Quite recently, namely on April 7, the next ski season came to an end in a place called Bansko. In winter, the town is filled with tourist bustle; closer to summer, life here calms down almost to a complete stop. The article will be useful to those who are just planning to visit Bansko, choosing between ski resorts. The author of the article, who has lived here for several years, listed in this article the main features of the resort, and also highlighted the pros and cons of a ski holiday in this place.
Descents
There are very few ski slopes in Bansko; due to weather conditions, some of them are periodically closed. Strong wind or snow, as a rule, closes 3-4 slopes at the very peak of the mountain, which significantly reduces the area available for skiing. Snow cannons are located along the slopes to help maintain snow cover.
All tracks are located on one side of the mountain, called Todorka. The remaining sides of Todorka are not suitable for safe skiing, however, tourists who want to check it out die every year. In March, the ski area becomes even smaller - the longest ski route disappears, namely the one along which you can go straight down to the city. There is an opinion that every year less and less snow falls in Bansko. This may be due to the expansion of the urban area and, as a consequence, an increase in the overall temperature in the region.
It is worth mentioning that the cost of skipass increases every year. This year (2018-2019) the cost was 65 levs (33 euros), while last year (2017-2018) skipass cost 58 levs. The calculation includes the cost of skipass for an adult for a full day.
Mount Todorka, upper routes
Lift
The elevator was built 16 years ago (in 2003), and therefore the condition of the cabins is quite satisfactory. The first part of the lift consists of closed cabins (up to the Banderitsa clearing), then only open ones. The first part works even in the summer - it transports tourists for walking. During the peak season (January and February), the lift cannot cope with the flow of people wanting to climb the mountain. Hour-long queues for the ski lift are one of the main problems of Bansko.
Rental of equipment and instructor
The two largest companies providing training are Ulen and Interbansko. You can hire a teacher through the website, office, or by contacting one of the instructors right on the mountain (they wear bright jackets with corporate symbols). The websites of both schools have calculators for calculating the cost of rentals and lessons. On average, an hour of personal training costs 37 €. It should be noted that the instructors are mainly Bulgarians who have completed training at the same school and also have the ability to communicate in English. Bansko is the main place for winter part-time work for service personnel in Bulgaria. As a rule, instructors climb the mountain every day in anticipation of students and work every day, seven days a week.
In winter, Bansko is literally teeming with newly opened sports equipment rentals. On average, a day of ski/snowboard rental costs 25 €. A helmet, mask and protection can also be rented for additional money. In connection with this, many low-income athletes prefer to save money by riding without a helmet. In the winter season, Bansko is replete with sports shops; if the quality of the rented equipment does not suit you, then you have the opportunity to buy your own.
Preparation of tracks for the season Cafe "Kozela" on the top
Hotels
The construction of a modern ski lift in Bansko caused an incredible growth in hotel real estate both in the city itself (at that time a village) and in its surroundings. Unfortunately, supply exceeded demand - the construction of many hotels was not completed. To this day, within the city limits you can see the skeletons of unfinished buildings; there are even completely finished buildings that have not been put into operation. As for those hotels that have started operating, inept Bulgarian management is gradually leading them into decay.
Every year the furniture and interior decoration deteriorate, and the high bar initially set is lowered. Meager breakfasts, the leftovers of which can be served for the next meal, dilapidated walls and the smell of sewage in the spa area, negligence of the cleaning staff and rudeness of reception staff are, unfortunately, not uncommon. There are only a few hotels in the city offering a truly high level of service; they are easy to recognize from the rest at really high prices.
Restaurants
The restaurants are pleasantly priced, although by Bulgarian standards, Bansko is one of the most expensive cities. The price for dinner for one varies from 10 (5 €) to 100 levs (50 €), depending on the choice of dishes and the establishment. The gastronomic direction is local cuisine, fried steaks with vegetables and cereals, some establishments offer a careless parody of the European menu. There are several restaurants with high prices, mostly located in world-famous hotels. Be prepared for the fact that in Bulgaria it is not considered criminal to serve food on plates with chips and scratches from knives; bent “eaten” cutlery is also not uncommon, even in decent places.
Pubs open in winter
The presence of “barkers” is one of the unpleasant features of Bulgarian cuisine. Specially hired people obsessively invite all passers-by for a meal. Most often, “barkers” stand where there is a need to increase the flow of visitors, that is, it is simply not tasty, or is unreasonably expensive. The presence of barkers makes it difficult to walk along narrow streets, since every five minutes a person you don’t know tries to start a useless conversation with you. The area near the gondola is filled with stalls selling street food: shawarma, pancakes, local pastries like “bannitsa-pizza” of dubious quality. Typically, such food is prepared by cooks without gloves in tiny rooms without access to running water. The town has a couple of English pubs with a range of good draft beers.
City
One of the main city problems during the ski season is snow removal. The snow, unfortunately, is not removed, but is dumped along the edges of the already narrow pedestrian zone, also narrowing the roadway. With the spring thaw, the snow begins to melt and the roads become covered with slush. The situation is aggravated by the Bulgarian tradition of throwing snow from snowdrifts onto the roadway so that cars can “carry” it along the road. This is certainly more environmentally friendly than using reagents, however, for several days in February, traffic in Bansko is difficult, both on foot and by car.
The decoration of the city is mainly done by hotels and restaurants. Some establishments decorate Christmas trees on their premises. The city's decor is rather sparse: a few glowing signs on lampposts along the roadway, a few flickering New Year-themed figures in snow-covered flower beds.
People
In winter, mainly residents of nearby countries come to Bansko: Serbs, Romanians, Macedonians, Greeks. Israelis and English are found in small numbers, with rare exceptions - the French and Italians. Most athletes save on equipment and look budget-friendly. You can often see people on the slope in jeans and without a helmet. There are times when a snowboard is attached to regular shoes.
Color of local “restaurants”
Stores
In accordance with the budget of tourists visiting Bansko, the assortment in stores is selected. Of course, there are several expensive online outlets where you can buy Armani equipment, but for the most part they offer low-quality goods from little-known brands, which, nevertheless (based on the unreasonable tourist) are also sold at exorbitant prices. The sale of counterfeits of well-known sports brands is widespread. There are very few stores with casual clothes and shoes; they mainly sell things that have long gone out of fashion and most likely purchased in China by weight.
In general, it is worth noting that in winter, the city simply cannot cope with the large number of tourists. There are a lot of people both on the mountain and on the streets of the city. Parking becomes paid, a tow truck is briskly scurrying around, collecting funds for the city treasury. In summer, Bansko lives a completely different life, more measured, most retail outlets, hotels and restaurants are closed.
The nearby village of Bani has many hot spring pools. Prices for visits vary depending on the level of amenities, but unfortunately, at the height of the ski season, they are all filled with tourists looking to relax after a busy day in the mountains. A detailed overview of the mineral pools in the village of Banya can be found in previous article.
Results:
Pros:
- + inexpensive skipass
- + inexpensive hotels
- + inexpensive food
- + hot springs
Cons:
- —a long queue for the ski lift (especially on weekends)
- —a small number of traces
- —a large number of people (especially on weekends)
- —dilapidated hotels, spa centers, low level of service
- —poor quality of food in restaurants
- —the city does not remove snow, which leads to snowdrifts and slush
- —bad shopping