Based around a UNESCO World Heritage Site on the fringes of Bulgaria's Pirin National Park, Bansko is popular with visitors from the United Kingdom, especially beginners and intermediates on tighter budgets, and for anyone wanting a switch from the traditional Alpine ski resort experience. The resort is renowned for delivering good quality entry-level ski holidays at incredibly good value prices, but those same prices sometimes leave people asking - is skiing in Bansko actually any good? That's the key question that this resort review attempts to answer.
Bansko is a sizeable town, of around 10,000 inhabitants, which can trace the roots of its community as far back as the 10th century, and the traditional stone-built dwellings and historic inns huddled at the heart of its old town retain this proud heritage alongside the continuing development of Bansko into a modern, year-round mountain resort.
The ski area is quite limited, with around 70km of pistes, enough to satisfy first-timers and intermediate skiers and snowboarders who are more focused on an enjoyable and affordable holiday in un-intimidating surroundings, than on munching the miles. A lot of investment has been poured in, bringing fast, modern lifts and 80 percent snowmaking, and Bansko now figures on the World Cup ski circuit.
Bansko - Ski Map & Pistes:
Bansko's compact ski area is centred on the slopes of Todorka mountain, together with a little linked sub-sector on a foothill called Chalin Valog, directly overlooking the town and accessible via a modern 8-person gondola at the southern end of the ski resort.
There's a good mix of blue and red runs on the upper sectors of the resort, and Todorka Peak is a long 16km peak-to-base blue home run, covered by snowmaking and floodlighting, which sweeps gently down all the way to the well-serviced base area next to the gondola base terminal. The best pistes in Bansko - especially first thing - are the wide open reds off the Todorka chair and the two Banderitza quads. While there is also a decent black piste, the Tomba, the resort doesn't have a lot to offer progressive intermediates or advanced-level visitors.
Bansko - Off-Piste, Backcountry & Ski Touring:
Bansko is not renowned as a freeride resort, but that means if you come at the right time - usually mid-to-late March you stand a good chance of having what snow there is to yourself. Heavy wooded slopes low down and cliffs higher up limit the opportunities, but Bansko's bucket-list freeride spot is probably the north face of Mt Todorka. When the snow falls in Bansko, it's consistently good here, and these slopes are among the most challenging in the entire Bansko ski area - and, indeed in Bulgaria. To get there you need to take the lifts to the highest station and from there it's at least an hour to hike up. A guide is essential. Not one for the faint-heated or inexperienced...
Bansko - Restaurants, Bars & The Town:
Because Bansko is a long-established working town which has developed into a ski resort, its historic town centre presents visitors with an interesting diversion for a few hours away from the slopes, although there isn't actually a lot to do beyond sauntering around the narrow streets of the old town and doing a spot of shopping; Sunday is market day, with vendors selling local produce and some local crafts.
Any review of things to do in Bansko when you're not skiing has to start by mentioning the prices. Après ski is quite literally cheap as chips here - expect to pay the equivalent of around £2 a pint. It's also noisy and kicks off around lift closing time in the slope-side bars and restaurants in the base area next to the gondola terminal. The Happy End is the key venue here and features live music and dancing. There are plenty of similarly animated disco-style bars dotted around the resort, most offering great value happy-hour promotions; there's also a larger downtown nightclub.
For a more authentic Bulgarian experience, it's worth seeking out one of Bansko's numerous traditional Mehana inns (there are more than 40). These are essentially restaurants, which offer hearty local cuisine and local wines, plus regular folkloric live music, singing and dance performances.
Again, value for money is the key here - there are few places in the world where you'll get as much bang for your buck as you do with après activities in Bulgaria. Yet another reason why the ever-popular Bansko features high on most United Kingdom tour operators' lists of ski resorts year in, year out.
Bansko - Ski Hire:
There are plenty of options for ski hire in Bansko, including Tsakiris and the Mega Ski Center Many ski hire shops in Bansko also offer lessons - and vice versa. See below.
Bansko - Ski School:
If you want to learn to ski in Bansko, Pirin 2000 is the leading ski school and offers ski hire too. Method is a British-run ski school in Bansko, also offering lessons for all levels, plus equipment hire. Both are located near to the gondola.
