The ski season in Bansko: how to plan it

The ski season in Bansko usually starts in mid-December and lasts into April — the snow decides exactly how long. The gondola leaves from the edge of town and takes skiers up to Banderishka Polyana, where the pistes begin.

How to save time

• Buy your lift pass in advance or the evening before your first day.
• Head for the gondola early — the queues are longest between nine and ten.
• Leave your skis and boots in the hotel’s ski room — in the morning they are warm and dry.

For beginners and the experienced

Around Banderishka Polyana and Shiligarnika there are wide, gentle pistes, good for the first days and for ski-school lessons. More experienced skiers will find steeper runs higher up the mountain. Bansko has hosted Alpine Ski World Cup races more than once.

At the end of the day the ski road brings you back to the gondola’s bottom station — when there is enough snow.