 Poster: A snowHead
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Can anyone give me a bit of advice please? I have some friends who would like to try skiing in Bulgaria. We can all ski quite well and plan to do a lot of it during our holiday. I have had a look at areas to ski in Bulgaria and there seems to be a lack of runs. Am I barking up the wrong tree? Looking at it I think it will take us about a day and a half to do all the runs. Any help and tips would be very much appreciated! I am not sure they are choosing the right area for us!
Thanks!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Been to Pamp years ago ;
minuses small ski area
food in hotels not great
battered hire equipment
poor snow record, especially at the minute
Pluses
all day tution, so you can learn a lot
drink cheap, great craic
tree lined runs
It might be best to check the cams/discussions on Bulgariaski.com before booking
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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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missnatnat, if you are good skiers looking for mileage, I wouldn't recommend Bulgaria for your group. It's relatively cheap, but that's for a reason. It's a while since I skied there (Borovets, once, and never again!) but feedback regularly posted on here, suggests things haven't changed much. If budget isn't a driving factor (and you don't mention that), you could choose many other places which will address your requirements for good, extensive and varied skiing, which would be better 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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missnatnat,
My wife and I are off to Borovets in March for our first skiing trip in 10 years and are taking the kids (10,8,5). We are going for there for the following reasons:
1 - Price. For a B&B holiday with lift passes, equipment hire, all day private lessons ski school/snow garden for the kids, two days of refresher lessons for my wife and I, accomodation (private lodge with 2 beds and it's own sauna) at bottom of the slope, time of year etc. we simply cannot do it cheaper. We are organising it independently and saving at least £800 on a standard brochure price as well.
2 - We are not paying for lift passes for the kids to an area that they will not use. For example our hire, passes and private lessons will be 890 euros. 3 valleys would be almost 700 euros for family lift pass alone for an area where we would simply not ski anywhere near it all.
3 - Instruction. We have been to Borovets before and despite all the negative feedback on the resort/range you will find that the comments on instruction are predominately excellent. We had our best instructor ever there 12 years ago and the feedback online seems to suggest this tradition continues.
4 - Food prices. Not as cheap as it was but good value overall. If you pick your places you can eat well as a family and still have change from 50 euros. Of course it's not France or Italy but neither are the prices.
Granted the ski area is not extensive but for us this will be fine. We will ski it all no doubt but at least we shall always be close to getting back to the kids if needed, especially as they are complete beginners and have not been in ski-school etc before.
Of course my preference would be the alps but if you look at my thread on a late trip in April to the Alps you will see that I would like to do another trip but even that would be 2k, driving, taking all our own food, not eating out, much more limited instruction etc. etc. etc.
If I were in your shoes then I would be looking at the alps/usa as a first choice and next year I will certainly be doing the same as we shall have a much better idea of what we will be capable of as a family - hopefully less need for the kids to be in ski-school all day and thus less cost. We may also look at booking early to get 2 for 1 deals with the kids and/or doing what I am thinking of doing this year with a late season low budget trip - as much as a ski trip to the alps with 3 kids can be low budget! 
I will be posting a trip report once we are back from Borovets in March but I am really looking forward to it, taking it completely on face value and hoping it will be as enjoyable and down to earth as it was on our previous visit. I think it is the right choice for us in our current circumstances but clearly they are very different to yours.
Hope that helps a little!
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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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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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It's cheap(er) but you get what you pay for ... I went to Borovets last year (cheap deal with a group) - will not be going again.
Pluses ..
Cheap booze
Cheap food (although we chose to pay a little more to avoid the chavs) - Note Hotel Rila food is v. poor
Cheap fake gear
Cheap lift pass / guiding
Minuses ..
Limited area - you could cover the entire resort in 1 day (that's all the runs!)
Extremely poor / dangerous equiptment
Long queue for cable car
Ageing / dangerous lift system
Agressive guides / part time salesmen
Aggressive equipment fitters - with little concern for correct settings
Full of beginners / kids with too much speed & too little skill
Prostitutes / beggars outside bars
Theives that view holidaymaker as golden opportunity
Rant on Bulgaria over .... my message ... DON'T GO ...
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We went to Borovets for New Year last year. Whilst our view of the place wasn't as negatively polorised as some, for us the overall experience was just too flawed.
Unless you are absolutely on a shoe string I would look at Austria where we went this year and had a much better time. Also prices in Austria were surprisingly reasonable (£2.75 for a large beer and £5 for a Spag Bol on the mountain).
Pete
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missnatnat, I wouldn't listen to these philistines too much. Go to Bansko, 65kms of pisted runs and plenty of off-piste options. Loads of places to drink and eat, Happy End pub is great for apres. As long as there's snow coverage you should be ok. Avoid holidays at all costs and the world championships and the queues should be minimal. Its a modern resort with new chairlifts and gondola. The value is excellent. You can easily do a week for under £500 with very comfortable accomodation not the shoebox's in France. I challenge anyone to do a week for under a monkey in France all in. If budget's not your priority then there are much better places. Bansko has its charm and its worth going if you haven't been.
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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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Having been to Borovets once I have to say I wouldn't go back even if it was free. The resort itself is OK with some good bars, but the skiing truely is woeful. If you can ski to even an average standard you will have skiied the area in a day. There was hardly any snow, not the fault of the resort, but what snow there was was badly maintained. In the end we skiied 2 days out of the week, it really wasn't worth putting you're ski boots on for. I have read some good reports about Bansko but wouldn't go due to the bad experience I had in Borovets. If it's your only holiday of the season don't waste your time, you'll be kicking yourself you didn't go to the alps.
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What he said /\
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Learnt to ski in Pamporovo longer ago than I care to remember, tuition excellent then and apparently still so. Couldn't stand upright after a night out having spent £5 between the 4 of us.
Would I go back now? No.
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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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missnatnat As said, if you need mileage, you need to look elsewhere.
But one thing I'll add is that don't lump all the Bulgarian resorts together as if they're all the same, they're not. Bansko is head and shoulders above the others on most counts and, though it has it's well documented faults, is well worth considering if you need a cheap holiday. The lift system is as new and fast as anywhere, the runs fairly long and the off-piste surprisingly good. The nightlife's not bad, either. Mid Feb on to be safe normally, unless they're blessed with good early snow.
The place just needs more marked runs, though the advertised 65km seems at least half as much again. And another gondola/way up the mountain.
But in most other aspects, if price is a major factor, you're better off looking for a late deal elsewhere, though you will invaribly spend more once there. Very few places left where you can get good strong local beer at a shade over 80p a pint, and pizza to die for for around a fiver. 
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It's good for learners, as you haven't spent too much money in case it's not your thing. Wouldn't recommend so much though if you were advanced level
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You know it makes sense.
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Pamporovo, tiny, ok for beginners but mile hungry intermediates will be bored.
Borovets too many beds to lifts, crazy busy for the gondola every morning (1 hour queues frequently) although you can use the Rila chair first thing to avoid this. Some limited and tight tree skiing.
Bansko, best lift infrastructure, fewer runs than Borovets, same issue with gondola without alternative chair. Some off piste and steep trees.
Bulgaria as a whole is cheaper but not always cheerfully so. Food is limited and uninspiring on the mountains and rarely served hot. The traditional stews are fantastic in the more traditional taverns though.
Airport often has long delays and very little there to amuse your selves with once you are dumped by the TO to find a 6 hour delay. Very long transfers.
Some genuinely nice people, some prostitutes, some local mafia, some people openly carrying guns on the piste (honestly!), some beggars, some stray dogs, some old weather beaten grandmas knitting and selling socks. Lots of knock off gear, weopons etc.
Tuition either brilliant or awful, the ratio of instructor to pupils is far too low. Not enough levels of tuition, novices are fine but intermediate can mean anything from 2nd week to 10th week, your either bored or feeling guilty for holding people up.
Toilets are spectacurly bad and often pay to use on mountain.
Having said that, if I had a choice of Bulgarian skiing or not skiing I would return to Borovets, if I won a free holiday there the same applies, but, I will not be returning under any other circumstances.
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