first skiing holiday

Tony_H wrote:

Canny wrote:Hello

I'm new to this and new to skiing. Not sure if it's considered poor etiquette to hijack someone else's query?

I'm also on my first skiing holiday and I'm looking to go to Bulgaria with my girlfriend. We'd have to hire everything and I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations on places to stay or packages that include accommodation and ski/snowboard hire?

Cheers
Canny

Hi Canny

If you are new to skiing, can I ask why you are looking to go to Bulgaria? You will find other countries with much more to offer at similar prices for a weeks skiing, where your experience would be much nicer. Its fine if you like beggars and dodgy gear though.

I could not agree more and people on this site can help. Do not go to bulgaria for your first trip (although I haven't actually been there so perhaps it is not fair for me to comment but one of my best friends (a great skier) is from Czech Republic and will not go skiing anywhere in Eastern Europe now that she has discovered France and Austria.... when will switzerland get cheap.. if the euro keeps going this way, hopefully sooner than I think. We all want to ski Switzerland.

PS, I meant to say, when will the euro get so bad that Switzerland looks cheap? I can't wait.

Hi canny.

My advice is DO NOT go to Bulgaria! I have been to several resorts in Europe and North America. Bulgaria was the worst ski holiday by far. The ski schools do not live up to their reputation at all. The pistes are badly signposted and not suitable for beginners, (it is necessary to ski part blue to get on a green - My husband who is a low intermeiate broke his collar bone because he ended up on a black by accident due to lack of signposting and his skis were not set correctly and did not come off when he fell. Equipment is dated (about 15-20 years out of date in fact)and poorly maintained, the locals are continually trying to rip off the tourists, (£2.00 for a mars bar on the mountain! and no one has ever got any change)

Aside of all that the town (in my case Borovets)was dirty and there was a severe lack of respect for health and safety. Streets are like ice skating rinks (even around the health center)

Hotel food is poor...have not met anyone who has said anything good about the food in any of the hotels.

While we were there My mobile phone was stolen and I was witness to other tourists finding that there ski's had been stolen from outside cafe/bars. A friend in our party had phone nd camera and money taken off him by a bouncer and when he asked for them back the bouncer denied having them.

One mountain was closed for at least 3 out of the 7 days we were there so the the only pistes open were overcrowded with extremely long lift queues (2hrs. The usual waiting time in the morning was about an hour. I was lucky to be able to get a taxi to midstation where I could get a chair and ski red and blacks but the beginners had to wait in the queues :shock:

I'm trying to think of a positive...but I can't.

Go to Austria

I have around 80 weeks of skiing under my planks. Been mostly to resorts in Europe and the US. I spent a week in Pamporovo many years ago. The food was good, the tuition was excellent, and the hire kit was of good quality. The snow was rather icy though. It was cheap, and no-one ripped me off or stole my kit.
:-)

snowb4ndit wrote:
One mountain was closed for at least 3 out of the 7 days we were there so the the only pistes open were overcrowded with extremely long lift queues (2hrs) I was lucky to be able to get a taxi to midstation where I could get a chair and ski red and blacks but the beginners had to wait in the queu :wink:s. :)

snowb4ndit, Which midstation is accessible via taxi? The mountain infront of the Rila or the one on the righthand side, the higher one?

The one in front of the Samakov hotel - the higher one. You can get a taxi outside there as well. (It cost about 15 levs in Feb of this year.)

I too went to Bulgaria many years ago and had a fab time with no complaints. Unfortunately this year when I went it was exactly as I've already described. Nearing the end of last season there were many others complaining about the same things on the 'Bulgaria Ski' website/forum.

I really don't think it's a good place for a beginner, of course that is my opinion and I really don't wish to offend anyone who thinks otherwise. :)

I'm not sure you can reach the midstation of the higher mountain by taxi certainly not a car in the winter, maybe a ski-doo taxi.

I agree with you about it not being that good for total beginners because the nursery slopes are almost flat then there's a big gradient increase to the next easiest slopes. The green pathway on the Rila side doesn't count as proper piste and the Mussala pathway on the higher mountain is marked as a green but parts of it are steepish blue in gradient like that short s-shaped bend. However the Mussala pathway is fun to ski due to it's length and the scenery.

My mistake...The taxi does not take you to mid station it takes you to the new 4-man lift (where the old T-bar used to be) you can jump the queue and either ski down from there or ski down about 100m to the Mid station and take the gondola up from there.