A am not sure whether I first learned to ski or to walk.” So says Irina Tzoneva, interviewed by Time for Travel about her passion for Bulgaria’s mountain ski resorts.
A reporter at Bulgarian National Television and a popular TV face, she comes from a family of keen skiers - everyone except her mother relishes time on the slopes. Today she races with her husband and with her cousin Dimitar Tzonev, another well-known Bulgarian personality who currently heads up Vivatel’s PR operation.
Without any hesitation, Tzoneva puts Pirin mountain and Bansko on top of her list of Bulgarian ski resorts. Her word carries weight, because she has tried almost every slope in Bulgaria, especially the other two main ski resorts Borovets and Pamporovo.
Her main reasons for choosing Bansko are the new slopes in the resort which “are kept in perfect condition throughout the whole season”, the new facilities-lifts, drags and so on, and last but not least her beloved taverns.
“At the end a ski experience to me is all about ski runs and taverns” she smiles.
When Tzoneva compares Borovets and Pamporovo to Bansko, she does not want to hide the fact that she is not partial to Borovets.
“First in Bansko they have so many snow machines which can create snow even when there is not enough snow on the runs. In Borovets, even if the snow is enough, the slopes themselves are not made well in the first place and you can see all the small and tiny rocks which start to show underneath the snow which makes the skiing very unpleasant”.
“Bansko is a world class ski resort,” she says. Some might say that it has become too crowded with the latest developments and the numerous newly built hotels some of which are still under construction. “Do not worry,” Tzoneva says, “you would not feel that the place is overcrowded because so many lifts have been built, and queueing is out of the question”.
The best time to visit Bansko is during the week, she says.
“It is marvellous, you can find yourself alone on the ski runs, which is a magnificent feeling,” she smiles again.
As to guesthouses and hotels, her favourites are Chateux Vaptsarov and the luxurious Kempinski Hotel Grand Arena Bansko. A reservation, however, is absolutely mandatory, she advises. The best option for making reservations, according to Tzoneva, is to book a place at the beginning of the week if you want to spend the weekend in Bansko.
The taverns in the small town are a must, she enthuses. Motikata (The Hoe) wins first place because of its tasty food. Her other favourite taverns are Hadzhi Georgi and Molerovata Kushta (Molerov’s House).
Her favourite slopes in Borovets are Yastrebets 1 and Yastrebets 2. “I only ski on these two runs when I’m in Borovets”.
However Tzoneva still skis in Borovets when she wants the option of night skiing, which she describes as the resort’s main advantage. Night skiing there is very popular among Sofians precisely because Borovets is so close to the city. “It is very romantic and everyone should try it.”
Tzoneva also likes Pamporovo. She prefers to ski on the slopes in Mechi Chal area next to the small town of Chepelare only seven km away from Pamporovo.
“The track is very long and beautiful and this last season the maintenance was just perfect”. The only downside is that the lift is very old and runs very slowly.
And if you think that Tzoneva is biased about Bansko and Bulgaria, bear in mind that she has a lot of experience skiing on international ski runs.
“I have skied in the US in Squal Valley in California, in Germany’s Garmish-Partenkirchen, as well as in Austria, and I can say that Bansko is not a step behind”.
