Bansko: slopes and ski lifts

Slopes

There are three ski zones in Bansko.

• Shiligarnik

It is the main ski zone. There are different slopes here: for beginners and expert riders. We’ll talk more about them a little later.

Several competitions of the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup will take place in this area.

• Chalin Valog

It is the lowest zone, but this fact doesn’t mean it is only for beginners. Be careful! If you get off at the first station, you’ll see only red and black pistes. Don’t go there if your ski skills are not so good.

• Bunderishka Polyana

It is suited for beginners and cross-country skiing enthusiasts.

The author of Only Dream Catchers blog notes:

There are a lot of tourists here, especially if it is a holiday. There are people on the ski slopes who take pictures of you and you can pay 10 levas (5,11 euros) to get them.

You’ll find this interactive map on the official Bansko website.

So, we’ll explain what’s what:

The blue color means easy runs. If you are a beginner, choose Plato 1, Shiligarnik 1, Shiligarnik 2, Bansko. The latter one is 6500 meters long.

Red pistes are suited for intermediate riders. If you enjoy long descent, go to Bunderishka of 4860 m. Among shorter slopes are Todorka, Stara pista, Ulen, Plato 2, Straghite, Tzarna Mogila, Chalin Valog 2.

For extreme athletes, there are only two hard pistes of black color – Chalin Valog 1 and
Alberto Tomba.

On The Culture Trip blog, Bulgarian traveler, writer, and photographer Maria Angelova tells all fans of beautiful views and hard pistes:

One of the most stunning views of Bansko is the magnificent Todorka Peak (2,746 m/9,000 ft) towering over the whole resort and visible from almost everywhere. That’s where Todorka slope starts and offers a mile of elaborate descent. You can opt for the nearby Balkaniada slope for a change – the two slopes start as one at the upper stop of Todorka Lift and then split in two only to meet again at the end.

Near the Plato slope, you’ll see Funpark and a half-pipe for snowboarders. Сross-country skiing enthusiasts will appreciate 5-kilometers pistes of Banderishka Polyana.

warns:

It is important to know that the ski area is located inside the territory of Pirin National Park, off-piste skiing and snowboarding are limited within its area and you may get a fine ticket.

The resort has a ski school and a ski kindergarten for children over 4 years old.

Ski lifts

In the morning, if you spend too much time in your hotel, you will have to stand in a very long line like this.

Keep in mind: the best time to travel to Bansko is 2 weeks after the New Year holidays and between the second week of March and the end of the season. You also can come to the ticket office at noon and buy a half-day ski pass.

The Gondola lift gets you to the last stop Banderishka Polyana in 20-25 minutes. Then you have to go to the slopes using chair lifts.

The Gondola lift from Bansko starts at 8.30 am. The last ride from the Banderishka Polyana is at 5 pm. The chair lifts run from 8.45 am to 4.15 pm.
A ticket for Bansko-Banderishka Polyana (there and back) costs 30 leva for adults and 20 leva for children from 7 to 12 years old.

warn:

This is a very important thing to know before you go skiing in Bansko. If you have not pre-purchased your lift tickets with a holiday operator then go to the gondola station the day before you plan to ski and buy them. As you cannot buy your lift tickets until the offices open at 8:30, but you will need your lift passes to get on the gondola which opens at 8 am.

To avoid the lines you should buy your passes the day before. But hold on! Turns out that for some Bulgarian reason you cannot buy your lift passes for the next day until 4 pm the day before so plan accordingly.

Ski passes

Where to buy ski passes in Bansko?

• at the ticket office of the lowest Gondola stop;
• at the Banderishka Polyana stop;
• at the hotels like Orbilux, Hotel Sport, Regnum, Zara Hotel, Lucky Bansko, Guinness, Hot Springs Medical & Spa.

You cannot buy a ski pass online but can top up it in this way. The card has your name, so you cannot give it to anyone.

An approximate cost of ski pass

The cost of ski pass has not changed for several seasons in a row but has increased sharply in 2018-2019. It can be caused by an increase in electricity prices.

• 1-day ski pass – 65 leva for adults, 45 leva for children
• 3-day ski pass – 190 leva for adults, 110 leva for children
• 6-day ski pass – 380 leva for adults, 185 leva for children

Equipment rental

In Bansko, you can rent equipment:

• in many hotels, but the choice will be limited;
• at the rental place of alpine skiing complex but the cost will be the highest among all the rental places in Bansko;
• at private rental places. A lot of them are located near the lowest station of Gondola lift and on the neighboring streets – for example, Yavor street or Naiden Gerov Street. There is a wide range of ski gear and a lot of additional services like the fitting of equipment, a drying of clothes and so forth.

To rent a set of equipment will cost from 30 to 50 leva per day.

It was a theoretical part. To learn what it looks like, watch the video of Josh Humm Rhodes: