Situated in the heart of the Rhodope Mountains, roughly three hours by car (four by bus) from Sofia, lies the winter resort of Pamporovo.
The winding downhill skiing runs on its facilities on Orpheus’s mountain, the large communications tower at the peak of the mountain, and its average of 272 sunny days per year, give a bit of an idea of what this ski resort is like.
In terms of downhill skiing, Pamporovo suits almost all ranges of ability. For beginners, the resort has several near-flat runs to start out on and then the option to work your way up to some of the longer but fairly easy hills. If you haven’t skied all that much, you’ll have no trouble fitting in – the hills were full last weekend of those who tend to use a little unconventional creativity in their approach to this sport.
More advanced skiers have a couple of options. Going down the easier runs provides the endless opportunity to play the age-old game of “dodge the unpredictable beginner” while some more challenging hills await the adventuresome – or stupid, depending on how you look at it. From my point of view – and I must (without trying to be a show-off) note that I have been skiing since I was five – the runs classified as very difficult were a little less than that. If you add in the occasional clump of rocks and large patches of ice, however, you might be able to stretch it to say the hills deserve that rating, but if there has been a lot of snow, it is pushing it a little.
Speaking of which, even with the late arrival of winter, Pamporovo was definitely fit for skiing last weekend with tons of snow and every ski run ready to be traversed. The bungy bouncing things (for lack of a better word) were also in full swing but I guess snow is not necessary needed for those. Oh yeah, the hills also looked good for those... er, wonderful people who like snowboarding.
In terms of facilities, the mountain offers a mix between older one-person chairlifts, drag lifts, and two modern high-speed chairlifts, one triple and one quad. For ski rental, 14 different places on the mountain offer a variety of different equipment and prices. I went to one of these and they told me rental would be 25 leva per day, while the place I actually rented skis, boots and poles from was 10 leva. Ski schools are not in short supply either, although it would probably be a good idea to similarly shop around.
For those who enjoy the apres-ski element a little more than the actual skiing, there’s no reason to wait for the end of the day when you get to the bottom of the mountain – there are two spots mid-mountain which offer a variety of food and drink, with seats both inside and out.
The resort also offers a kindergarten for children between five and eight.
For those worried about unexpected falls, both before going to the bar and after, the emergency ski patrol operates 24 hours a day. If you prefer to stay a little closer to sea level, Pamporovo offers 34 kilometres of cross-country skiing tracks.
On the accommodation front, the resort has 14 different two or three-star hotels, most of which provide transportation to the hills or are within walking distance of them.
Although it’s a bit of a hike to get there from Sofia, it’s well worth it – I’ll be going back.
The winding downhill skiing runs on its facilities on Orpheus’s mountain, the large communications tower at the peak of the mountain, and its average of 272 sunny days per year, give a bit of an idea of what this ski resort is like.
In terms of downhill skiing, Pamporovo suits almost all ranges of ability. For beginners, the resort has several near-flat runs to start out on and then the option to work your way up to some of the longer but fairly easy hills. If you haven’t skied all that much, you’ll have no trouble fitting in – the hills were full last weekend of those who tend to use a little unconventional creativity in their approach to this sport.
More advanced skiers have a couple of options. Going down the easier runs provides the endless opportunity to play the age-old game of “dodge the unpredictable beginner” while some more challenging hills await the adventuresome – or stupid, depending on how you look at it. From my point of view – and I must (without trying to be a show-off) note that I have been skiing since I was five – the runs classified as very difficult were a little less than that. If you add in the occasional clump of rocks and large patches of ice, however, you might be able to stretch it to say the hills deserve that rating, but if there has been a lot of snow, it is pushing it a little.
Speaking of which, even with the late arrival of winter, Pamporovo was definitely fit for skiing last weekend with tons of snow and every ski run ready to be traversed. The bungy bouncing things (for lack of a better word) were also in full swing but I guess snow is not necessary needed for those. Oh yeah, the hills also looked good for those... er, wonderful people who like snowboarding.
In terms of facilities, the mountain offers a mix between older one-person chairlifts, drag lifts, and two modern high-speed chairlifts, one triple and one quad. For ski rental, 14 different places on the mountain offer a variety of different equipment and prices. I went to one of these and they told me rental would be 25 leva per day, while the place I actually rented skis, boots and poles from was 10 leva. Ski schools are not in short supply either, although it would probably be a good idea to similarly shop around.
For those who enjoy the apres-ski element a little more than the actual skiing, there’s no reason to wait for the end of the day when you get to the bottom of the mountain – there are two spots mid-mountain which offer a variety of food and drink, with seats both inside and out.
The resort also offers a kindergarten for children between five and eight.
For those worried about unexpected falls, both before going to the bar and after, the emergency ski patrol operates 24 hours a day. If you prefer to stay a little closer to sea level, Pamporovo offers 34 kilometres of cross-country skiing tracks.
On the accommodation front, the resort has 14 different two or three-star hotels, most of which provide transportation to the hills or are within walking distance of them.
Although it’s a bit of a hike to get there from Sofia, it’s well worth it – I’ll be going back.
