Bulgaria Offers Lots of Untracked Skiing and Snowboarding in Unique Locations | Photo Vladi Lakov Mountain Weekly News
Howdy, fellow adventurer!
Lookin’ for a place to slide down a mountain on a piece(s) of wood, on a budget with great food, affordable lodging and diverse terrain? Or maybe you just threw a dart at a spinning globe and it just happened to land on Bulgaria (no joke, a friend of mine met his wife like this)? Either way, you’re in luck!
This is your somewhat comprehensive and totally unbiased guide to skiing the Land of Roses. There’s something for everyone here – skiers and snowboarders alike, both on and off piste. Just remember – nodding means “no” and shaking means “yes”. Got that? You’re all set.
Where to Ski in Bulgaria
There are five major mountain ranges – Rila, Pirin, Rhodope Mountains, Stara Planina (or the Balkans, where the peninsula gets its name from) and Vitosha.
So, your low-cost flight lands in the capital Sofia and your first thought coming out of the airport is “Holy shit, there’s a mountain right there!”. Hold your horses, cowboy, we’ll get to that in just a bit. Before that, in somewhat structured order, these are the top 10 resorts you’d want to check out while in Bulgaria.
Bansko Ski Resort
About 2 hours from Sofia you can find Bansko, the premiere Bulgarian ski resort. Situated in the Pirin mountain range, it offers stellar alpine conditions.
Here is the preferred training ground for the national teams, where the FIS races take place (if you’re into that jazz) and where the Freeride World Tour Qualifiers are held (I’m into that jazz). Reaching the top station of the gondola gives you a wide array of options. You can ski all the way down back to town or slap on your skins and set out for an adventure on the Western face of Todorka where you can freeride your soul away.
Obligatory disclaimer here – always check the local ski patrol and never ride outside of your abilities.
Prices are the steepest here, with the day pass coming in at around 50 EUR. This is the most touristic resort so please bear in mind, if you see someone being stupid on the slopes, it’s probably a drunk Brit on holiday (sorry mates, nothing personal). Not that the locals don’t do stupid things, we just have a saying – “Don’t embarrass yourself in front of the foreigners”.
However, if the conditions are good, this is probably the place to be. Moving on, to the East of Bansko you can find…
Dobrinishte Ski Resort & Bezbog Hut
This is a lesser known destination, accessed from the neighboring town of Dobrinishte and the road leading up to Gotse Delchev hut. The lift is old, slow and probably breaks down more often than your mentally unstable ex.
However, when the snow is good, you can find some of the best forest riding conditions around. From Bezbog hut you have backcountry access to both Bezbog and Polejan peaks (among many others) and the beautiful valley adjacent to Bansko, home of the Straji shutes. Some of the best freeriding terrain Pirin has to offer.
Plus, the name Bezbog literally translates to “godless”. How freaking cool is that?
Borovets Ski Resort
Roughly an hour away (if anyone claims it’s 30 mins, they’re probably driving like a maniac) from Sofia we find Borovets. Again, a pretty decent sized resort with plenty of options for runs as well as great backcountry access from the top of the gondola. Also, stellar night riding.
Notable runs here are the three Markudjik slopes at the very top. Once the snow fills out all of the pine inbetween (usually from January onwards), the entire hill becomes one giant free-for-all. Just don’t stray too far skier’s right, that’s where the avalanches like to hide.
From here you can attack the tallest peak on the Balkans – Musala, towering at 2,925m. There’s a lot of traversing on this route so definitely bring crampons. The views are totally worth it.
Day passes are just below 50 EUR (for now).
7 Rila Lakes
West of Borovets is possibly my favourite resort to ride – the 7 Rila Lakes. The chairlift there (again old, slow, breaks down like your ex, you know the drill) takes you all the way up to the iconic Rila Lakes Chalet. From here a plethora of powdery choices await.
You can ride down the piste (boring), dip into the forest (spicy) or catch the button lift that takes you at the top of the chutes (en fuego). The Rila Lakes chutes are a thing of beauty but not to be underestimated. Once the snow starts piling up, Chute 3 usually gets a 7m+ high cornice that is not to be f’ed with. Hire a guide, ask ski patrol and most importantly – use common sense. There’s no powder in heaven (allegedly).
The best strategy for this spot is to bring two boards (or skis). A touring setup if the lift doesn’t open (usually if there’s more wind) and a non-touring setup if it does. A 4×4 Subaru with chains to reach the chair is not mandatory but definitely useful.
You’re probably sensing a theme at his point. The more interesting spots in Bulgaria are usually somewhere on the roads less travelled.
Kartala Ski Resort
Staying within the confines of Rila National Park, we have one more noteworthy compact resort – Kartala, situated SW from Borovets. This is a single gondola resort with good road access and good pistes.
But none of that matters when a solid forecast hits, because just a 50m bootpack from the top of the gondola, you have a wide open face, transitioning into a juicy banked slalom forest all the way down to the start of the lift. Just watch out for the river crossing, it usually gets you the first time.
The creme-de-la-creme though is hidden a short tour SW of the top where the gorgeous valley of Parangalitsa Reserve awaits. But even though you’re relatively close to civilization, there is no cell connection in the valley and the pitches are 35+ degrees, so again – consult with the locals first.
Malyovitsa Valley (and Resort)
The small Malyovitsa Ski Resort at the Western base of the Rila mountain is a series of button lifts and short semi-steep runs. Good for the kids but not for daddy, who definitely wants to take that side path and within 1.5-2h to be in some top tier freeride terrain.
Reaching the Malyovitsa Chalet, you have an entryway to a rich menu of peaks, all within a 30 min – 2h touring radius. It’s a freerider’s paradise.
Osogovo Fun Park
This one is more for the jibbers. It’s a small resort in the Osogovo mountains. A good place to hide out if avy danger is high, since the location is at a lower elevation and needs more snow to have good conditions.
Other than that, a good place to have a drink and throw down on some rails.
Pamporovo and Chepelare (Mechi Chal) Resorts
Snowboarders, sit this one out. Or get a skier friend who’s willing to pull you with their poles. Jokes aside, this is the only major ski resort in the Rhodope mountain range and it offers great lodging and a mellower experience. It’s a family resort, okay? There. I said it.
It’s a bit further from Sofia but it’s close to Plovdiv, the second biggest city in Bulgaria and the oldest city in Europe. Definitely worth the day trip.
As far as backcountry goes, I’d say look elsewhere.
Uzana Ski Resort and Uzana Rainbow Hill
Uzana Ski Resort is another one of those small family oriented resorts, situated in the Balkan mountain range. If by any chance you happen to be in the area, check it out. Is it worth the drive out? Definitely not.
What’s close is the recently established Uzana Rainbow Hill. A short park oriented run with night skiing. Oh, and it’s run by the same guys behind Stinky Socks, so you know it’s gonna be a fun ride.
Vitosha Ski Resort
Remember that mountain that seemed to slap you in the face just as you left Sofia Airport? Yep. We’re so back, baby!
I’m about to paint a picture for you.
A random Tuesday morning in January,
6:30 AM meetup at the parking lot in Dragalevtsi square.
7:15 AM car paarked, skins on, heading up from Aleko Chalet 1,810m.
8:30 AM enjoy some hot tea and take in the fresh air at Cherni Vruh (Black Peak) 2,290m.
8:45 AM back in the warm car, boots off and heading down to merge into horrendous Sofia traffic to make it into the office for the first meeting of the day.
No joke, in a good winter I have weeks where at least 3 of my mornings start this way. It’s a true blessing, but also a real pain for any local. But I’ll give more context on that further down.
Vitosha is a fairly compact mountain with a wide variety of terrain. Everything from wide open chutes and faces at the top, to steep forests and more technical pillow lines. It’s also on the windier side, so snow kiting is definitely on the menu.
A big problem is the blatant mis-management of the resort, with each year marking the death of another lift line. I won’t go into too much detail, but when the same cartel is behind the 3 biggest resorts in the country, choices are made not in favor of the sport, nor the people.
As of 2024, the Gondola that used to take you from the edge of the city all the way up to Aleko Chalet is not in service, alongside the majority of the chairlifts. And the perspective on it firing back up again is pretty slim. What remains are the iconic Lale 1 and 2 chairlifts, with Lale 2 needing more snow and less wind in order to operate.
What remains of Vitosha right now is a fairly easily accessible playground with options to bomb chutes, do mellow tours with the kids, do medium tours on one-way routes that finish in villages on the other side of the mountain, ride the forest (all the way back to the city) or spin quick laps on the Lale 1 chair.
At night, you can go outside the runs for some headlamp powered “sidecountry”, while the lights of the capitol twinkle at your feet. It’s truly magical.
And it’s all within 30 mins of the airport.
So, if by any chance you’re in Sofia for a work trip… maybe bring that board or skis. You might experience something very few tourists ever get to.
Is Bulgaria Good For Skiing?
While this brief guide aims to throw some light on the skiing and riding options for Bulgaria, it’s by no means exhaustive. Obviously. What’s left out is the entire backcountry experience within the Balkan mountain range, which warrants its own piece. A few tinier resorts also didn’t make the cut.
If you’re ever in the area, feel free to reach out. A vibrant and welcoming snow-hungry community awaits in the East of Europe. Oh, and wait until you hear about the waves on the Black Sea.
Until next time!
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