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| Bansko Ski |
Epilogue
Leap of Faith Travel
Review Bansko
Bansko,
Bulgaria, Brilliant!
What
an incredible time I had amongst the cold slopes of Bansko so full of adrenaline
packed adventure for all levels of this marvellous sport of skiing and
snowboarding. Even with the adrenaline packed week I had I couldn’t have felt
more relaxed also if I had tried. The people and culture of Bulgaria were
fascinating and I absolutely adored the atmosphere of the old smoky town of
Bansko. With its narrow cobbled streets, stonework buildings and worn down rooftops,
it definitely gives you the feeling of stepping back in time with very little interference
of modernised buildings. Plenty of restaurants and nightclubs scatter
throughout the town but not enough to overtake the good old atmosphere.
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| Town of Bansko |
This
trip was more about the skiing and as a first time skier I was pretty nervous
about what I was about to do. I needed somewhere which specialised in beginner
skiers and Bansko was the answer. Balkan Holidays was the answer too to my
question about which company I would take the trip with. Along with the
impressive reviews I had read they were extremely cheap too. There wasn’t a
doubt in my mind about booking with this company and I was about to experience
more than I expected during my ski trip. They also provided brilliant
activities, transfers, and excursions which I took full advantage of. The activities
I did were:
· Pub Crawl - Explore the nightclubs of Bansko full
of good music, drinks and dancers with welcome shots at each club.
· Bulgarian Folklore Fiesta - Experience Bulgarian
culture in one night with dancers and band as well as the history whilst enjoying
good local food and Rakia.
· Snowboard taster - Tired of skiing,
take to the board and discover a new way of riding the slopes with great
instruction throughout.
· Snowmobile ride - Whether this is your
first time or your 100th time, this is definitely a ride you don’t want
to miss as you ride your way up and down the ski road.
· City of Sofia - Just before you
return to the airport take a guided trip to the city of Sofia to learn about
the culture and history of the city with an option to explore Sofia’s shopping
centre.
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| Snowmobile ride |
The
ski brief at the beginning of the trip was very well organised by Balkan
Holidays and the staff were extremely fun and friendly throughout. During a ski
brief you will eventually receive your weeks ski pass card giving you access to
all ski lifts and gondola. You will also receive a small form to fill out to retrieve
the correct skis for your weight and height. This must be filled in correctly
otherwise having the wrong type of skis could result in injury.
My
accommodation was a place called Hotel Pirin; a 4 star hotel on a half board
basis. With a beautiful room, comfortable beds, en-suite, breakfast and evening
dinner, indoor swimming pool and sauna as well as helpful staff, it was all I needed
due to the fact I was out skiing most of the day. Despite this it was a
fantastic hotel not too far from the central area and gondola station. What was
great was that a transport service was provided to get from the hotel to the
gondola station at 8:30am so it was one less thing to worry about. The food at
the hotel was outstanding and certainly filled my stomach each encounter.
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| Hotel Pirin |
Before
I took the trip I had pre-booked skiing instruction throughout the whole week
which is definitely advisable for a beginner skier. I was so glad I did this as
I met some incredible people and my instructor was absolutely brilliant. The Instructor
was called Katy Harding and she was constantly praising each of us for our achievements
and extremely helpful on our faults. Throughout the week she built our
confidence up one by one going through the very basics of skiing with safety
being priority. She also pushed our abilities further by taking us down some
slightly harder routes and we all loved her by the end of the week.
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| Katy and the Beginners Group |
The
cost of my brilliant journey to Bulgaria including:
· Flights with Jet2 from
Newcastle – Sofia – Newcastle including 23kg luggage
· Transfer from airport –
hotel
· 7 nights in a 4 star
hotel half board basis
· Single room supplement
· Ski pass, skis and
boots
· 1 weeks beginners
instruction
Total
= £550
What
an absolute bargain I thought especially with everything you get and with all
this there was no need to take a great amount of spending money. The activities
and excursion I went on were reasonably priced too which is why I took full
advantage of it.
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| Bansko Slope Map |
Beginner: Blue Line
Moderate: Red Line
Intermediate: Black Line
To
finish off this wonderful place is of course the breath-taking views of the Pirin
Mountains which is home to outstanding natural beauty. I truly adored this
place and so should you. Be prepared for the odd fall on the slopes like I experienced
but please take care as there are plenty of bad accidents on the slopes; safety
is priority.
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| Pirin Mountains |
The
equipment I brought along for the trip was:
· Warm clothing – Thick jumpers,
jacket pants and socks
· Ski clothing – Waterproof ski clothing
· Hat and gloves - Most
of your body heat comes out of your head so cover it up
· Sun cream – Surprising as
it is it is definitely possible to get sunburnt in this cold environment
· Ski helmet – Extremely important
· Ski goggles – Stop the
snow hitting your eyes as you fly down the slopes
The
best advices I can give are staying safe and having fun. What great thing to do
also is to place your ski pass in an inside chest pocket of your thick jacket to
save you from taking it out all the time, the scanners will still pick up your
pass through your pocket.
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| Moderate Route - Red Line |
Useful Links:
www.balkanholidays.co.uk - book your ski trip away with Balkan Holidays
www.banskoski.com/en - up to date information about weather, conditions and events
http://www.sportsdirect.com/SearchResults?DescriptionFilter=ski%20equipment - for good and cheap ski equipment
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| Bulgarian Landscape |
So
if you are eager to begin this life of skiing then you are in safe hands with
Balkan Holidays. I’d like to thank Balkan holidays for an extremely fun packed
week in the beautiful world of Bulgaria and I finish with this:
Live life to the
fullest
It’s the best way
Live every moment
intensely
Because life is too
short
And the moment comes
when we are going to die
And we’d have wished to
do so many things we didn’t
That is why we have to
enjoy every moment
One must enjoy life
Try not to acquire so
many things
But instead have
experiences
Accomplish everything
you want to do
No matter the effort it
deserves
Life is too short and
one must relish it
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| Travel Writer: Shaun Davison |
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