 Poster: A snowHead
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Much as we love the world's mega resorts, Mrs MA & I love trying different ski places of all sizes and enjoy adding new ski countries to our list, which currently stands at 16 in total.
Can anybody advise on the feasibility/practicality of a DIY trip for a few days skiing in either Slovenia (flying to Ljubljana) or Bulgaria (flying to Sofia)?
In particular:
- In low season (January) could we just turn up and find digs? Are short stays a problem?
- How feasible is a road trip covering more than one ski area?
Cheers.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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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Chappers
That's great and much appreciated.
Never heard of Malyovitsa so that - & your suggested itinerary - sounds like just the sort of thing that appeals to us.
Being a Tignes/Val D'Isere etc regular who is used to 6 euro beers, of course the burning question is just how cheap is Europe's cheapest beer?  (hic)!!
Supplementary questions: Is food and accommodation also cheap? I've heard 1980s tales of shady, black market money changing deals. Is that still the case?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Slovenia is a nice place, but I've only been there for Mountain Biking, not Skiing. They were running the lifts at Bovec in early May, probably for MTBing at the mid-station and skiing on the summit (but we stayed down in the valley).
Everything is cheap. Fuel was €1/litre. Hospitality was probably the best I've seen in Europe for a long time, and they all seem to speak English, Italian and German.
Ljubljana airport is tiny, EZY go there, and right on the motorway to Kranjska Gora, Bohinj etc.
Klagenfurt is also a potential option, but you'd get stung for tunnel fee (twice) between Austria+Slovenia, plus a "Vinjeta" for Slovenia.
Anyone know anything more about the skiing? I'm definitely going back 
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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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I've been skiing in Slovenia 3 times. I've been to Rogla, Kravec, Kransjka Gora and Vogel. I enjoyed them all and Kranjska Gora, Krvavec and Vogel are all only about 1hr apart. I would really recommend it as long as you don't get bored skiing the same piste as most of the resorts are fairly small, I think I have put some trip reports on here and have certainly commented on other threads if you do a search. I have never been to Maribor but it looked quite nice as well. I also spent 2 weeks in Jasna in Slovakia where I managed to have a great time and ski for 10 days despite it having only 34km of slopes (shocking I know ). We flew to Porad for Jasna with Sky Europe
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I would definitely recommend Jasna. If you can get up to the top of the mountain on a clear day there is plenty of skiing. Prices are good and food much better than it was.
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Thanks to all so far. Slovakia has now entered the equation!
lynseyf
beequin
Re. Jasna: How far is it from Porad? Did you hire a car? Are there any other ski areas within striking distance?
Cheers!
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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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mountainaddict, I arranged a chalet independently and asked the company i arranged the chalet through to arrange transfers. Jasna is pretty close to Poprad and there is a huge Tesco near the airport that you can get the taxi to stop at to pick up a few bits and pieces for your apartment if SC.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I've backpacked around the region, just about to do another trip on the motorbike. Love Slovenia and Croatia.
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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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Cheers again to all!
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Jasna is pretty close to Poprad and there is a huge Tesco near the airport
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So much for a trip to Eastern Europe to experience a different culture eh?  Looking on the bright side, maybe I can top up my Clubcard points while I'm there.....
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I found Slovakia " different" but Slovenia less so, quiet similar to where I've been in Austria in some respects and I've heard other people say its like Italy.
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You know it makes sense.
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Poprad to Jasna is about 35 minutes. We stayed at Hotel Druzba but other options looked good. www.jasna.sk is the main website.
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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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Hi all,
Since owning the chalet here, we would obviously recommend Bansko! 
Throughout the winter season we mainly cater for groups - Saturday to Saturday (not what you are looking for), however we have plenty of bed and breakfast contacts starting from 20 Leva per night (£9 approx) for a double room.
You could easily get the bus from Sofia for 14 Leva per person and this takes around 3 hours. Beer is now around 3 leva for 500ml both in resort and on the mountain and food is also very reasonable.
Hope this helps, let us know if you need more info.
Cheers, Jay and Laura
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Poster: A snowHead
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Chalet Jora
Thanks for your response. Can I pick your brains for more Bansko info? We are thinking of doing 4 nights & have found that a few hotels come up on Expedia. Some say: "This Bansko property is situated in the historical district, and close to Dobrinishte Ski Resort. Another attraction in the area includes Bansko Ski Resort."
Never heard of Dobrinishte......Is it worth a look? Are these hotels miles from Bansko? Or is Dobrinishte actually Bansko?
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You could easily get the bus from Sofia for 14 Leva per person
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Where can I find details? All the web links I can find relate to private transfers for 100 euros  Is the bus from the airport?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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mountainaddict, Try this site for loads of info on DIY trips to Bulgaria http://www.skidvd.co.uk/forum/index.php go on the forum and just ask, there are loads of people on the forum with all the info you are likely to need.
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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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MA,
I have been to Slovenia a few times, unfortunatoly never boarded there but the country is amazing!
Where do you live as the possibilities for flights to Bled/Kranska Gora etc are not limited to Ljubjlana. Maribor is nice but it is on the other side of Slovenia (Ryanair fly there from Stansted) Saying that I drove from the Croatian border not far from maribor to Bled in under 3 hours! Bled - Kranska Gora is another hour. Eastren Slovenia is more hilly than mountainous! Go West!!!!!
Other Ryanair flight fly to Trieste in Italy (about 1.5 hours drive from airport to Bovec) or Klangunfurt in Austria is an hour from Kranska Gora and Bled. At a push if the prices are write you could also use Venice (2.5 hours to Bovec & Kranska Gora). I've never paid more than £100 for flights for two people!
Travelling around Slovenia is really easy and the roads are quiet, the people are great, food good & reasonably cheap, although after the euro introduction the prices have increased a bit. I've always booked my accommodation as I went around but not sure how that would pan out in Kranska Gora in the peak ski season! Oh and I did brave public transport on one occassion which was really good and punctual.
I would recommend Slovenia summer and winter, ive been there in December unfortunately it was the dreadful 2006/2007 year so didnt get to ride my board but it was amazing!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I've skied Bansko half a dozen times as the outlaws have an apartment there. Personally, I can't recommend the place for anything. If you use the search facility on this site you'll be able to form an opinion of your own. I won't go there again.
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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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Mollerski!!! Go on, tell us more!! I'm really intrigued to know why you've been six times if you don't like it Or is that where all ski sado masochists hang out??!! As long as there is (a) snow and (b) a mountain to slide about on we are likely to be happy - from snowdomes to Zermatt; from Yad Moss (Pennine (ahem) 'resort' with x1 600m drag lift) to the 3 Vallees - we're easily pleased where skiing is concerned!
Rookiemark Ta for that - just about to look up the site now.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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A bit late but still... I'm actually living in Slovenia (just 10km NW of Ljubljana airport), so it feels great to hear everyone are happy with Slovenia But personally I'm not, at least not for alpine skiing. Lifts are far from newest ones, and there's still quite lot of people skiing, so you can actually wait for quite a bit when going skiing, especially on weekends. For xc skiing, things are different, but I doubt you want to know about this
But anyway... in west part of Slovenia there are 2 "big" places, and several smaller ones. One is Krvavec which is just north of airport, and about 20min drive from Ljubljana, or 15mins drive from Kranj (my home city ). But you can also get some private rooms in village just under Krvavec, but unless you will come there only for skiing and nothing else, I don't really recommend this Other resort is Kranjska Gora. There's bunch of hotels and private rooms there, lifts, just as in Krvavec, go from blue to black, with few FIS certified courses included (Kranjska Gora is hosting men skiing WC every year). Next to that, there's about 50 or 60km of xc skiing tracks, and endless options for mountaineering.
On east side of Slovenia you have Maribor, which, even though it hosts yearly women WC races in GS and SL, is joke of a skiing resort. Courses, except for WC course are more appropriate for xc skis then for alpine skis, and lifts are from year 1960 About half way between Ljubljana and Maribor (actually it's a bit closer to Maribor), there's Rogla. It's skiing center which is laying about 15km on road, and about 1000 height meters above small village. It's pretty good place with lots of different courses, and if it maters, hotel on top of Rogla and hotel and spa in village under Rogla are owned by same company, so you have free entrance to spa bellow Rogla.
These are pretty much all big skiing resorts here, but there's also whole bunch of smaller ones, with few lifts only. None of them, bigger or smaller, can compare with Ischgl, Schladming etc. but I guess prices (of tickets and hotels), can't compare either Just for info, prices for tickets on previously mentioned 4 places were around 26eur/day for last winter, which is a bit cheaper then 38eur for most of Austrian resorts.
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how reliable is snow cover in Kranjska in the second week of march? I am thinking of going for a week on 13.03.10 but a bit worried because it seems low altitude?
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FAQ
? They both have places in Bansko and i'm sure they can help. Here are there websites:
