Most people going backpacking probably aren’t thinking about where or when they’re going to next their next ski holiday fix. But whilst travelling around the world, the sight of mountains and snow might get those ski legs twitching in those that have been on a few family ski holidays when they were younger. An impromptu ski holiday in a year of backpacking may seem like an impossibility – after all, you’re not likely to have brought your skis with you, and you’re also unlikely to be packing much cash, but if a slide down the slopes suddenly seems irresistible, and you happen to be knocking around somewhere in Eastern Europe, then perhaps it’s time for Bulgaria?
That’s right, Bulgaria. There are three ski resorts in Bulgaria, but the only one worth going to is Bansko. Previously skiing in Bulgaria had something of a reputation for rickety ski lifts and potholed roads, but Bansko is attracting a lot of investment, and so now has a state of the art ski lift that you needn’t worry about suddenly breaking if you move about too much. Amidst the emerging luxury hotels and up-market shopping though, Bansko is still one of the cheapest places around for a ski holiday. Bulgaria still has its own currency, the lev, one of which at the time of writing being worth about 42 pence. This makes it a remarkably cheap place to go and a good meal with a good local beer can be as little as £2 if you pick your venue carefully enough.
The exchange rate will obviously work in your favour as you’ll be needing to hire some skis and equipment as well as get a ski pass. Stories of all equipment passes, and some lessons for 6 days coming to around £150 abound, so although a backpacking extravagance, it need not entirely exhaust your travelling funds. Similarly, although luxury hotels are beginning to move into Bansko, the town is still a fair way from being upmarket, so affordable accommodation shouldn’t be too hard to find.
Ski resort Bansko - Bulgaria by Vegaslyra
Expert skiers can find off-piste opportunities, but the skiing in Bansko is more geared towards beginners and intermediates, but then again, if you’ve just embarked on a spontaneous ski holiday under backpacking circumstances, now’s not really the time to be getting too fussy about the quality of pisted runs is it? Still, Bansko has been investing heavily in making sure that all the slopes have a good covering of snow at all times, and will only get better as it becomes more popular for group ski holidays generally.
Run 10 by David and Lucy Symons
A ski holiday while backpacking may be something of an extravagance, but by heading to Bulgaria, it may be a possibility. Whether you’re already out there and just feel that special skiing tingle in your legs, or whether you have friends planning on skiing while you’re away and you just don’t want to miss out, Bansko may be the answer for your impromptu ski holiday.
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