So the past two week the weather in Bansko wasn’t too much to our liking. It was a big mix of windy days, rainy days and a few perfect, sunny days in the mix. Thankfully we have good news in this snow report, high season is pretty much over. This means less lift lines and less people on the slopes. Only the day before this snow report, the whole top part of the mountain was closed due to very strong winds, over 50km/h and this created chaos on the lift lines. Sorry, lift LINE, as only the Kolarski lift was working, other than the Chalin Valog ski zone.
Perfect views on a sunny day
The views early morning, on a sunny day, can be very impressive. Definitely worth getting up early and skipping the gondola lift line, which is almost non-existent at 8AM when the lift opens now. Thankfully the winds have died down and most of the mountain was working. Only the Plato and Banderitza 2 lifts weren’t working earlier in the day.
As they say, the early bird catches the worm. In this case, well groomed slopes.
Even though the slopes aren’t perfectly groomed, they are still really good considering the weather this winter. Beginner and intermediate skiers probably won’t notice the imperfections on some slopes, but advanced skiers probably will if they are going fast. It’s actually quite dangerous if you are doing high speed carving turns and you suddenly encounter 200m of badly groomed piste. In the afternoon it’s a different story. Due to the warm weather in the afternoon, the slopes become very slushy and with all the people there, they also become very bumpy. World Cup Moguls race bumpy, minus the big jumps in mogul racing. The ski road is also feeling the pain from lack of snow and rocks are showing in some places. But don’t worry, they are fenced off and visible from far away.
My weapon of choice for today was a set of Nordica GS skis
One of the best perks of my job is that I can choose any ski from Traventuria’s rental shop. From freestyle/freeride skis, to world cup models, I can pick the perfect ski for the day. One thing I’ve wanted to do from the beginning of the season was to take out our longest, fastest GS skies. At 193cm this Nordica Dobermann GS model is a little taller than me (i’m 190cm; 6’2”) and is made for speed. It has a 27m turn radius and is a good choice only for nice, groomed, empty, steep runs. And the conditions for this were perfect in the morning until around 11 o’clock. Sadly, I din’t get to ski them on the Plato top to bottom, as the lift didn’t open when I was up top. You can expect a full review of the skis once I’ve had some more time to ride them.
Not perfect slope conditions, but pretty darn close, considering the weather this winter.
Lift lines on the gondola station are now normalized and only look like they take forever. On the 21st the waiting time was under 20-30 minutes according to a nice lady, who had gotten to the line at around 10 o’clock.
Ski & Board Traventuria is a leading provider of lift passes, equipment rental, airport transfers and ski school for the Bansko area. To book your next ski vacation in Bansko with us, please check our website – www.skibansko.bg
