Probably the coldest week so far, but the snow and slope conditions were 10 out of 10.
Weather conditions & Forecast & Snow Cover
The whole week was quite sunny, but unlike the forecast, which showed light winds, we had quite strong winds at the top, especially on Saturday and Sunday. Temperatures at the beginning of the week were between -2/-8°C but at the weekend they dropped down significantly and we had probably the coldest days up the mountain so far. On Sunday they reached -20°C at the top and with the wind they felt even colder. Sunday was a bit better as the wind wasn’t so strong. Luckily it was sunny and even with these temperatures, skiing and snowboarding was bearable.
Previous week was generous and we started this one with a plus 30 cm of new snow at the top (2550m), where the snow cover was 160cm and at Banderishka Polyana (1620m) – 90cm. The snow forecast was correct as it showed new snowfall on Friday overnight and we woke up with 20 cm of fresh snow.
As the previous week also this week the resort is using the low temperature to make artificial snow.
For next week we expect temperatures to stay the same with -17°C on Monday and to go up slightly till -8/-9 °C by the end of the week. Snow forecast says there will be light snow falls on Saturday 29th of January.
Slope Conditions
Pistes were fabulous this week. Perfectly groomed and luckily not busy even during the weekend. Friday, as we wrote above, we woke up with fresh snow. Because of the minus temperature slopes and the snow itself was so light and even in the afternoons there were no bumps on the slopes. Unfortunately the wind at the top made some parts of the slopes tricky as it blew away the new snow cover and under it, there was hard-packed snow, so one should be careful at these parts.
Ski road 2 is also open now and we recommend you to go down from there as sometimes ski road 1 is quite busy. You can check it out on the resort map. It starts from the bottom station of the Mosta chairlift.
Currently open slopes and working lifts:
All slopes are open and all lifts are working. On Friday morning, because of the strong wind at the top, Plato and Banderitsa 2 chairlifts weren’t working till 11 am.
There were no queues for the gondola and the chair lifts up at the resort during the weekdays. Weekends as usual are busier. The Gondola queue on Saturday was big, but the waiting was no more than 30-40 min.
Snow advice
As the mid-term break is close and you may want to book lessons, we recommend you to do it in advance, because the schools are becoming busy at that time of the year. Here you can check out our packages and make your online reservation.
Bansko resort has one zone for beginner snowboarders and a really nice kindergarten slope with a “magic carpet belt”. There is also a drag lift at Banderishka polyana for the beginner skiers.
COVID regulations
Good news for the one traveling with children between 12-18 years old. Regulations have been improved for UK visitors and now kids that age only need to present a negative PCR test taken up to 72 hours before entering Bulgaria, no vaccination certificate or proof of recovery. More about the regulations you can read here.
Stay tuned
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
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