bulgaria & borovets

A snowHead

Hi guys just wondered what people thought of the difficulty of the slopes in borovets compared to the Alps and also the place overall?? I know there is only 60k of runs there but I have been the last few years, have always been lucky with conditions. I have never skied in France, Italy or Switzerland. I have skied Austria many years ago and it was Kitzbuhel but was a beginner so never got on any difficult reds or blacks.

I know there are a lot of people who wont even consider Bulgaria a place to ski and will only ski the top resorts but I personally love the place... not just for the very reasonably priced food and drink but also for the skiing...

So, anyone been??? any thoughts???

A snowHead

ive always said if you learn to ski in Borovets youll be able to ski anywhere!! Ive had clients over who have been intermediate skiers in america, but couldnt cope at all with the pistes, theyre definately NOT motorway skiing, and they are more Natural. I love the place, but also enjoy other resorts, were off to La Thuile in just over a week!! Cool

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Bulgaria skiing sucks.

It is small, flat and low.

Head to the Alps.

It is bigger, steeper and higher.

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I've never been and nothing that I hear about the place makes me want to go EVER.

I don't think it appears that much cheaper anyhow these days int he actual flight accom etc.

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As far as difficulty of the slopes, the reds there are almost all very solid reds with sustained pitch and there is a lack of decent blue runs (only one cruising blue). The blacks are a little weak and really only one short run that could be considered a true black. Borovets is in a tricky spot since it's runs suit confident skiers but the resort itself in terms of snow, size etc suits beginners and less serious skiers.

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personally I would rather keep an open mind and see places for myself... I haven't been all round the Alps but from what experience I have of borovets it is excellent value for money!!!

looking forward to getting to ski some of the best resorts in the Alps I know the skiing will be better I would be daft to think other wise but think getting my pants pulled down every time I go the bar in France might be a bit annoying! Is it really 20 euro for a cheeseburger in val d'isere???

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ryan110398, Italy generally doesn't have banging Apres but the food and beer is cheap IMO.

Austria has banging apres, and dependant on where you go you can easily pay UK beer prices or less. As an overall package it's my favourite ski country

If I go to France I don't go for the apres as I just can't bring myself to pay the prices, but there are places you've probably never heard of that are actually reasonable for a beer.

I'd agree Val d'Isere is eye wateringly expensive at times, you should try Verbier at them moment......

I go skiing primarily to ski, depending on the crowd I travel with beer comes a very distant second!

After all it is free

narc, good account of the resort! yes definitely not for serious skiers for a proper ski holiday... but for a last minute weekend with cheap flights its gotta be worth a visit?

Grizwald, been looking at soll for my first trip the alps with that all star pass looks like some serious skiing to be had there and would be nice to see kitzbuhel again for a day although went there 15 years ago and its was more expensive then on the mountain than it is now in borovets!

I admittedly do like a drink or two and with the crowd i travel with a few nights out are definitely a priority... must admit though once i get to these big resorts my priorities might change!!!

ryan110398, I'd have suggested Soll or Mayrhofen as mainstream places with good sliding and lively apres. I had my first ski holiday some 20 years ago in Soll and will be in Kitzbuhel myself next season so I'm looking forward to getting over to Soll for a trip down memory lane!

I don't like to get too down on Bulgaria as it certainly has it's followers. I just don't know any people who have been to what I class as proper resorts and rated Bulgaria for skiing. Kitz will have changed allot since you were last there, generally better infrustructure and the 3S gondola linking Pengelstein with the Würzhohe above Jochberg.

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I dont like borovets

the resort isnt well linked at all its really just split into 3 sections, and I found the place a little 'scruffy'. Outdated lifts and equipment and the lift passes really annoyed me as you had to put them in the machine every time.

As for the rating of the slopes I would say its pretty similar to france with maybe black slopes being a little harder in france.

Anyway you should definitely try skiing somewhere else, If you love borovets you will be amazed by the alps, aslo you said you have been there the last few yeas so them same slopes must be quite boring to you now.

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Oh and I would recommend Andorra for a good ski holiday but with reasonably priced food, beer etc.

The grandvalira resort is amazing for skiing and if your bothered about price and not bothered about ski in and ski out you can get cheap hotels that are in between the main towns that have regular buses to the ski slopes

We went last January for 5 days ,3 days skiing 2xAD 2XCH £980
That inc Flights,Transfers,4* Hotel Half board,Ski equipment hire,lift Passes and Instructor all day.

I was a bit worried about some of the reviews i had read ,prostitutes,Mafia,general if its not nailed down it would be stolen...The prostitutes and Mafia must of been on holiday that week as i didn't see any of that.

My wife and 2 kids had never skied before and my wife wasn't sure if was going to ski at all .It was good way to introduce them ti skiing without wasting £3-4K

You know it makes sense.

I learned to ski in borovets, have been 3 times and had all sorts of conditions, its cheap for a reason but you can have a great time because its so cheap and the conditions either mean you'll have great snow or you will really challenge yourself when it gets patchy or icy or slushy or crazy crowded. I will probably not return unless its borovets or nowhere as i'd rather ski than not.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

Just booked to go to borovets 12/01/13 for 1 week
flights/samokov hotel(H/B)/learn to ski pack for 2 people £870

A snowHead

There's a lot of snobby Snowheads that talk Bulgaria down but haven't been there. I've been 3 times and I've been to what Grizwald, would call proper resorts, and you get what you pay for...

Ok it's not the 3v or Saalbach or Verbier, but if the snow's good who cares? We went as beginners and low experience and must have been lucky with the kit, snow, and instruction all three times! The food is a bit bulgarian, everybody smoked back then, and my mates got their room robbed but then they did fall asleep in the bath and leave the door open... But then they hadn't taken a lot of cash Cus it was cheap.

In VT we had to stay in and cook! It was too expensive to eat and drink out and we had 4 blokes sharing a shoebox with one bathroom. Truly awful and it cost me three times the price of half board in Bulgaria

Here's the last time it was discussed http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=93526&start=120#2148051

And here's the rubbish conditions in Borovets:

A snowHead

If you want to go skiing in Bulgaria go to Bansko - its very cheap and, contrary to what people say, its not flat.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

There's only one thing stopping me from trying Bulgaria, the lack of challenging skiing. If I was just starting out I would definately consider it due to its good price point. I generally only get 1 week a year, I want a resort that gives me everything I want, sadly Bulgaria doesn't really have that. Sad

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I have been to Bulgaria a couple of times, once in the early 90s and more recently for a large group birthday celebration. We paid about 450 for half board including ski pass. The snow was good and everyone had a good time. There were 40 of us, a mixture of abilities, who were out to celebrate a 50th birthday and throw in a bit of skiing in as well. It reminded me a bit of Ben dorm on the snow.
In terms of the value element this is where I have a slight issue. Although it is cheap, I don’t think that you would have to spend that much more to get yourself into one of the bigger Austrian/French resorts etc. I currently live in Mayrhofen and I am confident that you could get one of the many excellent guest houses/apartments at a very reasonable rate. You can get well priced flights with a number of different airlines and transfers are easy enough. I personally would prefer to be in a clean and well presented Austrian guest house than a Bulgarian “4 star” hotel.
The ski pass and instruction would of course be more expensive, however when I return to the value element, I feel strongly that the increased cost would result in much greater value. I think that the standard of kit/instruction/snow quality that a beginner would get in somewhere like Austria compared to Bulgaria can make the latter, in my own personal opinion, a bit of a false economy.

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Bring your rock skis!

It's cool to slag off Bulgaria here but as far as slope difficulty in Borovets goes the reds are all pretty solid reds by anyone's standards with decent sustained pitch but that said there are no real blacks. Yastrebets is as difficult and long (and good) a red as you'll find anywhere in the alps but you will probably be skiing some artificial snow... Despite it's clientele, it isn't really a beginner resort.

I have skied in Borovets 1 week a year for probably the last 8 years because I know someone with a house and apartments out there. I go for a cheap practice holiday before a serious ski trip, if you want to know anything message me.

After all it is free

googiew, Trouble with your suggestion is that a beginner won't want to be messing about with flts and transfers and passes just in case they might like spending a hard won weeks leave halfway up a frozen hillside... They want a package and don't want to spend much in case they don't like it. I know there's hundreds of smaller resorts that would foot the bill but the TO don't promote them...
Everybody probably agrees that Austria is nicer than Bulgaria but there just ain't the cheap ski packages unless youre lucky or book late...

WayneC, That is a fair point. I think it is wrong when people completely slate Bulgaria as many people go and many people have a great time. I was one of them. If price is your sole driver, then undoubtedly there are some well priced packages to be had.
I think what I was trying to get across is the issue of value. Value is not necessarily what you pay, but what you get back from the money you have spent. Since my first time skiing in Bulgaria 20 odd years ago, I have experienced skiing in a number of different countries and because of this experience look at this value element from a different perspective.
People talk about a trip to Bulgaria like it is almost free. It’s not, you still have to buy all of your gear and for a family trip are paying the TO thousands of pounds. It is my view, and that’s all it is, that with a bit of investigation that you could find something in a more established resort for not much more.
If one of my friends was new to skiing and asked my opinion on where to go. I would strongly suggest that they save up the extra and get themselves to Austria. I think all things considered you would get more from the experience.

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I've posted this before but it bears repeating - lots of good points made above, but if my experience is anything to go by do not expect the same standard of medical care as you would in western Europe if you are unfortunate enough to need it.

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bulgaria & borovets

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