Bulgaria Ski discussion board

whether renting or buying, yeh i advise carvers. They gave me a funny look like, "your kidding" when i pointed at the ones i wanted to use when i went to get mine changed.

snarfacus and i dont normally see eye to eye on things, but on his opinion of there being a lot of fakes out there, ski equipment, board equipment etc, it may very well be true because its not the first time ive heard some1 say it. There is fake clothing, oakley sunglasses, pirated dvds everywhere, so its very probable.

Perhaps it may be best to buy in the UK, prices are cheaper over there tho. Entirely up to you, im kind of in the same boat, thinkin of buyin over there, but will probably end up buying over here... get used to the equipment and then take it over in feb

id not advise buying in the resort of boro but some places in sofia are good
if youre first time then hire dont buy but try to get decent stuff from the ski hire and go back when its quiet to change things if possible (it does get very busy first thing)
snow is never guarnteed at crimbo as is early but a great holiday can still be had there with wonderfull atmosphere
the smokov is good hotel
we sstay at the rila
loads good places to eat and drink and enjoy the people over there its a great place

Lyn,
I would hang fire on buying anything just yet if this is your first season. If you really enjoy skiing then there will be lots of good sales at the end of the season in which to pick up some bargains for next year. If I were you I would abuse the hire stuff for the moment but use a dry slope here to get a feel for the gear that you want when you are in resort. Carvers are great to make you into a better skiier more quickly but some of the best Swiss skiiers that I have ever seen were running on skinnies, take your time to make a decision after all what's the rush???

I'd buy your clothing in the UK - TK Maxx is always a good bet for salopettes and a jacket.

I'd suggest going for a lesson or two on a dry slope, see how you get on with the boots there as they will be similar to what you get in Bulgaria - if you have major problems, then look at possibly hiring boots in the UK, but it's fine to rent the skis in Bulgaria.

If you are staying at the Samokov, you'll ski with the Samokov ski school - they have their own ski depot in the basement of the hotel so you don't need to worry about trekking anywhere to get the gear.

J