#bankso

There are few things that bring me joy like skiing does – the addicting rush of the cold wind, the burn in my legs as I battle with mother nature and the breath-taking views only possible by sitting on the side of a mountain 2600m above sea level. Whilst the world enters a blind panic surrounding this new strain of flu, there is not a worry in my mind - staring at the natural beauty of the Balkan Mountains will do that for anyone. Of course, all is not perfect in the mountain town of Bansko, but I’ll get to that later. First, the good bits.

The Skiing

Bansko offers a wide variety of different slopes, with the easy blue pistes stretching from the very top of the mountain all the way bottom of the gondola. I am not sure if there are no green pistes on this mountain or if they simply use the blue/red/black system, as the blue pistes seemed to vary in difficulty from tame to punishing for rookies. If you are skiing for the first time, Bansko will be able to provide you with a challenge all the way through your learning.

For the experienced skier, Bansko has a variety of different red and black pistes to challenge yourself against. My recommendation has to be piste 15. This piste is away from the main hub of the resort, so to get there you’ll have to take a long but rapid blue piste down to a bar at the bottom of a ski lift (this path down the mountain acts as a nice warm up before the real challenge).

A thrilling and tricky black piste lies ahead of you which will probably surprise you the first time you descend it leads into an almost 2km high speed red piste where you can really test your top speed. Those who really want to push themselves can try to take on the professional level slalom slope that is the centerpiece of the mountain.

In summary, the slopes are more than enough to keep all levels of skier stimulated and entertained. The rookies will be able to learn, and the veterans will be able to push themselves.

The Location

It takes just over two hours to go from Sofia airport to Bansko, and the views going from underwhelming near the city to stunning in the mountains. The town of Bansko is not much of a looker, however, as large amounts of the town are in varying states of disrepair. All of that is forgotten when you reach the top of the mountain. This vantage point shows off the mountain ranges that surround the valley in which Bansko is found.

When I made it up to the top of the mountain for the first time, it was around midday, and I was hungry. There was a brutal 20 meter climb between the ski lift and the highest point on the mountain, but it was definitely worth it. Sat there with my sandwich in hand, staring out at the picturesque mountains I felt truly content. There is no doubt that the natural side of Bansko is gorgeous, but the town is yet to catch up to it.

The Food

Well, it was terrible. Every restaurant felt like an episode of Kitchen Nightmares. How you can fuck up basic barbecue or pizzas is beyond me. Especially if that is all you serve. I went out the Bansko with two vegetarian friends and they had a nightmarish time finding food that was actually edible. One restaurant served a stuffed and baked aubergine, which sounded like a good dish. What came out from the kitchen, however, was a squishy, grey, rancid tasting mess of gloop that wouldn’t be fit for pigs. Meat was never well seasoned or cooked properly (always way over) so the only option was to eat sandwiches and pizzas. Even those were hit or miss, with half of the sandwiches having no condiments and all the pizzas having soft bases with bland toppings.

The Alcohol

Cheep booze is one of the first reasons people will give to spend their holidays in eastern Europe. This held true for the most part, with supermarkets selling half liter cans of beer for less than a pound. Disappointingly, the bars and clubs on the high street were considerably more expensive, looking to make the most of the partying tourists. However, if you stray away from the high street, you’ll find the less pretentious but cheaper establishments where you can drink your fill.

The Nightlife

In the span of one evening on the town, we were offered entry and free drinks at 5 different “exotic” bars. Considering we only spent about 20 minutes outside of the bars we actually wanted to frequent, this is quite the statistic. The actual nightclubs we managed to find were rather small and empty, but this was almost to be expected seeing as it was the end of the season. The good pubs and bars were able to draw in decent crowds without needing external promoters, so my recommendation would be to stick to the places where you find large gatherings of foreigners, as they seem to have figured out what is and isn’t a scam.

The People

This was surprisingly disappointing. Many of the natives spoke very little English, which wouldn’t have been a problem if they had even attempted to be friendly or welcoming. Of all the people we encountered, only two seemed to not be immediately pissed off at the prospect of trying to answer a question. The vibe we got from many of the locals was that they would only be of any assistance for as long as we were paying for that aide, and even then it was service without a smile.

Overall

I find myself recommending Bansko almost reluctantly, as I know I will be returning for more of the excellent skiing. For as many things that are sub-par, I find that the quality of the pistes and the beautiful countryside make it an ideal location to go skiing with friends or groups who are sports focused in general.

7/10, would ski again.

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