Winter is back here in Bansko! After a series of soft and warm days, a new cold front has hit Bulgaria and temperatures are once again within the winter norms. Temperatures today at noon were around 2°C in the town and -2°C to -7°C on the mountain. Overall conditions are perfect for skiing and we even got some fresh powder overnight. The resort is set to be open at least until the 7th of April, with lift pass prices being reduced by 20% from the 18th for on the spot rates at the ticket office.
Lift queues in the resort are much shorter now that we’re in the low season. The line for the gondola today was longest between 9:30 and 10:30, with almost no queue at 8:30 when the gondola is already open and working. If you don’t want to wait in line too long, make sure to be at the base station before 9:15 AM and make your way to the ski zone in under 20-30 minutes. On the mountain, queues are once again minimal and you can get a lot of skiing done in one day without waiting too much in lines. All lifts in the resort were working as usual, with low wind speeds in the mountain today, up to 7km/h higher in the mountain. Clouds did cover part of the slopes, hindering visibility, mostly at the middle of the Plato ski runs. At the top of the Bunderitza 2 lift, you suddenly come over the clouds for an awesome view.
Slope conditions were good over the last few sunny days even though the slopes were very hardpacked at times. Today conditions were not so great, as the sudden drop in temperature made the base layer of the slope very icy and the fresh snow from last night didn’t help improve conditions for skiers today. But the new snow has definitely made things much better in the long run, as once it’s groomed and homogenized into the base layer, things won’t be so icy. As usual, the slopes became choppy much earlier due to the fresh and soft snow, but whoever was first in the mountain probably got a few good turns in. If your planing on skiing the next few days, be prepared for hardpack slopes and make sure you’vve sharpend your edges.
The Snow Park was closed today due to the fog/clouds, but is in good shape generally, with the two bigger jumps finally opening. Most of the boxes have new top sheets this winter and slide very well. Conditions off-piste are also decent if you know where to look, with plenty of snow, but an icy base in some areas. The wind has affected the backcountry negatively higher up in the mountain, and some areas aren’t much good. The Clouds in the middle of the mountain didn’t reach the north face of mt. Todorka and a few people ascended to the peak. From Saturday and onward the summit will be perfect for skiing if the weather is sunny and not too warm. As always, we don’t encourage going out of bounds without the proper avalanche safety gear and knowledge of the terrain.
The forecast for the next 5 days is for some more snow Thursday night, around 5-10cm, and sunshine starting Saturday. The freezing level will be around 1500m.asl. during the day until Friday, while Saturday and onward temperatures will be warmer. The goods news is that there is more than enough snow to last until the end of the season, even if the slopes start getting slushy.
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
