After a small delay due to warm weather earlier in December, the first big slopes in Borovets are officially open! Starting today, the Popangelov and Yastrebets 3 ski runs are operational, as well as the Haramia ski run. Previously open until now were only a few of the short surface lifts in the Sitnyakovo Ski Center, in front of Hotel Rila, as well as the green Suhar ski run at the top gondola station. Those runs were only enjoyable for beginners, so it’s great to finally have open some slopes which are suitable for intermediate and advanced skiers.
Open lifts at the moment are the gondola, Yastrebets Express and Sitnyakovo Express, as well as the aforementioned surface lifts. However, the gondola was closed today since a tree had fallen onto the cable lines and needed maintenance. Most likely it will be open again tomorrow, so you won’t have to use a shuttle bus to get to Yastrebets, like today. The resort is quite full for the holidays, so as can be expected, there are queues on the lifts. Since the Martinovi Baraki Express lift and the Markudjk Ski Center are closed, the wait time can be a little long on some lifts.
Slope conditions in the Yastrebets Ski Center are very good for this time of the season. The newly opened slopes are well maintained and groomed and have plenty of natural snow mixed into the mostly artificial snow from the snow cannons. What we didn’t like was that many of the snow cannons were working during the day, which can lead to accidents on the slopes if you’re not careful. The good news is that we’re expecting another 10-20cm of snow over the next day or two, so conditions will only get better. The connection between the Yastrebets Ski Center and the bottom gondola station is also open, so you can easily ski back down to the resort afterwards. We have no information on when the Markudjik Ski Center will open, but since there are no snow cannons that high in the mountain, it’ll probably open after the next bigger snowfall.
Down in the Sitnyakovo Ski Center, apart from the surface lifts, only the 4-seater Sitnyakovo Express is working. The 6-seater Martinovi Baraki lift is still closed, as well as the night skiing. Conditions down there are icier and more crowded than higher up in the mountain and you should stay only on the open slopes. Skiing down the closed ones is dangerous, as the snowcats have left track marks in random places, which have turned to ice and can surprise you if you don’t see them in time. We don’t know when exactly the night skiing will open, but the steep slopes in the Sitnaykovo Ski Center require more work to get ready for skiing. We’ll keep you posted once we have more information regarding this.
Ski & Board Traventuria is a leading provider of lift passes, equipment rental, airport transfers and ski school for the Borovets area. To book your next ski vacation in Borovets with us, please check our website – www.skiborovets.bg
