Bulgaria Ski discussion board

Bulgaria's Bansko: First-Class Ski Resort - Report

Business
In an article entitled "Off the beaten ski trail but still first class", published January 1, the Houston Chronicle describes the Bulgarian mountain resort Bansko as a top skiing destination.

The paper points out that USD 18 M had been invested in new lifts, runs, and luxury hotels in Bansko, which called itself "the most modern resort in Eastern Europe".

Apart from its modern resort facilities, the author also stresses the cultural value of the town of Bansko calling it charming and unique, and recommends that foreign visitors take a couple of days to see more of Bulgaria, which is noted for its Eastern Orthodox monasteries, such as the nearby sites of the UNESCO World Heritage Rila Monastery, and Melnik, Bulgaria's smallest town.


Off the beaten ski trail but still first class: Bulgaria

Views and Records
From The Houston Chronicle
By Leah Larkin

BANSKO, BULGARIA â€" The mountains may not be as high nor the slopes as long as those of Alpine resorts in Austria and Switzerland, but a ski trip to Eastern Europe can be an adventure.

Especially when it includes off-slope exploration.
Since the fall of Communism in the early 1990s, many countries have been spending big bucks to develop first-class winter resorts.

Two of the best are Bansko in Bulgaria and Jasna in Slovakia.

"Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I'd see skiing like this in Bulgaria," said Borislav Kostourkov, a Bulgarian on his first visit to Bansko, located three hours south of Sofia in the Pirin mountain range.

About $18 million has been spent to turn the area's ski slopes into a purpose-built mountain resort. New lifts. New runs. New luxurious hotels with spa facilities. A snow-park and half-pipe for boarders. A cross-country track. Even a shooting range for biathlon competitions.

Calling itself "the most modern resort in Eastern Europe," Bansko boasts 40 miles of groomed slopes, including an extra long run â€" about 10.5 miles with a vertical drop of 5,500 feet. When you reach the bottom, your legs are burning.

Eight-passenger gondolas soar from the edge of town â€" within walking distance of the hotels â€" to the resort hub where chairlifts take skiers to the upper slopes. There are long red and blue cruising runs, trails through the pine forests and a challenging black run.

While all is new and modern on the slopes and at the brand new hotels nearby, the town is Old World Bulgaria, charming and unique. Records indicate a settlement was established in Bansko in the 9th century. It was an important cultural center in the 18th and 19th centuries when talented artists founded a school for painting and woodcarving. Its ancient Byzantine church is dark and mysterious with candles, gilded icons and ornate chandeliers, while its Renaissance houses of stone are a testament to its rich past.

"Downtown" is a collection of ski and souvenir shops with cozy, dimly lit taverns and restaurants. It's not unusual to see an entire lamb or pig roasting on a spit in front of one of the eateries.

Foreign visitors should leave the slopes behind for a day or two to see more of Bulgaria, a country noted for its Eastern Orthodox monasteries. The biggest and most famous, Rila Monastery, dates to the 10th century and was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983.

Rila is an easy day trip from Bansko, as is the ancient town of Melnik, a popular tourist destination known as Bulgaria's smallest town. Dramatic sand cliffs in surrealistic forms surround the town, which is a good place to taste Bulgaria's famous wine, also called "melnik."