 Poster: A snowHead
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uktrailmonster, No there wasnt any in the village, which didnt help the lack of atmosphere. Once you (eventually) got up on the mountain though the skiing wasnt bad! What you cant see in the pic is that the queue is approx 6 people in width - and there was another queue exactly the same round the corner! Nightmare!!!!!! Obviously I dont receommend Bansko....
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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That queue is pretty shocking! Not a great start to each day.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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rob@rar, Yes, my family couldnt understand it when I had a turn one morning and flatly refused to do the queue thing....spent a lovely day in the spa, had a massage, I was the only one in the pool....bliss! 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Is it just my perception that whenever the word Bankso crops up in a thread title, a few infrequent posters pop up who seem very keen to promote a resort with major infrastructure problems , perhaps just possibly to promote some less-than-wise property investments?
Jennyski, thanks - a great demonstration of the value of snowHeads. Sorry about your experience.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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stoatsbrother, You could well be right on the button there - if the amount of construction and apartments we saw is anything to go by! Personally I would never consider buying there even though the prices are dirt cheap. I feel sorry for those who have because whilst it may be ok for personal use, I believe it will not be a good investment. Friends decided to join us for a week - it was half term here in Wales- and they had plenty of choice of accomodation. They ended up paying £350 for a penthouse apt for the week. It was ok but again it was in the middle of a building site. Oh well you live and learn as they say...............
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Invariably those that 'big up' Bansko either have a vested interest in the place ie. own an apartment anf don't want neg press to affect it's value or run some sort of business out there. Or, have limited ski experience and have little to compare with.
Check this out for some comments from owners wearing industrial strength 'rose tinted glasses'. http://talkbansko.6.forumer.com/index.php
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Axsman, I strongly suspect you are right! Have a fantastic time - snow should be great, going on the weather reports.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Bones, Thats a thought - not so bad if we split the cost. Is it worth hiring - isnt the bus service pretty good there?
What was banff like then? Any particular great places to eat/visit? 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Jennyski, the bus service from Banff to Sunshine and back is good as bus services go, but it's not as convenient as having your own transport. Own car also gives you more flexibility to travel further afield; the bus to Lake Louise is infrequent (fair enough, it's a 40 min journey), and other places either require hideously early starts or are not bus served. A car also avoids the hell that is a TO transfer, and may even get you an extra day's or half day's sking on the last day.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Jennyski, TO transfer wasnt a hell for us, quite smooth really, better than driving 2 hrs after a nine hr flight, then trying to find accom. Deffo worth hiring IMO we skied Kicking Horse twice and made the 'pilgrimage' to Revelstoke  Theres also other areas you can visit. It just makes life so much easier since you arent staying at the resort its self. The bus to/from Norquay tends to run infrequently too so if you want half a day there 
Bus service is pretty good, but we heard stories of people losing poles and even a ski off the bus, we gave a couple a lift as they had just missed a bus- next one was 1/2 hr later, temps were -12 in town, so not fun waiting around. Theres nothing better than wearing normal boots before and after skiing rather than sitting on a bus in full ski gear We knew we would probably ski other resorts if we could which is one reason we had the vehicle, also with me having the problem with my knee, if I couldnt ski it opened up other things to do.
Banff is a nice smallish Tourist town pleasant to eat in and drink out, the usual touristy shops along with some good sports shops. Plenty of bars and restaurants of all ilk and prices. One downside is its geting spoilt by the Brits - drunken rowdy behaviour on and off the slopes 
Just remember if you book the vehicle to pick up in Banff, they will list the location as Banff Airport  you actually pick it up close to the centre of town in a very easy location
Any more info dont hesitate to ask
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You know it makes sense.
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Jennyski, just to complete the info, we always picked up at Calgary Airport (which is actually Calgary Airport, although one year we managed to go with a company which was a shuttle bus ride away, waste of bloody time). The drive from Calgary to Banff couldn't be simpler; there's basically only one road in Canada, and so long as you hit it going west, rather than east, you'll arrive in Banff about 1.5 hours later. Roads are more or less empty and well cleared during snow, and the only difficulty is the low speed limit.
I'm with Sartre, hell is other people, hence the avoidance of TO transfers, which are made worse by spotty youths trying to flog you lift passes which turn out to be the wrong choice for you and tickets to hideous events you wouldn't go to if they were free, to say nothing of hanging around while some idiot who has got lost turns up or while you await the next flight, combined with leaving the resort about 6 hours before you need to. You need to factor in a National Park pass, about £70 or $70, can't remember which, for a year (you can usually use it the following year as well because of the way the expiry date is calculated).
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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richmond, Thanks very much!! Will let you know how we get on.
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Poster: A snowHead
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jennyski - you've been stitched with the price for your Holiday. Did you book your holiday the day before departure? even in that time of the year(school hols) you can find 3* or 4* hotels for 30-40 pounds/night. in the beginning of Jan i was quoted £650 pp all incl. in Kempinski for 7 days in that week. I am not saying that bansko is perfect(I don’t own apartment there) and after a glance in your pictures I think is pretty bad(that queue is massive ) but there are plans to build new gondola for the next season (if you don’t believe me search in Google). I had perfect 6 days in 16-22 dec 07, just before the arriving of the crowds. on the second day i was the only person at 9.30am boarding the gondola.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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SERJOE, Yes, you are probably right - we did pay over the odds but thats what you get for having to go in the school holidays I guess. We were travelling with our teenage children (daughter about to do GCSE's) and some teacher friends so there was no choice, unfortunately.
However I did think the prices were vastly inflated compared to Pamporovo the previous year - this year every lunch on the mountain cost us about £40-50 for the four of us and it was really poor quality ie. hot dog/burger????? compared to last years lovely soups and stews. I think the Bulgarians must have inflated the prices for a few weeks knowing we will pay as its too much hassle to go down to the village to eat then come back up again. But sadly they have lost a few Bulgarian ski fans. Pamps was pretty, friendly and reasonably priced but the skiing was limited. Bansko was an ugly building site, the people were not so friendly and warm and it was very expensive. And thats not to mention the crowds - two hours of my holiday every morning to get up the mountain? Thats a joke! From now on I will spend my hard earned cash elsewhere I am afraid. 
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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We do have an apartment in Bansko and it's for sale. It's dreadful, Ulen (a Russian company, read between the lines) run the mountain. All the restaurants on the mountain except the three behind the screens at Shilligarnick are run by Ulen. The have a 'price fix' monopoly, the food is rubbish and the prices are extortionate. The 2nd Gondola will not happen for years, if ever. Lies and false promises are the 'currency' of Bansko. Corruption is still rife despite EU efforts and Bulgarian organised crime has an 'interest' in much of Bansko. Avoid the place. It may look cheap, but equates to terrible value.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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jennyski -you are right about pamporovo. Its better value but with top to bottom in less than 5 minutes is very limited. Food I Bansko is crap almost in every restaurant but there is always a "cook yourself" solution. Bansko is more International resort than Pamporovo and because of that the people who work/live there are just after one thing-YOUR MONEY. I don’t like Bansko as a resort either but the skiing I’ve done there was always a pleasure. I don’t go there clubbing or drinking- I can do this in any other place. . For that reason i don’t mind sleeping in B&B if that saves me money for another week skiing.
Downhilldan, - there is 90% chance for new gondola next season ( the company is waiting for some document to continue the build- yes they started already before the season)
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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What a sad series of stories, except for the few people who can enjoy cheap apartments out of school holiday times. £100K for two rooms!!! That's not exactly bargain basement. My very high spec two bedroom apartment a few yards from the piste in France cost significantly less than that. I agree, by the way, with uktrailmonster, that ski apartments should not be viewed as an "investment". Some people can convince themselves of anything!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Downhilldan, Here was my contribution over on TalkBollox, sorry TalkBansko back in 2006. I got a 7 page beasting for my efforts too!
"I think you'll find that most people who have already invested their hard earned cash will tend to see the glass as being half full. It's human nature. However, there are quite a few people on this forum who have invested and now regret it.
From my recent research, Bansko now looks like a terrible investment proposition. The media are finally starting to pick up on this too, judging by their recent stories. They helped to hype it up in the first place and now they're set to rip it down again!
However, there will always be a few winners in the long term - most likely those who have invested in the highest quality developments very close to the Gondola. Particularly if they got in before the developers starting hiking the prices. It will be a long wait though before they see the rewards.
I suspect the ordinary punters who hung onto every word of the agents bullsh*t will get shafted just like they did in Spain 15 years ago. They might have somewhere cheap to go on holiday, but it won't seem so cheap when they have to pay for the upkeep with little or no rental income.
So before you invest do some independent research on supply, demand, building restrictions, maintenance, infrastructure, etc, etc. The more I looked into it, the worse it looked.
Also consider whether you can afford to lose the money. This is very much a long term punt which could go either way. Only a fool would consider it a safe investment, even in the long term.
As you've probably gathered by now, I chose not to go buy here!!"
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Jennyski, I love the gondola queue photo. At the end of the queue is where the taxis stand. For £8 they take 5 of you up to the lifts at chalin valog. This saves a queue at peak times. Of course if you have already spent a ridiculous amount of money on a holiday you wouldn't have any cash left to avoid the queue and would quite happily stand there and moan.
I don't think I would.
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I really loved Bankso. Was there 2 years ago with a friend and his parents. They own properties in Bulgaria and a really nice apartment in Bankso where we stayed (and had to pay nothing - lucky me)
I didn't expect a lot when going there but I simply loved the pistes there - weather was beautiful too.
I can say nothing about hotel prices but food and drinks were definitely expensive - but I guess it is that way in every skiing area and I heard that in Italy, France, Austria, etc it is even worse.
In the future I will definitely return to Bulgaria for snowboarding, but it seems like many of you recommend other resorts so I might try out one of those.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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That's a job I could do.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Well,Dave Canski, we did pay someone 5 leva each one morning to take us up to the halfway station but by the time we got up there, the van skidding on ice, caught a drag lift and then queued at the midstation gondola that too all seemed like a load of hassle. There seemed to be no easy way to do it. Never mind, wont be doing it again - its Banff for me Yipeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Jennyski, Yes I queued there once for nearly 3 minutes at half term. Happy holidays in Banff I may see you there next season.
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3 minutes? That must have been purgatory - what on earth did you find to do all that time? At least I had learned the life story of everyone around me in my queue! Hope you can join us in Banff am looking forward to it!
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You know it makes sense.
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Jennyski, You'll be unlucky if you have to queue at all in Banff, even 3 minutes would be considered "busy" out there.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Yeah, but in Bansko, in 3 minutes you can buy 2 small Fat/Grissle balls with a few cold chips on the mountain and be charged 12levs (£7). Beat that in your fancy pants Banff.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Right on Downhilldan, those who have been to Bansko recently will understand why Adele wrote that song 'should I give up or should I just keep chasing pavements' - I give up!!!!
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