[size=55:2kj7zf1c]source: Bulgaria Gazette Wednesday, 11 November 2009

Olympic and world ski champions will be guests of the official opening of the winter season in Bulgarias Bansko resort. The ceremony will take place on December.

Pirmin Zurbriggen four times winner of the World Cup and Olympic champion and world champion Peter Mueller are among the official guests. The best Slovenian skier Bojan Krizaj is also expected to take part in the event.

Alberto Tomba, Rosi Mittermaier, Janica Kostelic were among the guests of the winter season opening during previous years.

Now all they need is edie the eagle Edwards to start is off . What a star

Is he still alive

Yes still in Milton Keynes . He has some new bottle top glasses and will be jumping from beachy head as soon as it snows . Now that is a man , could be his last jump .

I didn't know either that he was still alive and kicking fair play to him

[size=75:1984xy1o]Sofia echo 26 January 2010

Skier dies in Bansko

A skier has died on the slopes of Bansko, one of Bulgaria's top skiing resorts. The 41-year-old male from Sofia, was reported dead on January 26 2010 by the Mountain Rescue Service Ski Patrol, Bulgarian media reported.

According to initial reports, the Mountain Rescue Service (PSS) were alerted of the incident at about 1pm and administered first aid. The skier had allegedly suffered injuries from an impact with a snow cornice and died only minutes after the PSS arrived on the scene. Near where the man fell was a parked "
truck"
. Further details at this stage are unavailable.

The body of the man has been transported to the hospital in Razlog where it will undergo an autopsy.


This is very sad and another loss in the world

[size=55:1mgxcv1m]BNR 13 October 2010

Bansko recognized as Balkans’ winter capital



The Bulgarian mountain town of Bansko was recognized as a winter capital of the Balkans a few days ago. The award was given by experts from the Balkan Alliance of Hotel Associations during the International Fair of Tourism, held in the Serbian town of Novi Sad.

Bansko was nominated yet in the beginning of the year and representatives of all Balkan states visited the resort in May to see what the place could suggest. “We took a tour around the whole place - the ski area that really impressed us, the beautiful big and small hotels, the taverns and the infrastructure. There isn’t anything like that on the Balkans” – Mr. Doncho Tanevski from Macedonia stated firmly. Mr. Tanevski is a member of the boards of both the European and the World Tourism organizations. So nobody wondered that the candidacy of the resort, situated in the Pirin Mountain for a winter capital of the Balkans was selected unanimously. Now Bansko’s citizens hope that the prestigious award will attract even more visitors to their small town. “This is a recognition not only to Bansko, but also to Bulgaria as an international destination for ski-tourism” – Deputy Mayor of the municipality Sashka Vachkova said for Radio Bulgaria. Hundreds of thousands of skiers from the Balkans, Western Europe, Russia and Israel do appraise the quality of winter sports in Bansko. For a long time now they have seen the picturesque resort as a synonym of dizzy slaloms, snowy landscapes and warm evenings in the local taverns. Traditionally the official start of the season is announced in the middle of December with glorious fest, sports events and performances of world-famous skiers.



“The conditions in the ski zone are excellent – Mrs. Vachkova says. We have 75 km of tracks that are covered with snow through the whole season. 181 cannons for artificial snow provide additional quantities, when necessary. Besides that there are 17 000 places here, where people can stay – and these are hotels with 5, 4, 3 and 2 stars. Tourists also visit guest houses that provide family comfort and authentic atmosphere.”

There has been a real tourist boom in Bansko through the past ten years or so. Hundreds of new hotels, guesthouses, sports facilities and taverns have created a magical transformation in the ancient town. Over EUR 4 bln. have been invested in the resort so far. However, the financial crisis put an end to the investment appetites and uncontrolled construction works. Right now Bansko is a very quiet place that expects its first guests for the winter season. Local hotel owners prepare to welcome over half a million of tourists through the forthcoming months.



“Experts say that Bansko’s development has been stormy – Mrs. Vachkova continues. – We had only a chairlift and two tracks a few years ago, while nowadays we have an elevated passenger ropeway with some 23 km of chairlifts, children’s facilities etc. The development of the ski zone doesn’t stop despite the crisis. A great number of the skiing facilities are being replaced, we also hope to start our second chairlift in 2011. Besides that Bansko is a regular host of world sports events. We expect with great hopes the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup for men in February 2011. 14 TV channels have declared their participation, Eurosport among them. Some of them will broadcast the event directly and this means that over 3 mln. spectators all over the world will have their attention focused on Bansko and Bulgaria.”



Besides skiing, the winter capital on the Balkans will offer its guests additional entertainment too. Folklore evenings, culinary fests, visits to ancient villages in the Pirin Mountain, embroidery classes, folk dances etc. – tourists will be able to diversify their holiday with these and other activities through the upcoming winter months.

[size=55:3p8rn4jg]novinite 23 October 2010

Bulgaria's Bansko Named World's Best Value Ski Resort

Bansko, Bulgaria's biggest ski resort, is the second-cheapest resort for British skiers in the world, according to new research by the Post Office.

Poiana Brasov in Romania came top in a study comparing costs at 12 of the cheapest resorts. At GBP 259.53 for six skiing essentials, including a week's ski pass, ski hire, evening meals and drinks, Poiana Brasov was six per cent cheaper than Bansko in Bulgaria and up to 20 per cent cheaper than Slovenia's Kanin resort.

The news comes just days after Bansko was named the winter capital on the Balkans at an international tourism exhibition in the Serbian town of Novi Sad.

The little town bordering Pirin National Park, about 160 kilometers south of Bulgaria's capital Sofia, offers a stark but nice contrast between the cobbled streets and churches of the old town and hundreds of millions of euros poured into hotels, ski runs and bright blue gondola bubbles in its modern part.

Supervising all this is the roughly 2,800-meter Todorka peak.

The formerly off-the-beaten-path destination has recently gone mainstream, but it is very rarely that tourists see the vistas doom-sayers warn against - construction cranes and gaudy mutrobaroque hotels, favored by the nouveau riche and organized crime mobsters, known as mutri, with which they try to prove their wealth.

Tourists need to spend no more than 25 euros a night in those hotels, which exemplify Bansko's ambitions best – quite chic, but without the ridiculous attempts to be consmopolitan often found at Bulgarian resorts.

The old town, where the prices are lower even than the capital Sofia, is a collection of ski and souvenir shops with cozy, dimly lit taverns and restaurants. It is not unusual to see an entire lamb or pig roasting on a spit in front of one of the eateries.

The alternatives are the pubs, frequented by British, Irish and Greek tourists, who, together with the Russians, have until recently been the driving force of Bansko's prosperity.

Critics say Bansko was built to meet the standards of not that wealthy tourists, who do not bring lots of money to the country. As the global crisis bit, however, the number of these tourists, who out of fears for their jobs, decided to skip the holidays altogether, drastically decreased.

Bansko's long-term attraction will be limited, unless what is on offer complies with the highest standards, they say.

Bulgaria's Bansko Named World's Best Value Ski Resort, well that is good news However, cheaper is not always good - My boss went to Bansko and said it was way behind the times of the other sky resorts and quite costly too - Said they would not got back again. So guess you can't please everyone

Oddy

Bansko ski season opens December 11



The new skiing season in Bulgaria's top mountain resort of Bansko will be launched on December 11 2010 with a parallel slalom event featuring eight former ski legends, Bulgarian media reported.

The Legends Race, as the event is called, will host Marc Girardeli, Luke Alphand, Andreas Wenzel, Maria Valizer, Leopold Stock, Josef Strobl, Michael Von Groningen and Bulgaria's best ever alpine skier, 1977 European champion Petar Popangelov.

The event is scheduled for 12.30am at the Alberto Tomba slope.

To complement the race, the town hall has booked several performers from Bulgaria's Music Idol TV show, while in the central square in Bansko, local officials will be awarded with the prize "
Bansko – winter capital of the Balkans.

Emergency in Bulgaria's Bansko over Hurricane-Force Winds



A state of emergency has been declared after hurricane-like winds hit Bulgaria's biggest ski resort of Bansko on Thursday, toppling trees and roofs.

Fire brigades, police and volunteers will pool their efforts to bring the situation back to normal, the press center of the municipality announced.

The storm comes just a day after the winter resort opened its ski runs and ten days before the official inauguration of the new season, with officials promising no hikes in prices and a host of new bonuses.

Bansko, the second-cheapest resort for British skiers in the world, was recently named the winter capital on the Balkans.

The little town bordering Pirin National Park, about 160 kilometres south of Bulgaria's capital Sofia, offers a stark but nice contrast between the cobbled streets and churches of the old town and hundreds of millions of Euro's poured into hotels, ski runs and bright blue gondola bubbles in its modern part.

Supervising all this is the roughly 2,800-meter Todorka peak.

The formerly off-the-beaten-path destination has recently gone mainstream, but it is very rarely that tourists see the vistas doom-sayers warn against - construction cranes and gaudy mutrobaroque hotels, favoured by the nouveau rich and organized crime mobsters, known as mutri, with which they try to prove their wealth.

Tourists need to spend no more than 25 Euro's a night in those hotels, which exemplify Bansko's ambitions best – quite chic, but without the ridiculous attempts to be cosmopolitan often found at Bulgarian resorts.

The old town, where the prices are lower even than the capital Sofia, is a collection of ski and souvenir shops with cosy, dimly lit taverns and restaurants. The alternatives are the pubs, frequented by British, Irish and Greek tourists, who, together with the Russians, have until recently been the driving force of Bansko's prosperity.

Bansko ski season

For those of us who are eager to put on the skis and hit the slopes, the good news have finally arrived. Although snow cover is still insufficient in most ski resorts in Bulgaria, Vitosha included, the new season in the country's top mountain resort of Bansko is launched today, December 11 2010.

The traditional fanfare will be accompanied by a parallel slalom event featuring eight former ski legends, including Marc Girardeli, Luke Alphand, Andreas Wenzel, Maria Valizer, Leopold Stock, Josef Strobl, Michael Von Groningen and Bulgaria's best ever alpine skier, 1977 European champion Petar Popangelov.

The event is scheduled for 12.30am at the Alberto Tomba slope.

To complement the race, the town hall has booked several performers from Bulgaria's Music Idol TV show, while in the central square in Bansko, local officials will be awarded with the prize "
Bansko – winter capital of the Balkans"


Daily ski passes in Bansko cost 55 leva for the 'busy' period December 27 – January 14, and 50 leva for the remainder of the season.

[size=55:1ac560u6]The Mirror

Bulgaria Ski Resort Bansko Won't Break the Bank

I might have a dodgy knee, a ceramic hip and be the wrong side of 50, yet, try as I might, I can't shake off the skiing bug.

That heady mix of terror and exhilaration as you launch yourself down the mountain on two narrow strips of carbon fibre is a powerful drug.

And who couldn't be dazzled by the scenery when the sun hits those snow-covered slopes and sparkles as bright as Kate Middleton's engagement ring? Bulgaria's ski capital Bansko might not be as smart as Banff in the Canadian Rockies but for sheer value for money it takes some beating.

It's only a three-hour easy-jet flight from several UK airports and once there you'll find a huge choice of affordable accommodation.

Lift passes and equipment hire won't break the bank, and you won't choke when you pick up the bill after eating out as you do in some French ski resorts.

Ok, the range of skiing may be a bit limited for experts, but for beginners, intermediates and old crocks like me the 70km of pistes were still challenging.

And Bansko still hosts a men's World Cup downhill on an awesome black run that looks more like a cliff than a slope.

It's shut to the public two weeks before so it can be watered every day and turned into one long sheet of ice. Once the race is over, it's open again for the fittest - or should that be the most foolhardy.

Access to the slopes is via a main gondola. Queues are lengthy first thing in the morning but you're never kept waiting for long as it can cope with 2,500 skiers an hour It's a 20-minute ride so there's plenty of time to psyche yourself up for the first run of the day, or you can just sit back and take in the scenery.

A total of 185 snow-making machines make up any shortage of the white stuff and the skiing is said to be particularly good in March.

One thing Bansko isn't short of is restaurants and Molerite Mehana and Baryakova Mehana are both worth checking out.

A typical three-course Bulgarian meal with copious amounts of wine costs less than £20 a head.

Be warned, the local "
music"
groups can crank up the volume to match anything pumped out by Iron Maiden.

One of THE places on the Bansko night scene is rather oddly, The Irish Bar. A regular quiz night is a big draw and I'm proud to say our party, the easy Jetters, were the runaway winners.

According to the younger members of our group, who continued partying at the Bacardi Bar and the Oxygen Bar, our £26 winnings went a long way in rounds of beer and cocktails.

Eating and drinking on the slopes is a little dearer but still an awful lot cheaper than you expect elsewhere in Europe.

The restaurants tend to be pretty crowded, but thanks to some inside knowledge from a friendly ski instructor, we discovered the little-known Hotel Izvorite.

It can be a bit of an effort to get there when there's not much snow, but well worth the effort as you can get a slap-up lunch with wine for less than £10.

Souvenir hunters won't be disappointed in the shops. Fridge magnets that cost £6 in the French resorts are only a couple of quid here. It's also a great place to find good-value ski equipment and stylish clothing, although there are some ultra-trendy shops which are up there with Courchevel in France for prices.

After a hard day bending those knees, bargain hunting and apres skiing, it's important to have somewhere comfortable to stay.

We chose the three-star Spa Hotel Villa Roka on the outskirts of town.

It's a brisk 15-minute walk from the gondola - we left our skis and boots in the hire shop near the lift! Alternatively there's a shuttle bus which runs every 20 minutes.

It's a lovely hotel, very modern and tastefully decorated but the lighting is very subdued, even in the bathroom. I looked more like Alice Cooper after one misguided attempt to apply my make-up!

But the low lighting in the spa is just right for easing those screaming muscles in the steam room, sauna and jacuzzi.

There's even a pool for those who feel in need of a little more exercise...

What's the deal

Return flights from Gatwick to Sofia cost from £112.98 or from £103.08, Gatwick to Thessaloniki with easy Jet ([You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]).

Transfers to Bansko cost from £15pp each way, depending on how many people travel through [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] tourist information.com

A single room including breakfast, dinner and use of the spa at Spa Hotel Villa Roka, costs from £45 per night ([You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]. com).

[size=55:3jx4ysv1][You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Bulgaria skiing holiday review: Bank on Bansko for skiing



WE’RE on a plane playing the “name a famous Bulgarian” game and I am stumped.

I can think only of footballer Dimitar Berbatov, while my companion reels off a list of ­unpronounceable heroes.

But Bulgaria is fast becoming famous for its skiing, and Bansko, its largest resort, is where it’s at.

Millions of euros have been invested, and there are plans for more hotels and apartments.

We check in to a warm welcome at the Kempinski Hotel close enough to the new gondola lift station to lob a snowball at it. The six-seater bubbles whizz silently past my spacious bedroom which has a fantastic view of the peak. “See you 9.30” says Rupert our host. The first day dawns to deep blue skies and winter sunshine.

Bansko has been described by Bulgarians as a “modern fairytale” – combining beautiful scenery overlooking a traditional small town. It’s a fair description. Recently it has attracted ski legends like Italian Olympic champion Alberto Tomba. An imposing black run named after him dominates the resort.

As a confirmed coward I give it a miss this time. I’m an OK skier, but not that good.

Lunch was a bit of a scrum at one of the lower self- service restaurants, but at £5 including a beer I wasn’t complaining. After a long day working those muscles I unwound in the calming spa of the Kempinski. I’m normally no fan of spas and “wellness” areas – life’s too short – but I’m completely won over by this very stylish oasis.

It was the perfect place to plan the next event... the apres-ski. The easy-going feel to Bansko spills over to the bars and restaurants here. We kick off at the hotel’s “Sing Sing” piano bar. Next stop the Happy End Bar, followed by a traditional Bulgarian pub called the Bash Bar.

In an English-syle pub called the Lion Bar I am introduced to ­“Jager-bombers” (Jagermeister with Red Bull). I don’t remember much after that.

Bansko is “skiing on a budget”, not cheap as in nasty but cheap as in cheerful. The usual ski-trip extras such as equipment and passes also come in at a reasonable price. The massive investment has paid off.

The pistes were impressive and despite the crowds there were no long queues at the lifts.

The five-star Kempinski was a treat but there’s plenty of choice of three- and four-star hotels too, It’s a different ski experience and a different culture – next time I play the “name a famous Bulgarian” game I’ll do much better...