Snowsure: 3.9
- Occasionally gets enough snow for skiing
- Is often closed due to a lack of snow
- Occasionally suffers from a lack of snow
- Rarely suffers from a lack of snow
- Bansko is snowsure even in the poorest seasons
Visitor reviews for Bansko Ski Resort
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(NOTE: Reviews may be edited by our content team for the purposes of ensuring accurate and relevant information)
(NOTE: Reviews may be edited by our content team for the purposes of ensuring accurate and relevant information)
Latest
March 12, 2014
Ellie Walker from
Bulgaria
Ellie Walker from
Bulgaria
March 10, 2014
david from
United Kingdom
david from
United Kingdom
March 07, 2014
Tony from
Cyprus
Tony from
Cyprus
Bansko is a good skiing resort. We had a very nice time during our visit in March 2014. Weather wasn’t great on second and third day but lifts we used continued working. Our hotel was half board so we didn’t eat in town except for the kebab sandwiches and pizza slices on the way back from skiing, around 2ish, every day.
The gondola (main lift or cable car that takes you from Bankso village itself to the skiing resort) is a half hour journey. One can either get to it as it opens at 8am and face some queuing or wait 'till 9.30 and have a lot less queues. But on Sunday and bank holidays it is packed with visitors and non-skiers, sight seers from Bulgaria and those coming from Greece so you may have to take a taxi, like we did, on Green Monday when we stood in a queue under the rain for 20 minutes and hardly moved six feet that day. Taxis, which are equipped with metres, are fairly reasonable; the ride cost from the bottom of the gondola to the top cost us 35 Levas.
For ski hire we used a shop called Tsakaris Ski located more or less apposite the gondola. Here we were given half the price to hire snowboards and boots + skis and boots compared to another place (60 leva instead of 117) and the guys were very helpful and polite and spoke English and Greek too.
We went out to town every night but apart from the strip clubs we only found two pubs / bars. Amigo, which also serves food and has a very nice band every night playing good music and serving Shisha, was the best out of the two we tried, the other was the Blue Lion.
Tourist shops are reasonably priced for souvenirs etc and local outlets sell food and snack + drinks etc in the high street.
Some people get offended or annoyed with the guys standing on establishment doors trying to get clients in, but this is the norm in Bulgaria and throughout most of the Mediterranean islands and resorts that I have been to and if you say no thank you I already ate, or no thank you maybe tomorrow, no one is going to take a bite out of you!
The slopes are quite good and wide at top ends, they get narrower and busier obviously the lower down you go. Plenty of blue slopes, which was great for me as a novice snowboarder and the rest of my friends and family went on to the reds and blacks. Half way down the slopes and at bottom there are restaurants and bars, with music and indoor heating, Though their prices were quite expensive (bottle of beer was 7 leva compared to 4 for a pint in Bansko).
Bankso has plenty of parking places but I wouldn’t recommend driving as most signs were in Bulgarian and not English/Latin characters. High street pavement is not so good and definitely not good for people with disabilities.
March 02, 2014
Rob from
Bulgaria
Rob from
Bulgaria
We arrived yesterday to a bright day, woke today to rain in the town. Slightly disheartened we hit the gondola slightly late, 1030. A reasonable queue but not as bad as I have experienced in the past elsewhere. Up top it was honking with snow, still slightly icy in patches but tomorrow, after being bashed, it should be great. To the people saying the locals are rude, try the basics da, blagodaria,zdravei and nazdrave. Don't be ignorant and you'll find great bar staff and waiting staff willing to help. Roll on tomorrow and great snow.
March 02, 2014
Vicky Anderson from
Bulgaria
Vicky Anderson from
Bulgaria
February 17, 2014
Alison from
United Kingdom
Alison from
United Kingdom
I've submitted a review for Christmas & New Year 2013-2014 as a family of two adults and two young children age 3 & 4. I'm now submitting a review for my visit 24th to 28th of January 2014 with 5 of my girlfriends. We've skied the following in previous years, Meribel (several times), St. Anton, Verbier, Tignes, Val Thoren, Les Duex Alps (twice), Lech, Mayrhofen, ischgl, Whistler & Bulgaria (several times). Think that's it.
Gondola at the bottom leading up to the mountain - maximum wait time 10 minutes. The staff seemed to be more organised than they were during Christmas & New Year. We were lucky and got plenty of snow. The mountain was 95% open by day two.
I've looked through the comments of others and will try and fill in the gaps. I'm guessing if you've never been to Bulgaria before the comments vary so widely that it's difficult to make an informed choice.
Snow: there are snow cannons throughout. It's a relatively snow sure resort. This year has been exceptional. In early January water was the issue. There was no water available to make the snow. It was being limited. The snow cannons have been in constant use since early December. That's why they have not all been switched on in recent weeks. They are selectively using the cannons to keep key slopes open.
Lift passes: if your work in resort or are lucky enough to able to go out to Bansko for extended periods of times the lift passes are horrifically expensive. The season starts December and ends April. Approx 120 days. Ulen do (? editor) don't offer a season pass. They offer a twenty day pass and a 40 day pass. While these demonstrate great value if you're going to come out a couple of times in the season, it's very expensive if you intend to work or ski a season in Bulgaria. Ulen need to review this. They are missing a revenue opportunity from 'gap' students who might what to come out over and entire season, or the retired or semi-retired. Other than this the ski passes for your average user demonstrates excellent value.
Bulgaria is Bulgaria. It's a Country that has recently joined the EU and is competitively poor and under developed compared to the rest of Western Europe. It's not "Aspen" and please modify your expectation if you think it is. However, what Bulgaria doesn't have in development and wealth it more than makes up for in Culture. Bansko is no different. Yes, there is improvement needed in many areas. However, it's a World Heritage site. Up on the mountain the vista is beautiful.
Grumpy service? I experience outstanding service. That said, this is an ex-communist state with the mentality of the "government will provide". There is still some of that "old school mentality" but it's dying a death. Generally, you will get outstanding service. However, please tip if you are provided good service. The average wage is less than £100 per week, working very long hours, normally 12 hours a day plus. I imagine there have been some very grumpy service sector workers as the season has been very disappointing for snow. No snow, no customers. No customer no money.
Danger on the slopes: I have to agree on this one. Bansko and Bulgarian resorts, in general, have a lot to learn. I saw three enforcement skiers whilst I was on the slopes this time. Not good enough. They should have a visible presence, in force if necessary, over peak season. Further, ski instructors need to actively enforce the rules of the mountain. They don't. In all (with no exceptions) ski resorts I've been to, ski instructors, especially those affiliated with the lift operating company, actively enforce the rules of the mountain. So can it be dangerous? Yes. This needs to improve drastically.
Overcrowded slopes: over Christmas & NY and with limited snow, and half the slopes open it's exceptionally overcrowded. I would imagine it would be the same if the slopes were 100% open. When I went in January it was a dream. An absolute dream. No overcrowding. My advise, in busy times, is to be at the gondola at 8.15am.
I think I've covered off-piste activities and other items on my previous post.
Hope the above helps fill in the gaps.
February 12, 2014
attila the hen from
Bulgaria
attila the hen from
Bulgaria
February 10, 2014
David from
United Kingdom
David from
United Kingdom
Been to Bansko again end of January and the slopes were very busy. Not sure a second gondola is going to do much other than get more people onto overpopulated slopes even faster. If Bansko is going to thrive in the future it will need to open up more slopes to accommodate the increasingly overpopulated pistes. Just got back from a long weekend in Andorra and found the extra space on the slopes so much more pleasant. Bansko needs to be careful not to drive people away with busy slopes, ever increasing prices and poor customer service!
February 10, 2014
sammy from
United Kingdom
sammy from
United Kingdom
February 06, 2014
attila the hen from
Bulgaria
attila the hen from
Bulgaria
It's a bit difficult to blame anyone for Bansko snow conditions (apart from the whole human race) for the weather. We seem to swing from little snow to record snow!
For those who find the locals "grumpy". Have you considered being polite? Learning the Bulgarian words for "Hello" and "Thank you" and "Please"? It is not very difficult and has amazing results.
[note from the editor: post edited for sake of relevance.]
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