Bulgaria Ski discussion board

G'Day
We are heading to Bansko in January and have booked our own flights and accomodation. On these boards I have heard heaps of people saying you are better to book ski passes and gear through a package but this is not an option for us (in Australia). Bulgariaski.com have quoted me 263 Euro for pass, skis, poles, boots, ski school and night ski (for 6 days). I have a couple of questions:
1. How does this compare with packages and/or can I get cheaper elsewhere in advance?
2. Is it possible to book this through a UK agent if I have already paid for flights and accomodation?
Your help is appreciated!!
Cheers

Prices are rock bottom and standards are high. The Unesco world heritage site of Bansko in Bulgaria is rapidly developing into a resort to be reckoned with.


Riding the gleaming blue Doppelmayr gondola up the Pirin mountains over a pine forest blanketed by overnight snow, it is easy to imagine you were in the French Tarentaise rather than Bulgaria. The meticulously groomed pistes and a final glorious descent in a bowl at the top of the ski area, through 15cms of light powder, will do nothing to dispel the illusion.


Heading for a long lunch won't dent your wallet either.
The lunch bill that restores reality. A welcoming hut with honest mountain fare before a roaring log fire are essential components of the perfect skiing day. But in recent years the cost of a long lunch in the French or Swiss Alps has reached iniquitous heights. Even a modest meal at a waiter-service restaurant in Val d'Isère is £20 a head without drinks. In high-flying Courchevel the damage can easily be double.

Here it is a different story. £10 for two, with a decent bottle of local Cabernet Sauvignon? Surely some mistake. Back in Méribel it barely buys a soggy sandwich. A six-day lift pass costs £100 compared with £150 in the Trois Vallées.That is still a lot more than you would pay if you booked it in the UK through your travel agency, but it is still tremendous value for money. In town, a beer is 50-70p, chicken and chips £2. Last season the combination of rock-bottom prices and a high standard of mountain facilities made Bansko the hottest property in European skiing - and the trend seems set to continue. Bansko lies close to the Macedonian and Greek frontiers and on a clear day you can see the Aegean Sea.

£95 million has been spent making Bansko what it is today, quite possibly the best value ski resort in the whole of Europe - if not the World.

PP