Bansko, Bulgaria

Snejko from BULGARIA writes:

A few words from a Bulgarian who has been skiing in Bansko since 1990.
- The place is owned and run by the homegrown Bulgarian mafia (mutri in local slang): no Austrian companies, no Russians. Nevertheless it is not a dangerous place since the mutri are not interested in foreign tourists. On the contrary, they have realised that gunfights in the pubs actually scare people away so they now behave themselves in public. Just don't mess with them and they will not mess with you.
- The place is overdeveloped: it is a construction site and it will remain like this for an indefinite period of time since there is no such thing as a "development plan" that will be fulfilled. The infrastructure is horrible and not likely to change anytime soon. The reason is corruption paired with lack of interest on all levels.
- Service is bad and staff are unfriendly: the reason is that they are underpaid and frequently get less than 500 euro per month. Contrary to common belief, life in Bulgaria is only marginally cheaper compared to the rest of Europe. Ever wondered why a beer in the pub will cost you 1 euro in Bulgaria and 5 euros everywhere else? Beer in supermarkets in Bulgaria costs as much as it costs in Germany. The reason is that the staff in the pub earns 20 euros a day. Another reason is that British tourists abroad are frequently not a pretty site. Let's face it Brits in Bansko are at least as arrogant as the staff that serves them. The only difference is that you feel you should be treated better because you have money in your pocket. The staff know that this money is not going to them anyway so they don't care about how you feel. Do you care how they feel?
- This is the best ski area on the Balkans: there is no comparison to any other resort. With the exception of the gondola, all lifts are top notch. The capacity is more than adequate so waiting in lines is very limited once you actually get to the skiing area. The equipment for artificial snow is also top notch because, unlike older resorts, the whole system was developed together with the pistes. The preparation of the slopes is adequate and certainly the best in Bulgaria.
- The slopes are overcrowded: there are simply too many people on the slopes for the skiing area Bansko has. This is evident on weekends and holidays. On weekdays in the end of January skiing is a dream. Having too many people on the slopes means that the quality of the snow deteriorates rapidly as the day goes by. Skiing early in the morning lets you enjoy nicely groomed slopes. In the afternoon it's more like skiing bumps.
- There are only red slopes up the mountain in Bansko: some of them are light red, some are darker. There are blue runs below the gondola station. For some reason there are hardly any people skiing them during the day. Probably because most of the instructors prefer to stay in the upper part of the mountain since it is more developed. Torturing beginners down red slopes only makes the slopes quality worse. There is no black slope either - the Tomba piste is what I would call a dark red one.
- Bansko is not chea:. it is only marginally below the prices you would pay in Italy and Austria. More and more Bulgarians including myself go to Italy and Austria for their main skiing holiday, since it is almost the same price for twice the quality. You have to be crazy to go skiing in Bansko if you do not live nearby. If you have to fly in, you will definitely be better off someplace else.

2008-12-08