When it comes to skiing, four destinations in Bulgaria attract the most attention. While Borovets, Pamporovo and Bansko are usually considered as "the place" to ski in Bulgaria, the fourth one, Vitosha near Sofia, is gaining quickly in offering winter sport fans the opportunity to ski just five km from their homes.

Borovets, Rila Mountain
The oldest Bulgarian winter resort, Borovets, was established in 1896. Today, it is one of the country's biggest and most modern ski resorts. It lies on the northern slopes of the Musala ridge in the eastern part of Rila Mountain. Surrounded by venerable pine woods about 1390m above sea level - and with the highest pistes at 2600m - it's a breathtaking resort. Borovets is an excellent place to visit both in summer and winter, offering excellent potential for mountain climbing, hiking and skiing. And Rila - meaning the water mountain - is littered with hundreds of enchanting lakes.

Bulgarian ski facilities are the most advanced in the Balkan Peninsula by far. Borovets has 45km of runs, suited to different proficiency levels, and the length of pistes are grouped in three adjacent regions: the Sitnyakovo - Martinovi Baraki - pistes; the Markoudjik - the four highest pistes, immediately beneath the Musala Summit and Yastrebets - three pistes that run down to Borovets itself.

Yastrebets' pistes are the most demanding and are the venue for professional international competitions. Markoudjik's pistes are the resort's highest, immediately under the Musala summit, which, at 2925m, is the highest in South Eastern Europe. The resort regularly hosts various winter sports competitions. It has twice hosted World Cup competitions in Alpine skiing, and its current biathlon track is one of Europe's best.

Borovets is a typical modern ski resort with luxury hotels, restaurants, discos, shops and boutiques. Predominantly an Alpine type resort, it has excellent conditions for snow sports in winter. Skiing, night-skiing, snowboarding, cross-country skiing, ski jumps and biathlons are all available here. What's more, along with Bansko, Borovets has one of the longest seasons in the country, running from December until May. Ski runs are available for beginners, intermediate and advanced skiers, designed with international markings and multilingual signs.

Pistes are bashed and maintained throughout the season.

For those interested but without equipment, ski and snowboard rental services are littered around the Gondola lift station. For further contacts, you may dial the following numbers: +359 7128/ 2450; +359 48/ 1841; +359 88/ 1473.

While in the town itself, visitors can enjoy the many bars, cafes, nightclubs, and discos. With a buzzing nightlife - Buzz bar, Mamacitas, Bonkers disco - the resort is renowned not only for its high-quality skiing facilities but also for its hospitality.

First time visitors to Rila are strongly encouraged to visit the famous Rila Monastery, an iconic monastery high in the mountain of enormous significance for Bulgarian history and culture through the ages. Another place of interest is Tsarska Bistritsa, just 10 minutes' walk from the resort centre.

The emergency ski patrol and mountain rescue service is available 24 hours a day. Ambulance and clinic are available, as well as first aid patrols serving all ski slopes.

Pamporovo, Rhodope Mountain
Pamporovo, in the Rhodope Mountains, is another of Bulgaria's massive ski resorts. At 1620m above sea level, with the highest skiing area at 1937m, it boasts five chair lifts and nine drag lifts. It has capacity for 8600 people an hour and more than 30km of ski runs.

Pamporovo also has facilities for varying levels of proficiency. Most tracks start from Snezhanka summit and head towards the resort. Extreme, hard, intermediate and easy slopes are all available. Furthermore, three cross-country runs criss-cross the resort, with a total length of about 40km.

Beginners can start with the Pamporovo ski school. Starting on the nursery slopes, after a few days you will be able to venture onto higher ski runs. The total length of ski runs suitable for intermediates is about 20km. These skiers can jump on the triple chairlift from the Malina station going to the top of Snezhanka peak. Alternatively, a chair lift ascends to the middle station, from where a new larger lift takes you to the summit.

Advanced skiers can jump on the drag lift from the middle station which runs up the side of The Wall - an extremely hard section for very advanced skiers. It's the most difficult ski run in the resort. The other difficult piste starts from the monstrous TV tower at the summit. Those hard runs, labelled "black" - or very hard, are called the Snezhanka.

Ski patrols and mountain rescue service operate 24 hours a day to ensure skiers' security. A ski kindergarten runs from 8.30am to 5pm.

Bansko, Pirin Mountain
Bansko is now one of the best - if not the best - and most modern ski resort in south-eastern Europe. During recent years a multi-million euro investment in a brand new skiing area has helped to expand and modernise the facilities. Bansko has the best snow record in the country and the longest ski season (December 10 to May 20). Recently, the town has spawned new hotels and resort facilities. A brand new resort area with super luxury hotels and holiday apartments is being developed just opposite the Gondola lift. Bansko will be the resort with the most luxury hotels, bars and discos in Bulgaria -not necessarily ideal for those preferring a quieter holiday, of course.

The town of Bansko is nearby, on the river Glazane in the north-eastern foot part of Pirin, right at the foot of the two monsters of Pirin Mountain - Vihren summit at 2914m and Kutelo summit, at 2908m. The two peaks loom over Bansko, making for a truly mesmerising sight.

The town itself is 925m above sea level, its skiing area between 2000-2600m. The Pirin Mountain with its rugged, aggressive and hostile appearance is the most Alpine in the country. Ski pistes are in two main ski centres: Chalin Valog at 1100-1600m and Shiligarnika at 1700-2500m. At 10 km above Bansko on the northern slopes of Pirin, they are easily accessible via a 25-minute ride on the new Gondola lift that starts from Bansko itself. Bansko has an immense ski run network spanning more than 70km.

Techno alpine snow cannons cover most of the slopes and make the ski season last longer even when the milder spring months arrive. Kassbohrer slope maintenance vehicles supervise the pistes through the season. The resort has slopes for all levels- from advanced to very easy.

Snowboarders can enjoy the first ever Balkan fun park, which draws practitioners from all around the world. They can build jumps to suit all tastes and abilities.

The lift and piste operators in Bansko are spacious and ultra-modern. The large eight-seat Gondola cabin lift by Dopplemayer, five high speed quads of the latest Doppelmayer models, one three-seat lift by Poma, seven drags and 10 baby drags. The total length of the lift equipment in the resort is 26km. All ski equipment can be used by one chip-card from SkiData.

Bansko is a unique combination of an ultra modern ski resort and a very old and picturesque Bulgarian town on one side with luxury hotels, bars and restaurants built on the other. It's full of history, traditions and beautiful old architecture. Traditional Bansko taverns or Mehana will offer tourists a unique local atmosphere with their local cuisine and good selection of Bulgarian wines.

More than 120 cultural and historical monuments can be explored around the town when you get sore legs from skiing and mountain climbing. Various souvenir shops offer works by local artists and smiths.

There are also the remains of an ancient fortress in the Staroto Gradishte site, just four km west of the town. Furthermore, in the nearby Staroto Gradishte site, there are Thracian mound hills.

National Park Pirin is included in the UNESCO list for cultural and natural sightseeing. The park is rich with lakes, waterfalls, caves, venerable trees and historic sites. Bansko, together with Dobrinishte, is also famous for its local mineral springs, the reserve Bayuvi Doupki-Djindjiritsa.

Ski patrols and mountain rescue patrols operate 24 hours a day. Ambulance and clinic are available, as well as first aid on all ski slopes. Fully equipped and functioning hospitals are available in the resort.

Vitosha Mountain, Sofia
What other European capital boasts a prominent mountain at its back door? Like all mountains in Bulgaria, Vitosha offers a wide variety of recreations: hiking, rock climbing, vast caves systems, waterfalls, extreme mountain climbing and, of course, skiing.

Skiing conditions in Vitosha are excellent, with an extensive network of ski runs and lifts. Sadly, their development has come at the cost of the demolition of whole areas of forestry. A cluster of four new high-class hotels offer comfort and entertainment to visitors. The hotels are on the forestry fringe, near natural ski slopes, ski runs and lifts. Restaurants, bars and nightclubs, a tavern, a ski bar and tea shops are also available to entertain and reinvigorate the weary skier. The upper class Sofia suburbs of Boyana, Simeonovo and Dragalevtsi offer proximity to "the city" while you're actually in the mountain.

Vitosha is further north than Rila, Pirin and the Rhodopes and has snow from early December. Skiing can last well into May. Snow cover averages 1.5m but in places it can be well above three m and there are sections of the mountain (as in all other Bulgarian mountains) prone to avalanches.

The average temperature on Vitosha during winter is about -10C, with occasional extremes of -30C.

The ski runs and tracks, most of which are on the open slopes, high above the forest, are suitable for both beginners and experts, with certain slopes being considered "black", or extreme, only suitable for experienced skiers. The steep slopes immediately under the summit Cherni Vruh pose a challenge for many a champion. Those slopes are called Stenata (The Wall) and for a good reason. They are not for the faint-hearted.

Excellent conditions abound for slalom and cross-country skiing, as well as hiking, climbing, rock climbing, cave exploring and others. The resort has eight ski runs, two of which have been approved by the International Skiing Federation for international competitions in Alpine disciplines and cross-country skiing. Ski runs are maintained in a perfect condition throughout the winter. Machinery for tramping the runs and artificial snow installations is always present and constantly deployed during the day. Sometimes, one section of the run will be worked on while skiers enjoy the adjacent run.

Vitosha Mountain has the oldest skiing school in Bulgaria, the first ever created. Enjoying an excellent reputation and established traditions, the school can kick anyone into shape and release them on the slopes within a week. The school staff comprises 40 skiing instructors, all fluent in different languages, who are there to help the novice and the advanced skier. Classes cater to five difficulty levels, from A to E - in groups or individually and vary in duration, with the opportunity for recording your first and last skiing lesson on video. Cross-country skiing graduates receive skiing certificates.

For those interested in testing the delights of Vitosha Mountain but lacking the necessary kit, the Vitosha ski schools can equip with all you need.

The Vitosha Ski Patrol and the Vitosha Mountain Rescue patrol offers round-the-clock, 24-hour emergency service and is fully equipped with all the necessary equipment.It is based at Cherni Vruh peak and Aleko Lodge.