THE Orbita Ski School at Aleko has extended its headquarters on Mount Vitosha and added a “ski/fly” option to their extensive range of lessons and courses - this includes all forms of skiing and snowboarding, from beginner’s level to extreme. The school employs English, French and Russian speaking instructors with a vast range of experience, who all adhere to the motto of owner Ivan Iliev, “Safety and Fun.”
Orbita has a long history and has become an established ski school on Vitosha. Under Communist rule, winter sports were part of the Young People’s Sport and Leisure Organisation. The early ‘90s brought about changes that were accelerated by privatisation, allowing the Independent Ski School Orbita to come into existence. Instructors Atanas Georgiev, Boian Komandarev, and Peter Encev, not only combine for 36 years of ski instruction between them, but they are also second generation ski specialists – their parents were some of the founders of modern Bulgarian Skiing. Boian also helped create the pistes and ski lifts on the mountain.
Nikki Robev, a graduate of the Bulgarian Institute for Sport, and Nikolai Shirokov, an instructor with 12 years of experience, round out the Orbita team. They have been joined this year by Yavor Monev – a paragliding expert and instructor – allowing clients the opportunity to combine flight with their skiing experience.
First-time flyers can “parapent,” or run off the mountain attached to a big wing and, perhaps more importantly, the instructor! Clients assume control of the brakes, which guide the wing as they soar through the sky. More experienced flyers have the option of paragliding by themselves. Tailor-made packages that combine skiing and flying are also available.
Orbita’s White School, serving most of Bulgaria’s ski resorts, offers children the opportunity to learn how to ski. Also, five-day courses for skiers of all skill levels are held every week, with service increasing during school holidays. Instruction, equipment and a bus from Sofia are all included in the package.
But perhaps the best quality Iliev’s Orbita team possesses is their friendly attitude. And, thankfully, they also provide light refreshments in their hut, to help restore energy after you’ve finally pulled those boots off at the end of a hard day of skiing!
Contacts: Ivan Iliev – Bulgarian/French speaking – phone/fax: 02 980 9191, Cell phone 088 450778 Nikki Shirokov – Bulgarian/English speaking – Phone: 088 418374
Orbita has a long history and has become an established ski school on Vitosha. Under Communist rule, winter sports were part of the Young People’s Sport and Leisure Organisation. The early ‘90s brought about changes that were accelerated by privatisation, allowing the Independent Ski School Orbita to come into existence. Instructors Atanas Georgiev, Boian Komandarev, and Peter Encev, not only combine for 36 years of ski instruction between them, but they are also second generation ski specialists – their parents were some of the founders of modern Bulgarian Skiing. Boian also helped create the pistes and ski lifts on the mountain.
Nikki Robev, a graduate of the Bulgarian Institute for Sport, and Nikolai Shirokov, an instructor with 12 years of experience, round out the Orbita team. They have been joined this year by Yavor Monev – a paragliding expert and instructor – allowing clients the opportunity to combine flight with their skiing experience.
First-time flyers can “parapent,” or run off the mountain attached to a big wing and, perhaps more importantly, the instructor! Clients assume control of the brakes, which guide the wing as they soar through the sky. More experienced flyers have the option of paragliding by themselves. Tailor-made packages that combine skiing and flying are also available.
Orbita’s White School, serving most of Bulgaria’s ski resorts, offers children the opportunity to learn how to ski. Also, five-day courses for skiers of all skill levels are held every week, with service increasing during school holidays. Instruction, equipment and a bus from Sofia are all included in the package.
But perhaps the best quality Iliev’s Orbita team possesses is their friendly attitude. And, thankfully, they also provide light refreshments in their hut, to help restore energy after you’ve finally pulled those boots off at the end of a hard day of skiing!
Contacts: Ivan Iliev – Bulgarian/French speaking – phone/fax: 02 980 9191, Cell phone 088 450778 Nikki Shirokov – Bulgarian/English speaking – Phone: 088 418374
