What a week we had here in Bansko. We got a bit of everything thrown at us, fresh snow, cold, heat, heavy winds and a perfectly sunny day today. The week started off with some fresh snowfalls, over 20-13 cm fell over a few days. Then the winds came in Tuesday afternoon and closed off the top ski lifts. By Thursday the winds were over 120km/h at the top of the mountains and the whole resort was closed. Even the gondola couldn’t operate due to the winds. And to finish the work week, sun and almost no wind.
Currently, all lifts are working, except for the Plato and Bunderitsa 2 lifts, so you can’t get to the top of the ski zone. We don’t know for sure if they aren’t working due to more wind, or if they just couldn’t groom the slopes for today and decided to leave them closed. If the latter is correct, by tomorrow everything should be groomed and ready to be skied. Lift lines were bigger than during the week, as many people from the Balkans come for a weekend holiday to Bulgaria and rarely stay a whole week. Due to some of the lifts not working, there was a decent line for the Todorka lift and another for the Kolarski lift. Waiting was around 5-10 minutes. Some of the easy slopes, such as Kolarski are very crowded and it’s good to go slow and be safe.
Slope conditions were OK today, but the slopes weren’t perfectly groomed. This is probably due to the winds which continued throughout the night, making it though for the grooming crews to do their job. In the morning the slopes were soft and by the afternoon they were bumpy. Conditions on the Plato weren’t very good either, as the wind there undid any grooming from the snowcats. The best slopes today were the two Shiligarnika runs, as they are nestled between the trees and less affected by yesterday’s winds. The Tomba ski run is closed at least until the 28th, due to preparations for the Snowboarding World Cup. The Ski Road is pure ice in some spots closer to the town, as warm weather followed by a cold front first melts the snow, then turns it into ice.
On Sunday, the 21st of January, Bansko will celebrate World Snow Day and prices for children under 12 will be 1 BGN for the whole day. On Bunderishka Poliana there will be games, an inflatable snow castle, kids races and much more fun. There will be a DJ and everything needed for a good time.
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
