This year, due to an early snowfall, the resort management has opened a few slopes much earlier than expected and conditions in Bansko are great. It’s only the 4th of December and we’ve already been skiing two days. Keep reading to find out whats open and how the slopes are.
In terms of lifts, not much is working. Only the six seat Kolarski ski lift is working and the drag lifts Panica B and Detska Kotva. The beginner slope between the Kolarski and Bunderitsa lifts is also working. These give access to the following slopes, which are open:
- Ski Run Kolarski (N.1; blue slope; 3.6km)
- “Old Run” (N.7; red slope; 1.3km)
- Ulen (N.8; red slope, 970m)
- The beginner terrain on Bunderitsa
The rest of the mountain is still closed, but we think that the ski runs will start opening one-by-one until the official season start, on the 17th of December. The weather has been very cold and there is a descent base layer of natural snow. All of the snow cannons we saw were blasting snow at maximum capacity. Even the cannons on Chalin Valog and the bottom of the ski road were working. The forecast is for the temperatures to stay low, which will help for a good beginning of the season.
The snow cannons are working all across the mountain!
Snow conditions are good throughout the day. There are very few people on the mountain and lift lines are about 5 minutes at the busiest. But I feel the lift lines were in waves. One time you will have a crowd and wait 5 minutes, on the next lap there are 3 people in front of you and you get on the lift without waiting. There is also no waiting at the gondola for either direction (you’ll have to go down with the gondola until the ski road is opened). The ski pistes themselves are on the stiff side, but don’t deteriorate much during the day. After noon, some hard patches come out that will leave your drifting sideways if your skis don’t have a sharp edge. But you can definitely feel the difference in slopes between pure artificial snow (like last years conditions) and artificial snow mixed with natural snow, like the current conditions. There are also no big ice chunks on the slope, which is also good.
The season has only just started, but what a nice surprise this early start is. We believe that thanks to this early snow, the season in Bansko is set to have a perfect base layer on the slopes, meaning perfect skiing during the rest of the season.
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
