Winter Ski
Seven kilometres from the lively resort of Borovets, Snow Goose Chalet provides a comfy retreat after a hard day's skiing. Borovets ('Bor' pine forest), home of the Tsar's Winter Palace since the 19th Century, is a bustling resort with 35km downhill runs on 23 pistes, and 18km cross-country tracks. Snow cover is normally reliable from late November through to April (lifts start running mid-December) and the altitude and cold dry air provide the perfect conditions for fabulously light powder.
The ski runs (see piste map) are best suited to beginner and intermediate skiers, although there are ample opportunities for more experienced skiers to test their skills on and off-piste. The ski schools have a very good reputation and deserve it. Instructors speak excellent English and, as with every service in Bulgaria, their expertise comes at a very competitive price. Spend your days whizzing down the tree-lined runs and earn that great apres-ski experience.
Borovets resort takes the social needs of your holiday very seriously indeed. The small wood huts and pointed chalets offer up great hospitality at extremely attractive prices; roaring fires chase away the chilliest of chills and if you run out of energy, then catch a horse-drawn taxi to your next watering hole. Dancing snowflakes and the muffled swish of sledges on slippery snow make your apres-ski experience truly magical.
If you want to extend your day's skiing, then take advantage of the night skiing offered on the lower slopes from 17:00 to 21:00 daily. (Separate lift pass required.)
The Mountain
The gondola takes you above the tree line to the Markudjik ski area with its new four-seater chair lift and three surface lifts. From the top a scenic track goes all the way back to the village. On the same side of the mountain the Yastrebets area offers its own modern four-seater chair serving three long red (intermediate) trails, two of which are newly equipped with snow-making machinery. Closest to the village, and so popular with beginners, is the Sitnyakovo area. It has two chair lifts and three surface tows for first-timers. Around half the area is covered by snow cannon.
Winter Season 2009-2010
| Adult | Child | |
| Lift pass | £120 | £80 |
| Ski and boot hire | £90 | £60 |
| Ski school (4 hours x 6 days) | £100 | £66 |
Winter Lets
We want your holiday to be comfortable and hassle-free. Bulgaria has many delights to recommend it as a holiday destination, one of which is its extreme affordability. Snow Goose Chalet and the facilities we provide in our winter package are designed to keep you warm and well-fed, and to maximise the time you spend on the slopes. Our living and dining areas are equipped to give you the comforts of home rather than the impersonal and institutional facilities of an hotel.
En suite bathrooms are local style wet-rooms. Your chalet hosts will dry them down daily. Bedrooms have compact clothes storage facilities; balcony access and en suite facilities have taken precedence where possible. We have made sure that your beds are extra cosy by providing thick duvets, and bathrooms are equipped with ample bath-sheets rather than the standard-issue smaller towels. Don't expect monograms; do expect comfort, warmth and every effort made to look after you. Evening meals will include hearty soups, thick casseroles and desserts to satisfy the sweetest of teeth.
© Snow Goose Chalet Ltd 2006