 Poster: A snowHead
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| aimeesmart wrote: |
Hi,
I'm new here. My partner and I are going to Bansko at the beginning of next month for a week. We've booked flights and accomodation but I have a question re lift passes. Is it best to buy these before we go or once we are out there, are where is best to buy them? |
i bought them out there at the gondola office, you can buy a card that saves you money on things in bansko, but i didn't bother.
i found it cheaper buying everything when there as there are piles of place to hire kit etc.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Ok that's great thanks. We've already got our own skis etc so its just the lift passes we need to get when we are there.
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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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| aimeesmart wrote: |
| Ok that's great thanks. We've already got our own skis etc so its just the lift passes we need to get when we are there. |
if your going with a TO they usually do a meet and greet. imho your as well to miss this unless you want to gon on the pub crawls etc. best just to wander over to the gondola and get your passes
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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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| Quote: |
No queue for the gondola - straight on at 8.30am every day.
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Be warned this simply is not the case during school holiday weeks - queues of an hour or more can happen and some of us missed the start of our 10 a.m. lessons despite joining the queue at 8.15 a.m!
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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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| Biddy Twiddle wrote: |
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No queue for the gondola - straight on at 8.30am every day.
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Be warned this simply is not the case during school holiday weeks - queues of an hour or more can happen and some of us missed the start of our 10 a.m. lessons despite joining the queue at 8.15 a.m! |
On peak weeks, 1-2 hours is not uncommon. 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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I went to Bankso a couple of years ago in April. Stayed in the Hotel Bansko, a little way from the gondola, but the hotel minibus took us to/from the gondola. Hotel room was lovely, food (breakfast only) was dreadful, but the pool and sauna were fantastic, as were the masseurs - only about £8 for an hour. We ate out in the very cheap restaurants in the town centre where the food was delicious. Runs were quite slushy by the end of the week, but very quiet and no queues. We had to catch the gondola back down as the snow had melted low down, but took advantage of the ridiculously cheap prices to have 4 hour ski school every day which kept us occupied on the limited number of runs, which as someone else said could be skied in a day.
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| reh_stuff wrote: |
| but took advantage of the ridiculously cheap prices to have 4 hour ski school every day |
I've been considering Bansko for some off piste lessons for just this reason. Does anyone know what the off piste is like and if the ski schools can do decent off piste lessons?
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The instructor told us the ski school did not allow the instructors to take people on the one "black" run (though he did and it was not at all hard) so I don't know if there's much chance of getting off-piste lessons.
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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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off piste is great, go to the top lift,loads to do there. Took the kids through this area and they got on better than i did. Also plenty off piste lower down between the pistes
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| mightysaints wrote: |
| off piste is great, go to the top lift,loads to do there. Took the kids through this area and they got on better than i did. Also plenty off piste lower down between the pistes |
Are we talking truely 'off-piste' or skiing powder on the side of the piste? 'Coz in my experience, off-piste in Bansko needs either very good local knowledge or a guide otherwise, you'll end-up miles from a lift and be taxiing back into town.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Jumper, If you look at the method snowschool site http://www.methodsnowschool.com/ they are doing an off piste course from the 8th of March. From what ive been told from somone who lives in Bansko there is a lot of off Piste to experience but you need good local knowledge or a guide to find it/get the best out of it.
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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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| Rookiemark wrote: |
| Jumper, ......... From what ive been told from somone who lives in Bansko there is a lot of off Piste to experience but you need good local knowledge or a guide to find it/get the best out of it. |
Errrr? Did I not just say that? 
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There's a lift pass office at the bottom of the Gondola
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You know it makes sense.
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what's the place like in April?
is there usually much snow?
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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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| aldoyle wrote: |
what's the place like in April?
is there usually much snow? |
Slushidee, slush, slush.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Thanks all, I'll look into Method snowschool.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Quote: |
ive been told from somone who lives in Bansko there is a lot of off Piste to experience but you need good local knowledge or a guide to find it/get the best out of it.
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We had powder/excellent snow (as referenced in my OP) - and just made up the off piste as we went along - and not just at the side of the runs. There was excellent tree/glade skiing and there's a big (very steep  ) bowl that can be accessed from the highest lift.
All the runs we did eventually led back to the pistes.
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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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Just got back last night and i have to mostly agree with the OP about Bansko. We did have a couple of 20-30 minute waits at the gondola but we were there about 9.15.
We also hit one or two chairlift queues on a bluebird saturday morning but all the locals had come to play on the mountain after a good fall of fresh over the previous 2 or 3 days. My only other complaint was the hotel food was bland and luke warm. The rooms were great though, and the staff were very friendly. (we stayed at the Emerald)We cant complain too much because our tripwas fantastic value for £383 inc flights 1/2 board lift passes transfers and ski carrage with Inghams. We ate out a few times and had quality local food in the restauraunts. with beer at as little as £1.00 a pint, and good skiing, I'll definately consider going back, even if you have to put up with a few unfinished buidings in the town.
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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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| Kel wrote: |
mountainaddict,
Very interesting report, I went to Bansko 3 years ago on an inspection trip (not advised don't do it ) it was during the Summer and I could not believe the amount amount of people who bought 2 or 3 apartment's on the trip as an investment, they didn't have a clue about anything Alpine and have had there fingers well and truly burnt. But that's another story.
I have alway's kept an eye on the place and a few months ago We had some friends round for supper. I was being My usual ski bore self and was telling them how great it is. The conversation went onto cost and I suggested that as they were Newbies they could never appreciate somewhere as vast as the French Massifs, so I suggested Bansko. Well We got onto the laptop and before We knew it We had booked a week for 6th March and Me and the Missus are going too.
So it's off to Bansko on the 6th of March and it has cost £855 for the 2 of us on a Crystal package which includes everything, Half board at the 4* Lion, ski carriage and lift pass. Now that can't be sniffed at and my friends who are total Newbies haven't paid much more including ski hire and all day lessons.
Now I am going here not expecting much and it is as much time away with my Wife and Friends. I have booked private lessons for Myself and My Wife with the well renowned Method Snowschool, just over £100 each for 3 x 2 hour private lessons, that's one to one, not an instructor between us.
So Yes the place has had it's fair share of bad publicity and probably not without reason, but I for one am going to give it a go and will give an honest and candid report asmountainaddict, has done. Probably best if I link it this.
BTW, did I mention I am going to Tignes on Sunday  |
OK so where do I start, well I suppose at the beginning. Arrived in Bansko after a 3 hour transfer at 1am Sunday morning. Hotel Lion really is a 4* hotel not withstanding the food, I will come to that later. Beautiful room with balcony well equipped as was the rest of the hotel full spa facilities etc.
After an 8am breakfast I was expecting to receive my BOGOF lift passes, but no had to go to the welcome meet at 9am to collect. Explained We didn't want any of the various excursions on offer and we had all our own gear, just give me the passes and let me be on my way. Not quite that simple had to go to the ski fitting area to collect, so finally at 10.15 I had passes in hand and joined the 40 minute queue for the gondola which in itself is a 30 minute ride, you can imagine by now I was quite pi$$ed off.
Then on arrival at the ski area all that changed, I had arranged private lessons with the excellent Method ski school 2 hours a day for 3 days, cost of this was just over £100 each for 3 days of one to one instruction. I managed to iron out some of my bad lazy habits, but the real benefit was for my wife, she learned more during these 3 days than weeks of ESF group lessons, cannot praise Method enough.
Onto the ski area, 65KM of which I managed to ski most of it by lunch time every day after waiting no more than 5 minutes for the gondola the rest of the week. I think we may have been lucky with the snow as we had a dump every night and the pistes were groomed to perfection with a layer of powder 4"-6" deep on top, for me perfect. By lunchtime the piste was pretty much cut up, due to powder conditions and everyone on the same limited amount of piste. The ski road, which is the return leg back to town from the gondola station, this is a great improvers/beginners run and for the more advanced great fun finding little bit's of off piste between the trees. so I do not understand why so many complain you have to take a 30 minute ride to get to the ski area, I see it as the first uplift of the day. Just be kind and make sure you lend your poles to the boarders on the last 1km, easy skate on ski's.
Lunch usually skied down to town and had a decent meal with a couple of beers and half a caraffe of wine for £25 for 2 (compare that to the Alps) made our way back up the mountain, were my wife would maybe do a couple more runs then read a book, but I played about off piste in mostly untracked powder in the tree's.
Dinner although on half board we only ate in the hotel twice. Instead ventured into the old town and had excellent meals in a lovely traditional Mehana we found (about 100yd after Lion pub on the right hand side of Pirin St) with very nice local wine for around £20 a head, it really wasn't worth enduring the hotel buffet.
Bansko the town, the place is very much work in progress, when it will be finished, if ever is anyones guess. I went there with the intention of checking a few properties out and possibly buying. To be quite honest I would sooner have an operation on my genitalia without anaesthetic than buy here. Yes property is cheap very very cheap, but there is a simple reason for this, which is over supply on a huge scale. The amount of finished apartments goes on forever, I reckon their must be more than the whole of the Espace Killy and as many again un-finished with a mountain 1/5th the size. I cannot imagine why or how this was ever allowed to happen, but then again it's Bulgaria.
Would I go back : well yes I am planning to take my lad's (19 & 20) there next year for a full on chill out, skiing, drinking week with their old Dad.
Would I reccomend You go there : If you are a ski snob never, you will just moan all week. If you want to have a relaxing week and can ignore the half finished apartments, you will find some very good skiing and the off piste is really very good, go into the old town and treat the local's as you would expect to be treated yourself and you will have some very nice meals in very relaxing surroundings.
Summary: overall cost of holiday less than half that of going to the Alps, but it is a completely different experience. But please don't go slagging it off as so many do without visiting and do NOT visit during NY or HT the gondola Q's are reported to be as much as 2 hours every day.
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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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Forgot to mention you can get your ski's/board waxed for less than £3 at the base station.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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so lets beat the Bansko drum for the season coming...are there many going out there?
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