One of the things about Bansko, Bulgaria’s premier ski resort, is that it has a bit of a mixed reputation. Some people love it and swear by the great terrain and awesome food, others tell you it’s not worth it and it isn’t even that snow sure. We might just have timed our visit to perfection ‘cos, frankly, we thought Bansko was a big bag o’ fun.
While we had a great time with pretty much perfect conditions, one of the best things we did in Bansko was a guided backcountry tour. Is it worth booking in for an off-piste adventure when you visit Bansko?
First, a warning: Yes, backcountry skiing and snowboarding is lots of fun, and yes it is possible and legal in Bansko. BUT… Off-piste riding comes with a whole bunch of risks, so do your research or hire a professional guide before you go exploring!
Bansko terrain
The ski resort in Bansko sits above the town of the same name, accessed via a long gondola ride, and an even longer queue to get into said gondola. By the time you get on the mountain, you are presented with a variety of zippy and accessible tree lined trails. The lower part of the mountain in particular is much more tree heavy than other European ski resorts, due mostly to the lower altitude.
Once you head further up the mountain, the trees give way to wide open trails from the Todorka peak – and whatever your level or riding style, you’ll find plenty of fun lines on-piste here in Bansko.
But it’s not the biggest ski resort, with around 75kms of official trails (although it’s actually less as an unopened section is counted as part of the total). So for those who like to explore the mountain, what can you do?
Well, yup, a backcountry excursion might just be whats needed to keep your Bansko ski or snowboard trip fresh…
Is there much backcountry in Bansko?
Yes, Bansko actually offers a good range of relatively accessible backcountry, with plenty accessible from the ski resort itself. In fact if you’re on the mountain there are several sections which are marked as no-go zones which you’ll spot people riding. And if you’re lucky enough to be here during a fresh powder dump then you could find fresh lines relatively close to the main trails.
The main area for backcountry riding in Bansko is off the side of the Banderitza 2 trail down to the Vihren hut. While this looks simple on the trail map, there are plenty of hidden dangers for inexperienced riders, including some hidden cliffs and couloirs, sections of thick tress and potential avalanches after snowfall.
Another option for off-piste is through the middle of the mountain between the Shiligarnik and Todorka lifts. This is rocky and tree lined terrain and is, again, packed full of hidden hazards.
And the last main option within the Bansko ski resort is to trek to the top of the Todorka peak and drop in either down the back of the mountain to the Banderitza hut, or back down to the bowl leading back to the Plato lift.
For those who are serious about their off-piste skiing or snowboarding, theres also the option to head to the nearby resort of Dobrenishte. This is around a half hour drive from Bansko, and is a separate resort with it’s own lift ticket and a much smaller area – but it is a popular spot for splitboarding and ski touring.
Check out our video of our own Bansko off-piste snowboarding experience.
Exploring with a Bansko backcountry tour
We did our tour with Split the Mountain, who are a local company run by a husband and wife team and a group of local backcountry experts. Having been running their splitboarding and ski touring business for 20 years, you can tell the guys from Split the Mountain know the terrain like the backs of their hands.
They also run the annual Split Fest, a meetup of international splitboarding and freeriding enthusiasts in nearby Dobrenishte at the tail end of the winter season.
In addition to knowledge and experience, they also come with all the essential equipment such as avalanche transceivers, shovels and probes. And during our visit the heavy snowfall was definitely an avalanche worry…
Our tour with Split the Mountain made the whole off-piste experience a breeze, and stress free. We met them at the gondola station on the mountain, went for a ride where they assessed our level (we were, in all honesty, very hungover) and then it was off to the backcountry. Accessing the off-piste section was a little sketchy and did involve a bit of careful navigation along cliff edges while strapped into our boards. We then dropped into some glorious powder conditions and rode across and down the side of the mountain, with several stops for assessments of the terrain and down to the trail leading back to the resort.
It’s worth pointing out also that the trail back to the resort is around 1km of flat path, which is slow going on a snowboard. But the path then drops you back into the main trails, and onto the lifts ready to do it all again….
When is the bets time to ski or snowboard in Bansko?
While the best time for snow cover tends to be after the new year holiday, global climate change makes it hard to predict when the best time for fresh powder snow in Bansko will be. In recent years Bansko has seen limited snow in the run up to Christmas, but then had some better conditions towards the end of the season in March and April. For our visit, in early January 2025, we had perfect conditions with around 5 days of solid snowfall – with many more days of fresh snow after we had left through February and March.
In short, predicting the snow is a nearly impossible task, so the best plan is to keep an eye on the short and mid-range forecasts.
Read our full Bansko ski resort review.
Check out Split the Mountain for expert off-piste tours in Bansko
