BANSKO is a small mountain town at the foot of the Pirin mountain, 160 km from Sofia and 59 km from the regional centre Blagoevgrad.
If one is standing in the town square facing west, to the right one can see Rila while in the distance to the east loom the Rhodope mountains.
Unlike the other two major ski resorts, Borovets and Pamporovo, which have been specially developed as ski resorts, Bansko is a town with centuries of history.
The old houses hidden behind tall stone walls and sturdy wooden gates, the winding cobblestone streets and the looming clock tower of the Sveta Troitsa (Holy Trinity) church in the old centre of the town create an enchanting atmosphere both in summer and in winter.
According to the official historical annals, Bansko was the hometown of the monk Paisii Hilendarski, the man who in the seventeenth century wrote the Slav-Bulgarian History and marked the beginning of the Bulgarian revival.
Bansko is also the hometown of the much-revered twentieth century poet Nikola Vaptsarov, whose home has been turned into a museum.
The web site of Bansko municipality claims that it is the newest and fastest developing Bulgarian ski resort and there is considerable truth in this.
In the past 10 years Bansko has turned from a quiet mountain town into one of the major ski resorts in Bulgaria.
In summer Bansko still manages to keep the peace and quiet for which it was known previously, but in winter it turns into a bustling town full of people.
Unlike before, when it was known to be a popular place among students and young people with not much disposable income, and had a total of two hotels - Strazhite and Pirin and a few local people giving rooms for rent, now it has become a crowded resort.
In the past several years, Bansko has seen large-scale construction of new ski tracks, rope-lines and ski lifts and many new hotels and has become one of the fastest developing winter resorts.
Since my last visit there in the winter of 1998, I noted with amazement that the Dedo Pene mehana in the centre of the town has become Dedo Pene Inn and that the house in which I was usually stayed was now listed on the internet.
Being so far south within Bulgaria, Bansko is probably one of the sunniest and warmest ski resorts - the season starts in mid-December (this year the official opening would be on December 18) and ends some time in April.
Around Bansko there is a total of 14 ski tracks - five easy ones, eight medium difficult ones and one very hard.
Their total length is around 50 km. The lowest one begins at 1100 m and the highest one at 2500 m above sea level.
As of the 2003-2004 ski season the three major skiing zones, Shiligarnika, Chalin Valog and Bunderitsa were united through new lift installations. The tracks were also upgraded.
One of the tracks is fitted with lights and can be used at night.
The tracks are connected by a total of six seat lifts, 15 rope lines (including 10 children's) and one gondola lift.
There is also a skiing and snowboarding school and ski and snowboarding equipment for rent.
According to the Bansko municipality web vsite, there are seven four-star hotels with between 60 and 320 beds, 36 three-star hotels with between 10 and 160 beds and 79 two-star hotels and rooms for rent with between four and 60 beds.
According to the same website, in Bansko there are 45 mehani, 12 restaurants, 11 bars, two pizzerias, one bistro, one tea house and one confectionery shop.
Uesful websites: www.bansko.bg, www.portal.bansko.bg, www.bansko.hit.bg, www.banskobg.com, www.banskoski.com.
Near Bansko is the village of Dobrinishte, which is known among Bulgarians as a spa centre, but also offers several nice ski tracks. One is Bezbog - Govedarnika - Gotse Delchev chalet, it is 3600 m long and has a displacement of 950 m and an average slope of 22 per cent.
Another is Govedarnika - Gotse Delchev chalet for slalom and giant slalom, witch an average slope of 30 per cent.
The third one is Bezbog - Tuzlata - Gotse Delchev chalet. It is one of the longest ski tracks - 5700 m and has a seat lift, ski school for children and ski equipment for rent.
Unlike Bansko, Dobrinishte is smaller and much more peaceful. There are several family hotels. More information on the village and accommodation in it, can be found on http://dobrinishte.cbbbg.com/hotels.html - the municipality web site, which, however, is only in Bulgarian.
If one is standing in the town square facing west, to the right one can see Rila while in the distance to the east loom the Rhodope mountains.
Unlike the other two major ski resorts, Borovets and Pamporovo, which have been specially developed as ski resorts, Bansko is a town with centuries of history.
The old houses hidden behind tall stone walls and sturdy wooden gates, the winding cobblestone streets and the looming clock tower of the Sveta Troitsa (Holy Trinity) church in the old centre of the town create an enchanting atmosphere both in summer and in winter.
According to the official historical annals, Bansko was the hometown of the monk Paisii Hilendarski, the man who in the seventeenth century wrote the Slav-Bulgarian History and marked the beginning of the Bulgarian revival.
Bansko is also the hometown of the much-revered twentieth century poet Nikola Vaptsarov, whose home has been turned into a museum.
The web site of Bansko municipality claims that it is the newest and fastest developing Bulgarian ski resort and there is considerable truth in this.
In the past 10 years Bansko has turned from a quiet mountain town into one of the major ski resorts in Bulgaria.
In summer Bansko still manages to keep the peace and quiet for which it was known previously, but in winter it turns into a bustling town full of people.
Unlike before, when it was known to be a popular place among students and young people with not much disposable income, and had a total of two hotels - Strazhite and Pirin and a few local people giving rooms for rent, now it has become a crowded resort.
In the past several years, Bansko has seen large-scale construction of new ski tracks, rope-lines and ski lifts and many new hotels and has become one of the fastest developing winter resorts.
Since my last visit there in the winter of 1998, I noted with amazement that the Dedo Pene mehana in the centre of the town has become Dedo Pene Inn and that the house in which I was usually stayed was now listed on the internet.
Being so far south within Bulgaria, Bansko is probably one of the sunniest and warmest ski resorts - the season starts in mid-December (this year the official opening would be on December 18) and ends some time in April.
Around Bansko there is a total of 14 ski tracks - five easy ones, eight medium difficult ones and one very hard.
Their total length is around 50 km. The lowest one begins at 1100 m and the highest one at 2500 m above sea level.
As of the 2003-2004 ski season the three major skiing zones, Shiligarnika, Chalin Valog and Bunderitsa were united through new lift installations. The tracks were also upgraded.
One of the tracks is fitted with lights and can be used at night.
The tracks are connected by a total of six seat lifts, 15 rope lines (including 10 children's) and one gondola lift.
There is also a skiing and snowboarding school and ski and snowboarding equipment for rent.
According to the Bansko municipality web vsite, there are seven four-star hotels with between 60 and 320 beds, 36 three-star hotels with between 10 and 160 beds and 79 two-star hotels and rooms for rent with between four and 60 beds.
According to the same website, in Bansko there are 45 mehani, 12 restaurants, 11 bars, two pizzerias, one bistro, one tea house and one confectionery shop.
Uesful websites: www.bansko.bg, www.portal.bansko.bg, www.bansko.hit.bg, www.banskobg.com, www.banskoski.com.
Near Bansko is the village of Dobrinishte, which is known among Bulgarians as a spa centre, but also offers several nice ski tracks. One is Bezbog - Govedarnika - Gotse Delchev chalet, it is 3600 m long and has a displacement of 950 m and an average slope of 22 per cent.
Another is Govedarnika - Gotse Delchev chalet for slalom and giant slalom, witch an average slope of 30 per cent.
The third one is Bezbog - Tuzlata - Gotse Delchev chalet. It is one of the longest ski tracks - 5700 m and has a seat lift, ski school for children and ski equipment for rent.
Unlike Bansko, Dobrinishte is smaller and much more peaceful. There are several family hotels. More information on the village and accommodation in it, can be found on http://dobrinishte.cbbbg.com/hotels.html - the municipality web site, which, however, is only in Bulgarian.
