Skiing In Bulgaria - Part 1 (3/3) By Steve Rudd

(1/3), (2/3), (3/3). Part 2.

The skiing season in Borovets was only really starting to kick in when we arrived, with it tending to reach a head around the half-term school break in February. In the summer, when the snow has gone, Borovets is still alleged to be a popular place, when the mountains open up to hiking expeditions on foot instead of on snow-shoes. Still, come summer, the vast majority of tourists to Bulgaria seem to head further East, to the sun-drenched shores of the Black Sea, and resorts such as Sunny Beach in particular. Indeed, our instructor Kamen said that he works in Sunny Beach as a barman when his services as expert ski instructor are no longer required once Spring gives way to Summer.

On the first morning of Ski School all the beginners huddle outside in a massive group before being separated into groups of roughly twelve people. Don't worry about being split up from your friends or family though, because the instructors will ensure that you remain with whoever you are with, unless you secretly desire a bit of peace and quiet away from them that is...

After the groups were sorted, we were led up the main street of Borovets, past all the restaurants, cocktail bars, late-night clubs and shops. In front of the Rila hotel we were told to put our skis on (which, to a beginner, is more tricky than it looks, especially if you get snow or ice in the bindings, or amassed on the bottom of your boots), before beginning a few simple exercises at the foot of two mighty pistes down which intermediate and expert skiers and snowboarders raced with awe-inspiring finesse. We all surely secretly wondered to ourselves if we would be doing anything of that nature come the end of our week together.

After having mastered the 'snow-plough' stop and the art of turning left or right by throwing one's body weight to the outside ski (this already being Day Two), we were taken higher up into the stunning mountains on a chair-lift, before negotiating an 'easy' green run back down. The green run wasn't so much a piste as it was a forest track that was rarely steep enough to be daunting. Time really does fly when you're having fun, especially if you're skiing.

Still, a few people in our group appeared not to be enjoying the experience at all, struggling as they were to grasp some of the fundamentals. Kamen repeatedly insisted that 'control' was paramount.

Come Day Three we set out for the gondola station, to be instantly demoralised by the length of the queue for the ride up the upper reaches of the surrounding mountains. We patiently waited in line for almost an hour before finally stumbling into a six-seater cable-car, but the mesmerising views were worth the wait. You could see for miles as the cable-car slowly ascended over the vast swathes of forest that surrounded the resort with a Winter Wonderland's vengeance.

Continued ....Part 2.

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