid you are alll going to same place meet at the top just get on and get in a spare seat. "We wanna be together!!!" stupid attitude get in and get up there. Young Children and families I can understand wanting to be with each other but reenagers etc etc are quite old enough to get in a car where theres a seat and meet mum n dad up there. same with adults just get in and fill the cars up.

There were no queues at the lifts on the mountain yesterday maybe 5mins tops the worst i had and I skied every run and every chair open. The top was closed yesterday due to high winds but is open again today. Temps are very warm again so the snow will get soft and slushy as the day goes on. Its like spring skiing but the slopes are still skiing and everyone I know and have skied with and tsaken back to the airport have been very happy. We have a friend here who has children who ski for GB and friends and they are having a ball saying its really good and they are very surprised how well it is considering. They are training tomorrow with the BG teams on the red in front of Shilli....... anyone who see's them just ask what they think. They have been to French resorts at similar times and said this is fantastic compared to what they have skied there.

No it is not a perfect season with loads of snow but hey you can ski most runs are open and considering the conditions they have done a great job to keep them like this. I as you are not a fan of Ulen but you have to give credit where credit is due.

I've actually found Davekl's continued negative comments quite irritating. I also know for a fact that his statement a couple of weeks ago about queueing at the Gondola from 8am for 2hrs was blatantly untrue as my friends and I were there that week, at that time every morning, and never had to wait more than 15 minutes to get on the Gondola. So unless we missed stepping over Dave's body, he's making stuff up!

We had a fabulous holiday, just get up early and make the most of the colder mornings.

We're already planning our fifth trip to Bansko next year!