Mountain and winter sports Bulgaria

The office is located in the lobby of the Rila Hotel and the center is located at the foot of the Martinovi Baraki chairlift. Borosport is in charge of the management of ski, snowboard and cross-country ski slopes, ski lifts, ski passes and city transportation in Borovets. It is also a good address for equipment rental and deposit, ski lessons and childcare, but some hotels (like the Samokov or the Alpin) also offer these services at more competitive prices. Shuttle bus to the slopes every half hour.

You can ski 10 km from Sofia by going to the Vitosha/Aleko alpine ski resort. Its ski area has more than 20 km of slopes with a start at an altitude of 1650 m to climb to the top of the Vitosha mountain, Cherny Vrah (2290 m), the fourth highest peak in the country. From Sofia, take streetcar 9 on Hristo-Botev Boulevard and get off at the terminus. From there, go to the Hladilnika stop and take either bus 66 (every quarter of an hour) which leads to the chairlift for Aleko, or bus 123 which stops at Simeonovo from where a cable car leads to the station.

In 2019, the extension of this ski resort known as the low-cost resort of Bulgaria that threatened the biodiversity of Pirin National Natural Park (Unesco site) was blocked by the Bulgarian justice. It is the newest ski resort in the country. Its first ski lift dates from 1986. It has undergone major investments that have allowed the construction of the Gondola cable car that leaves from the city center and connects the two most important sites: Chalin Valog (1,467 m) and Chiligarnika (from 1,725 to 2,560 m). The latter, remodeled and expanded with the opening of new chairlifts, offers the largest number of runs. The third site, Bunderishka Polyana (1,635 m), is currently being modernized and is accessible by road. Ski passes are sold by the day and by the week. There are discounts for students and children. A daycare center and a ski school are available for skiers. Most of the rental stores are located at the foot of the Gondola. The ski equipment is very modern and of good quality. For more information, see the website: www.banskoski.com.

Slopes. The area offers 75 km of trails between 2,560 m and 1,000 m in altitude, 80% of which are equipped with snow guns, 80 of which ensure a winter season from December to May. The difficulty levels of the slopes are evenly distributed: 35% for beginners, 40% for advanced skiers and 35% for advanced skiers.

The ski season runs from mid-December to mid-April, but the best snow is in February and March. The ski area has a total of 58 km of trails including 3 km of night trails and 14 lifts. Don't forget to bring a map before you go! Ski passes can be purchased at the Gondola gondola, inside the Rila Hotel in Borosport, at the bottom of the Sitnyakovo chairlift, or at the bottom of the Yastrebets express chairlift. Large hotels often have their own ski school and ski and snowboard rental store.