Winter in Bansko
In recent years Bansko has become the most popular winter tourist destination in Bulgaria. In the past 10 years Bansko has had over €30 million invested in the ski areas/gondola lift and has recently benefitted from a further 10km of piste and a new 6 person, high speed chair lift. Winter sports fans of all abilites will find lots to enjoy from nursey slopes to challenging black runs and off piste diversions. The 70km of piste on offer comprise 35% beginner, 40% intermediate/advanced and 25% expert.
The winter season in Bansko starts in mid December and goes on until the end of April and sometimes May in winters of good snowfall. The average annual snowfall in Bansko is over 10ft which as well as giving the skiers and snowboarders a winter sports haven, really adds to Bansko’s rustic Bulgarian charm. On the mountain you can even take the chance to see Bansko from a bird’s-eye view with a tandem Para-ski or hire a snowmobile before taking the ski road back to town for ice skating, 10 pin bowling or simply a beer or two in one of the towns many bars.
Skiing in Bansko
Bansko has been a very popular ski resort for well over 10 years now and has something for every kind of skier. Bansko may not be the biggest ski resort in the world for skiing but that doesn’t mean it’s not fun and challenging whatever level skier you are. Every year the ski resort of Bansko plays host to alpine ski disciplines and biathlon competitions, which has help establish Bansko as a destination for serious skiers as well as first timers and families.
Bansko for Free-skiing (freeride Skiing)
For the free skiers Bansko offers untouched challenging terrain. The gondola takes you from the Bansko town lift station to the mid halfway point of the ski area. From the halfway station you can choose where you would like to ski. When Bansko gets a heavy snowfall the lines in between the trees really open up to offer some very exciting and challenging skiing. If you’re looking for a more alpine off piste adventure, get the chair lifts right to the top and hike to Bansko Todurka peak. From there you should find some great off piste and opportunities but if you insist on venturing out of bounds, please remember to take all of the correct safety equipment for skiing in these conditions including a first aid kit, avalanche transceiver, shovel, probes and never go off piest alone.
Bansko for Freestyle Skiers
Bansko’s fun park is sure to keep any “new school” ski jibber entertained. Bansko’s fun park is well maintained and has a great selection of jumps, rails, kickers and booters of every shape and size and are appealing for all kinds of skiers from beginners to pros.
Bansko Pistes
There are a perfect selection of pistes and runs for all levels of skier from beginners to alpine racers. Bansko’s 20 piste machines so you can guarantee fresh groomers if you and early bird and all of Bansko’s pistes are very well looked after. The two main chair lifts take you just under Bansko’s Todurka peak. From there you have a choice of nicely groomed piste for all abilities of skier that take you down to the halfway station. From the half way station you can ski back down to Bansko but we do not really recommend this to beginners as the blue run down to Bansko is quite flat in places and requires you to keep quite a lot of speed. The Bansko ski area is broken down to 35% beginner pistes, 40% intermediate/advanced pistes and 25% expert pistes.
Beginner Skiers
Bansko is a perfect resort for someone who is just starting skiing. Bansko offers a great selection of ski schools that offer lessons at a fraction of the overpriced French resorts and with the lift passes costing about half the price of the resorts in France you get better value for your money as most beginners don’t really need a lift pass that covers 1000s of km of pistes.
Snowboarding in Bansko
As a destination for snowboarders Bansko has something for every kind of rider. OK so Bansko might not have the biggest mountain in he world but that doesn’t mean it’s not challenging or fun no matter what level your snowboarding is at. Professional snowboarder and Volcom team rider Gigi Ruf once said in an interview that Bansko was one of his favourite places to snowboard.
Bansko for Freeride Snowboarding
For the freeride snowboarders Bansko offers untouched terrain. The gondola takes you from the base station in Bansko town to the mid station halfway up the mountain. From the mid station you can choose where you want snowboard and where to explore. When Bansko gets a good dump of snow the tree lines really open up, providing snowboarders with some very exciting and interesting runs. If you choose to take the chair lifts right to the top and you are up for a hike, Bansko offers some great off piste and backcountry opportunities but if you are going to venture out of bounds, please remember to take all of the correct safety equipment for snowboarding in these conditions including a first aid kit, avalanche transceiver, shovel, probes and never go off piste alone!
Bansko for Freestyle Snowboarders
Bansko’s snowboard park is sure to keep any parkrat or jibber happy. Bansko’s snowboard park is well designed and has a good selection of kickers, jumps, booters and rails of all shapes and sizes and caters for all kinds of snowboarders from beginners to pros.
Bansko Pistes
Bansko has a fleet of 20 piste bashers so you can guarantee that all of Bansko’s pistes are very well maintained. There are a good selection of pistes for all levels of snowboarder. There are two main chair lift which take you just under the very top of Bansko’s Todurka peak. From there you have a choice of nicely groomed runs that take you down to the halfway station from the half way station you can ride right back down to Bansko however we do not really recommend this to beginners as the blue run down to Bansko is quite flat in places and requires you to keep quite a lot of speed. The Bansko ski area is broken down to 35% beginner pistes, 40% intermediate/advanced pistes and 25% expert pistes.
Beginner Snowboarders
Bansko is a perfect resort for someone who is just starting out on their snowboarding adventure. There is great selection of snowboard schools, both British and Bulgarian that offer lessons at a fraction of the overpriced French resorts. With the lift passes costing about half the price of the resorts in France, you get better value for your money as most people trying snowboarding for the first or second time don’t really need a lift pass that covers 1000s of km of pistes.
