Vitosha

Vitosha isn't open for the 2011-12 season in protest to the new Law on Forests which will prevent them from expanding facilities.

Vitosha is Bulgaria's highest resort and boasts a long season. It is located just half an hour from the capital city of Sofia and set in the Vitosha National Park. This is a small resort that attracts hordes of punters form the nearby capital especially at weekends. The village is perched high up at a level of 1800 metres with lifts travelling up to a top station of over 2290 metres. The quickest way up the mountain is to take the Gondola from the Simeonovo area, or you can take the slow, but scenic, two 2 man chairlifts from the right side of the map.

The season here generally runs from December to mid April with the mountain best described as suiting beginners and slow learning intermediates. The 20 or so marked out trails are serviced by 11 lifts, which is almost one lift to two runs, thus helping to keep lift lines to a minimum. Overall Vitosha is a simple resort that should keep you amused for a couple of days if you are an advanced rider or entertained for a week should you be a novice. The mountain has a number of interesting slopes, a long 5km run and some nice wooded areas. However, if your the sort of rider who looks for something different at every turn and doesn't like riding the same runs more that twice, then you won't enjoy this place.

 

 

To reach the mountain from Sofia centre, hail a taxi which should take about 30 minutes and cost about 8 Lev (£2). A lift ticket for the day should be 22 Lev or 18 Lev for half a day. For another 20 Lev you can hire a board and boots if necessary.