Bulgaria any experiences? (primarilly snowboarding but biking also)

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May 23, 2012, 04:15:23 AM

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[iain1775]

Totally off topic, not biking and not Commencal so appologies for that but Im off to Bansko boarding in a couple of weeks
Know a few of you are boarders/skiers so was wondering if anyone here had been or knew what it was like?

Is a few years since I last went properly although have been to Tamworth a few times recently and Xscape in Castleford on Saturday where I felt I was doing quite well picking it up again and now Im ready to rip!!

Off with the missus, it will be her first time although she has just 'graduated' from lessons at Xscape so can at least stand up and link turns, and a few mates - two of the girls are decent skiers and my other mate who is a first time boarder as well.
Probably means I will spend a fair bit of time on my own while my missus and mate have soem lessons ansd the skiiers go off doing their own thing so Im hoping to get some practise in and maybe try a few tricks when no-one is watching .
Seen some utube vids and know there is a bit of a snowboard park and seems to be a fair bit of off piste but know nothing else about the resort so anyone else recommend anything? (- tripadvisor is not massively useful, just the usual mixed bag of it's great/it's shite comments)

At £450 for a week all half board in a 4* spa hotel it is really just a pretty cheap holiday and any decent snowboarding is a bonus!

decent vid - http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=eZrpPBP3cOc or http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=bdMpdjmJi8E

back on a biking theme I reckon it could be a decent cheap place in the summer too, anyone know if anything is developed to support bikers out there?

[smoggy]

Evening Iain,

Never been to Bulgaria but I've just booked up with a few of the lads I went to Morzine with last summer. Going to Bansko on the 31st Jan. The ski area doesn't seem too massive compared to some of the resorts in France but I'm hoping it'll be a hidden gem. By the sounds of it you may be staying in the same hotel (Katarina me thinks).

Which week are you going out? If it's the same week we'll have to meet up and discuss the finer points of Commencals.

Stu

[bong69uk]

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo. i just wrote a HUGE reply to you guys on this,but the forum didnt like my vid i was trying to upload so i lost the whole post!!! Damn damn damn!

i will re-write it 2moro for ya!

But basically im the man with all the info you guys want on Bankso,i was there in April 07 and loved every min of it(so much so i was looking to buy a pad there)

[bong69uk]

Right so i will give this post another go :

Ok so i was there in 07 at the end of the season and i loved it...ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT! we got a huge dump of fresh snow the night we arrived,so for my well earned 1st ride of the hill i had 2ft of lush powder. (see attached pix of the trees etc).
The pistes are enough to keep you busy for around 4days of boarding,but there are plenty of sweet tree lines to be found and lots more off piste,i was still finding fresh tracks on the last day of my stay!

The place is super cool,even tho it was a building site when i was there. Plenty of cool hangouts for off the hill action,i loved a place called Friendlies (its at the top end of the town bout 5mins walk from the gondola station,def worth a check out,it has good grub and when i was over a band called The Snowdogs (if they are there when either of u guys go tell Grishi,that mark the crazy scottish guy who loved greenday, said hi) played each night and kept us all dancing and singing (i had them playing Greenday songs all the time,but they did a kick ass version of the Proclaimers even though they hardly spoke much english they still managed it in a scottish accent which i thought was cool). Another cool bar was one called Diamonds,but this is quite a bit down the road towards the other end of town(i was staying at Hotel Bansko so it was down my way),the bar staff were cool and i got free drink in there all night and the manager took us out and showed us the local nightclubs (and girls  ) . There is a nightclub under the hotel lion which is good for a blast. But if Apres ski is more your thing then the Bar at the gondola base station is defo where to head (i think its called the Happyend pub ).

As for your hotel being a bit away from the gondola,i wouldnt worry bout that,cos when i was there they ran Free buses from your hotel in the mornings and picked you back up in the afternoon/eve. But it aint too bad a walk if u are like me and become too hungover to make it up in time for the bus runs,just grab a few bottles of beer on your way out the hotel and Drink away your hangover 

If you have any more questions just ask me, oh and be warned...the drink is dangerously cheap  ,i only took the equivalent of £20 out with me each night and that bought me dinner in a reasonable restaurant and got me bladdered,lol. 

[bong69uk]

Just to note,im not in those pics,the people are just randoms(looking a bit goofy,lol) and they were taken on like the 3rd day of my stay.

[smoggy]

We probably fly back out the day you arrive so we will probably just miss each other - what time you land? We fly back to Manchester sometime late afternoon/early evening. We will probably cross each other at the airport!!

We fly out from Manchester about 3pm so you must be taking our bird back home. Shame we are not out the same week. Will appreciate any hidden spots you stumble accross + a hands on snow report.

Bong69uk, thanks for your advice, we'll definately try those bars (plus some). How long is the transfer from the airport (not Sophia, the other one)?

This website is full of helpful tips and advice. I bet I could even get wallpapering advice 

[bong69uk]

Yeah its around 3.5hrs,but may be longer if the roads arent clear,we took over 4hours but the bus stopped off halfway so wwe could buy some ridiculously cheap beer,so it was all good. Also gave me a chance to spraff to the others on the bus,which was handy for finding out sweet off piste spots and cos my mate bust his wrist on the 4th day so i would have boarding alone if it wasnt for the fact beer makes me talk too much and i ended making pals with every1 on our bus   
I never had any probs with gondola queues,but mind u 06/07 season was the year that bansko started to only just get put on the map,it was 08 when every1 started to go.

and the same goes for the taxis,i found them to be cool,just dont take any shit and make sure they know u aint any pussy tourist who doesnt know much better. (mind u i spent a bit of time with locals (the band and bar staff,so we defo didnt get shafted) but if they do try to be wide,just get a group of ya in the taxi and split it. Oh if u tip well,then the guy might feel less obliged to bump up the price,try get the same guys number to use for ure whole hols.

[smoggy]

Cheers guys, looks like it should be a good week (10 days and counting)

Iain, thanks for that brochure (haven't got past the 24 hour opening of some of the pubs - oh joy)

[Steve P]

So,  How did it go?
Trip report?

[Steve P]

Shame I hurt my rib (suspected cracked) on 1st run down on 1st day! and the wife fractured and dislocated her wrist on 3rd day of 6!!

Bloody Hell!  Last year I fell on 1st run on 1st day  (skiid over the bale on my pole in poor vis ). Faceplanted and the small digicamera in my chest pocket dug in & damaged a rib.  Ribs really hurt, don't they? It affected my skiing for the next 2 days until I pulled a calf muscle & couldn't ski any more.

Sounds like you still had a good time though  .  Might be worth considering for a cheap trip away...

[smoggy]

I'll backup everything Iain said. Fantastic place especially for the price we paid (and the hotel was something special - I don't think I'll stay anywhere near that quality in a ski resort again).

Caught the Snowdogs on the last night too who were pretty impressive and managed to find a bar that sold 500ml 5.5% quality lager for 75p  I'll try and get some pics up soon 2.

Found out that there is MTBing to be had there in the Summer but nothing for those that prefer the Morzinesque bike parks. Still possibly worth a look for a cheap and natural riding hol.

Overview

Advantages - cheap hol, cheap beer, excellent accommodation & beautiful girls everywhere 

Disadvantages - everyone is a serial chain smoker. How they live past 18 is a mystery.

I now need some advice on my next trip (I'll setup a new discussion for that)

Later,

Stu

[smoggy]

Did you get in the gondola with the Commencal superteam sticker on the window

Sorry Iain, missed that one. I was always half asleep getting the Gondola up in the morning (especially after leaving the night club at 5am a couple of times).

....but me and my 4 female strong posse left before you landed

How did you manage to go with 4 young ladies? All I got was 7 hairy arsed blokes 

[bong69uk]

Sounds like u had a top time guys,did any of u say hi to the snowdogs for me? i was speaking to one of the guys the other day via email,they are cool blokes,hopefully they are coming to edinburgh one year soon and will be staying at Maison Bong! 

Iain,so what boarding kit u got? I got a Bataleon Goliath board with a sweet set of T9 team Pros,that mean anything to u? 

[bong69uk]

good idea,but i wouldnt leave it too late cos they sell out of the good sized kit pretty fast! but you could do my old sneeky idea,go in to TSA and demo some kit then source it online and buy it cheaper that way    . i get quite a good use out my boarding kit,i didnt use it much last season,but so far this season i have notched up 3wknds up north already as wellas nmerous visits to xscape for freestyle nights and its still early doors yet! Granted i dont use my board as much as my bike,but my board and bindings only came to £600 when my absolut cost that let alone the mini dh costing over 3times that again,so i reckon i get my monies worth! 

[Steve P]

Tamworth can't be that far from you?