Bansko (BG) 16-17.01.2010

so...
At 15-17 January decided to visit Bansko at Bulgaria...
Probably one of the two bests ski resorts in BG, with 65 km slopes...
The resort is very nice, but at holidays it is stuck from so many people...i thought that those days the situation will be ok but...

For information and skimap: http://www.banskoski.com or http://www.bulgariaski.com

It is almost 210 km from my city... 90 Eurp/person for skibus to go to Bansko and return + 2 nights at Winslow Higland (appartment) almos 150 m from the talstation of Gondola....the restaurants (at least most of them) are still very cheap...also beer, coffee etc....

Snow: from 80-100 cm (according to homepage)
but i think no more than 60-70 cm. Too much ice....many people on the slope...skiing was a little dangerous because of the ice, fog etc....
weather: fog, cloudy, no sunshine...temp: below 0 all the time...(dont remember exactly)

a few photo:

^^
going up with the gondola

^^
too much...

^^
the chairlift....the slope beside is the one for the FIS race

^^
same

^^
going to the top of the resort...2.600 m

^^
from the top

^^
same

^^
umbrella bar....

^^
from the 2nd plateu

^^
the 2 4-seat chairlifts

^^
the end of the blue slope....many people, ice and fog.....

^^
bob...

^^
lift and blue slope....nice slope for improve technique...

^^
the red slope....nice !!

^^
so....thats all for this time...

Greetings from a frozen Thessaloniki (outside temp: -1 ..... yeaaaahhh...winter is soooooooo nice ! ! ! )

 

[bayer]

Hi, thanx for nice pictures. I`ve been there in 2007:
http://alpinforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=56&t=20053

 

[turms]

i know...i have seen you pictures couple of times....you went at 2007....terrible winter...

 

[bayer]

Yes, was a pitty. Didn`t have enough snow. Would like to come back oce...

 

[Mark Jan]

Hai, thanks for the pictures, it looks like an interesting resort, however as crowed as the Austrian resorts. Are the people all locals or do also a lot of tourist come? Looking at the sign in one of your photos I would assume that many people from the UK come over.

By the way is this resort still expanding as it did the last couple of years?

 

[Pilatus]

Thank you very much for the pictures!

The Poma chair looks much older than the rest. When did this resort originally open?

 

[turms]

Hai, thanks for the pictures, it looks like an interesting resort, however as crowed as the Austrian resorts. Are the people all locals or do also a lot of tourist come? Looking at the sign in one of your photos I would assume that many people from the UK come over.

By the way is this resort still expanding as it did the last couple of years?

i dont know...they want to make few more lifts and slopes, but the have problems with enviromental organisations etc
It is very crowded...many people from Bulgaria, Serbia, etc...and of course from UK, and until mid-february many many many from Greece...after mid-feb is much better...except that, this year the winter is too mild in Greece...most of ski resorts open mid december, and then close until end of Jan...the problem is that they built so many hotels in Bansko that they will never have full capacity...thats better of course because the prices are low...but. on the other hand sometimes is over-crowed

Thank you very much for the pictures!

The Poma chair looks much older than the rest. When did this resort originally open?

i dont remember when its open....i think is one of the oldest in SE Europe...
the gondola built up in 2003
imagine that the upper lifts were older, but they change most of them except the ROMA...i think that ROMA are from 80s...