| Skiing Europe's Best |
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Page 6 of 6 Virgin Territory Bansko, Bulgaria Western Europe may be the well-established birthplace of winter sports, but those who want to ski uncrowded slopes need to explore the mountains of the former Eastern Bloc. The skiing is cheap, the powder is light, and the crowds are nonexistent at Bansko, Bulgaria’s newest and biggest resort. A once sleepy thousand-year-old trading center, modern Bansko has been booming ever since its first lift started climbing into the Pirin Mountains in 2003. International investors have poured millions into the resort’s infrastructure, developing luxury condos, new lifts, and a bustling après district. Real estate is astonishing—you can score a cheery brick bungalow not far from the slopes for under $45,000—and plans are afoot for an airport in town. Snow Report Get this: At Bansko (bulgariaski.com), you get 40 miles of trails with 5,500 feet of mostly north-facing vertical, a brand new eight-person gondola, and equipment for a paltry $47 per day. Plus, there’s night skiing. A new 4.2-mile illuminated ski road back down to town means you can linger on the mountain. Go for It While in Bulgaria, venture up to Borovets, 30 minutes north of Bansko, the country’s original winter retreat (opened circa 1896), at 4,430 feet in the Rila Mountains. The resort is in the middle of a makeover to become Super Borovets, with plans for a golf course, new hotels, and an additional 50 miles of runs. Here you’ll find the choicest ski lodge in Bulgaria: The fivestar, American-owned Villa Stresov is a Swiss-style chalet with four guest rooms (doubles from $250; villastresov.com). Lodging Book a room at the Kempinksi Hotel Grand Arena, a 21st-century convenience just across from the gondola station. The hotel’s Zalez spa has an indoor and outdoor pool and shiatsu massage; or just unwind in the upstairs cigar lounge (doubles from $230; kempinski-bansko.com). Après Bankso doesn’t have a bustling bar and restaurant scene—yet. But there are authentic Bulgarian mehanas (taverns) for pints of local beer or the mulled apple wine called rakiah. The Lion’s Pub and the Kasapinova Kashta saloon are two local favorites. Over at the Ethno restaurant, grilled piglets are the house specialties. > HONORABLE MENTIONS For an eyeful of Mount Eiger, hole up at Switzerland’s Wengen, a tiny but tony resort village of 1,300 in the central Jungfrau region. There’s no road in—it’s 15 minutes by rail from Interlaken—so the place feels lost in time. The Jungfrau Sportpass is good at Grindelwald and Murren, which are linked to Wengen by more than 100 miles of runs (two-day passes from $170; jungfrauwinter.ch). Stay The classy Hotel Regina offers weeklong ski and-stay packages, including elegant four-course dinners (from $2,450 per person; wengen.com/hotel/regina). Levi, Finland (lift tickets from $71; levi.fi), brings new meaning to the term “spring skiing”: One hundred miles north of the Arctic Circle, its 44 runs hold snow through mid-May. Stay Hotel K5 Levi (doubles from $240; k5levi.fi) is a den of Lapland chic, with stone and wood finishes and—no kidding—a reindeer corral out back. Comments (0)
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