Ski Bulgaria

Ski Bulgaria

Regardless of its small territory the landscape of Bulgaria is highly varied. Almost 30% of its territory is occupied by mountain areas of different origin. About 40% of it are hilly areas of altitude between 300 and 600m above the sea level. The average annual temperatures vary within the range from -3°C to 14°C.

There is a perfect combination of warm sea and high snowy mountains, suitable both for skiing and winter tourism. There are 3 modern winter resorts in Bulgaria. Bovorats, Bansko and Pamporova. Each of them is situated in a different mountain region, but all the resorts offer everything you need to spend a great winter vacation.

There are well designed ski runs, for beginners or advanced skiers, complying with international standards, as well as ski tracks for top skiing championships, cross-country skiing, biathlon and ski jumps. Excellent ski schools are available in each resort. Lifts, drags, and emergency patrols are available too.

BULGARIAN SKI RESORTS

• Borovets
• Bansko
• Pamporova

Bovorats

Dating from 1896, the oldest Bulgarian winter resort is Borovets. Borovets is the largest and most modern resort in Bulgaria. It is situated on the northern slopes of the Mousala ridge in the eastern part of Rila. Nestled in pine woods 1390 meters above the sea level (with highest pistes at 2600 m)makes it a perfect place for relax and recreation. The winter in the resort is quite mild and has a lot of snow! The average temperature during the coldest month is January with the average temperature reaching 4.8ºC. Most commonly the slopes have snow cover from mid December till April. The air in is clear and free of any pollutants.

Borovets is easily accessible, only 12k along a first class road connects it with Samokov and Sofia, the Bulgarian capital is just 72k away. There are regular bus services running every 30 mins.

The excellent skiing conditions attract thousands of winter sports lovers not only from Bulgaria but from many other countries. There are various pistes which vary in difficulty and length and are grouped into three regions: Sitnqkovo – Martinovi Baraki –7 pistes; Markudjik- 4 pistes and Qstrebec- 3 pistes. The pistes on Qstrebets are the best and many competitions are held there. Bovorats has twice hosted World Cup competitions in Alpine skiing. Its biathlon track is one of the best in Europe.

Borovets is an alpine resort type and provides excellent conditions for snow sports during the winter: skiing, night- skiing, snowboarding, cross-country skiing, ski jumps and biathlon, skidoo, ice-skating etc. There are available ski runs for beginners, intermediates and advanced skiers, designed with international markings and multilingual signs.

Bansko

Bansko is situated nearby the river Glazane on the north eastern slopes of Pirin, right below the highest part of the mountain. It is just 160k away from the capital Sofia and 6k away from Razlog. Bansko has developed into Bulgaria’s favourite ski & snowboard destination, thanks to the excellent facilities combined with the unique architecture and historical significance.

During the recent years a multi-million euro investment in a brand new skiing area has been made. Bansko has the best snow record and the longest ski season (15 Dec - 15 May) of all Bulgarian ski resorts. This is helped by 44 Technoalpine snow cannons which cover most of the slopes and make the ski season last longer.

The town of Bansko is located at 925m above sea level, and its skiing area is at 2000-2600m, the highest peak in the area being Vihren at 2914m. The ski pistes are located in two main ski centres, CHALIN VALOG and SHILIGARNIKA. They are approximately 10k above the town on the northern slopes of Pirin, and are easily accessible with a trip of approx 25 mins on the gondola lift from the town. The total length of the marked pistes is 65k. Although the resort has been famous for no more than 10 years it has a lot to offer visitors. The resort has excellent snow conditions with great snow cover from December till May.

The lifts and pistes operator are excellent with an eight seat Gondola cable car, five 4 seat lifts, one 3-seat lift, 7 drags and 10 baby drags. The total length of the wire equipment in the resort is 26 kilometers.

Pamporova

Pamporovo has an exclusive climate featuring a soft winter with around 120 sunny days during the skiing period. This is a result of the influence of The Aegean Sea and the skiing season starts from mid December to mid April. The average air temperature is - 3 ° C. The gentle profile of the mountain with its rounded slopes and summits makes Pamporovo particularly suitable for beginners. But there are also difficult ski runs like the Giant Slalom run which is an excellent run for the experts.

All slopes are safe guarded and maintained in a very good condition. More than 100 qualified ski instructors fluent in English are here to teach both beginners and intermediate skiers and snowboarders. Ski rentals are available near the ski runs and the lift stations. The ski runs in Pamporovo come in various levels of difficulty. They are located between 1926m and 1450m above the sea level on the northern, eastern and western slopes of The Snejanka peak. All in all great off-piste skiing and snowboarding is available in this resort, however we recommend using a guide if planning to go off-piste.