Ivan Obreikov is director of the ski centre at Bansko and chief of facilities of Ulen AD, the concessionaire of all things ski in the resort town. In other words, Obreikov, himself an avid skier since his youth, holds the fate of Bansko in his glove, and holds it skilfully.

Since Ulen (pronounced “yulen”) obtained its 30-year concession in 2003, it has been working hard to make Bansko known worldwide. And with its 65km of pistes of varying degrees of difficulty, from baby slopes to extreme (up from 10-12km only three years ago); all-new gondola cable car and lifts by Doppelmayr and Poma; SkiData chip-card lift access; 11 restaurants, cafes and bars on the mountain; 12 Kassbohrer snow cats; 53 locomotive TechnoAlpine snow cannons with an underground piping network of 25km; bi-weekly night skiing; professional ski school with more than 130 multi-lingual instructors; heli-ski options; location in an historic Bulgarian museum-town; and annual mid-December season-opening ceremony (party!), there’s no reason why it shouldn’t be.

Obreikov explained to Time for Travel that to help Bansko achieve its goal, the resort has had representation for the past three years at the London Ski and Snowboard Show and it invites journalists from abroad to discover its appeal.

It’s working. Companies have been choosing Bansko as the place to unveil and promote their new products. For example, in the 2005/2006 season, a delegation of 120 resort operators and managers from Austria came, and fully approved, and the Italian company TechnoAlpine designated Bansko as the location for its latest product unveiling. Oh, and Bansko’s equipment - lifts, snow cats, snow cannons and so on? The oldest of it dates to the far-off year of... 2003.

Reception has been very positive. “We can’t stop the clients from coming,” Obreikov said. Most are under 60, with the majority being younger, or families. It’s divided about 50-50 between skiers and snowboarders. The largest percentage of visitors comes from Great Britain, he said.

The resort has also hosted production of extreme skiing film companies, such as Warren Miller and Teton Gravity Research (TGR).

For those who have the penchant for altitude - Bansko’s Pirin Mountain peaks surpass 2900m - Ulen also allows the possibility of renting a helicopter for heli-ski. “The helicopter takes a group to where there are no pistes. In Pirin, there are many such beautiful places - off-track powder places. It’s amazing,” Obreikov said. One hour costs about 1300 euro, and “we had a lot of people wanting to do it last year”.

As director and chief of facilities, he goes skiing every day of the season. “I have to make sure that things are in line. Last year I broke my leg, but I still kept going,” he said.
Bansko’s alluring pistes draw both advanced and novices. For the latter, Ulen Ski and Snowboard School offers group and individual instruction based on the learner’s - or perfector’s - needs. All instructors are highly qualified and trained, going through a pre-season training course themselves before taking on students, and prices are competitive.

When a student rents ski or snowboard gear (all new equipment from Atomic and Salomon, at that), he or she also receives a 25 per cent reduction on lift tickets for the corresponding number of days.

The school offers instruction for all ages, showing a particular fondness for children. The children’s school takes tots from three-and-a-half years old. To encourage learning, there are three baby drags, a Wonder Carpets baby track and a kinder carousel. When knackered, there is a fun room with games and lunch.

“The future will be beautiful,” said Obreikov. “Bulgaria is one of the most desirable destinations. People come back year after year.”