Slope off to Bansko, Borovets & Pamporovo

The Observer, 6th November 2005

Andorra, once the Brits' favourite destination for bargain snow is gradually moving upmarket, so more skiers are looking east for uncrowded pistes and low bills.

Champion racer Marc Girardelli was at the Olympia Ski Show in London a few weeks ago, promoting not some big American or French resort, but little-known Bansko in Bulgaria. The resort's big-name signing shows its determination to take east European skiing to a whole new level, with skiing and accommodation to compete with the Alps on quality rather than cost. £20 million has already been spent on new lifts, and a cluster of new hotels has been built close to the slopes.

The heart of the town is a Unesco heritage site with pretty cobbled streets and welcoming bars and restaurants. There are 65km of pistes and you're highly unlikely to find a queue on the mountain. Bulgaria's other leading resorts, Borovets and Pamporovo, are now investing to try to keep up. At the moment though, Pamporovo is best only for total beginners, while Borovets has more to offer intermediates.

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