A Rare Shutdown in Peak Season

In this week’s Buzz:

• Why are there so many unfinished buildings in Bansko?

• Todorovden celebrations and Baba Marta next weekend

• Bansko FC match postponed due to heavy snow

• Municipality issues warnings to parking permit holders parked in “pay extra” zones

• Premiere film of how/why the orchestra was on the mountain last year

• Next parliamentary elections decided: Sunday 19th of April

• Trying to find decent pizza for delivery in Bansko (so far unsuccessful)

High Winds Close the Gondola and Most Lifts in Bansko

On Wednesday (18th), many people were in Bansko for their ski holiday. They did the usual: woke up and got ready for their hours-long queue waiting to board the gondola for a day of skiing/boarding.

But… there was a problem. The gondola was closed.

Strong winds meant that the gondola and all other key lifts were closed in the resort, with just the four drag lifts open.

Some people insisted they wanted to go up the mountain, so they decided to take the shuttle bus for an extra 6€. However, the number of minibuses and taxis heading up the mountain was significant, prompting the police to stop all traffic until many vehicles returned down..

It wasn’t until around 12pm that some lifts up top opened (excluding Todorka and Plato), but they all closed again around 2.30pm, when the winds picked up. The gondola stayed closed all day.

I’ve seen the gondola and some lifts close for a morning, or an hour or two throughout the day, but it’s rare to see all of the main lifts and the gondola closed all morning. Obviously, they were closed due to high winds as a safety concern, but it’s got to be frustrating if you’ve already suffered queuing for 2-3 hours days before and then find out you’ve wasted your money.

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Inside the Bansko Notice Board Group

✍️ 274 New Posts, 💬 1,882 Comments, 👍️ 8,357 Reactions

Does Anyone Know Why There Are Loads of Unfinished Buildings in Bansko?
Luis posted that he’s been in town for a few months, has seen many unfinished and vacant public buildings, and wanted to know the story behind it all. See what people had to say.

Where Can I Make Photos for a Visa Application?
Zana wants to get some photos taken for a visa application quite quickly (they usually need to be in a specific format like passport photos). See what solutions people suggested.

Where Can I Buy The Liquid to Wash Waterproof Clothes?
Kayleigh wants to buy some liquid to re-waterproof a jacket, as she’s discovered her current jacket isn’t waterproof anymore (we’ve also had a lot of rain recently). See the places people recommend in the post.

Can I Go To The Hot Springs in The Rain?
Finola wanted to know whether you can still go to one of the local hot springs in the rain and how to get there from Bansko. See what people had to say.

Gondola Queue, Ski Pass & Mountain Access FAQs
Due to many similar/repetitive posts in the group, I (Nick) wrote an FAQ post for first-timers coming to Bansko. I also made it easier for people to search for topics in the group.

Bansko & Beyond

Baba Marta is Next Sunday (1st of March)
A tradition that’s been around for many years is Baba Marta. It’s when people give those red-and-white twisted-thread bracelets (called martenitsas) to friends and family to wish them luck and happiness in the year ahead. I wrote about it in the Buzz last March. Read more.

Municipality Starts Issuing Warnings to Parking Permit Holders
If you have the yearly parking permit issued by the local municipality to park in any of the blue zones, there were changes in December (29th) that restricted certain zones around ski season (10 December to 30 April). Drivers who are currently parking in these restricted zones with a yearly pass (which is not valid for those zones until 1 June) are having a notice placed on their windscreen stating, “You do not have the right to park here!”

Bansko FC Match Postponed Due to Heavy Snow
The local football team (Bansko FC) were due to play OFK Kostinbrod yesterday, but the match was called off due to there being too much snow on the pitch. The town is located north-west of Sofia, and locals and team officials tried to remove the snow, but it turns out there was just too much. Read more [translation required].

Elections To Take Place on 19 April
Parliamentary elections will take place on Sunday 19th of April this year. This comes after the former president, Rumen Radev, failed to convince any of the current parties to form a government. He has since resigned, formed his own political party, and is running to be elected to parliament (and ultimately to become prime minister). Read more.

More Arrests For Drug Possession/Supply in the Local Area
It looks like Bansko and Razlog police have been working together to close down a potential dealer in the local area, with 600grams of marijuana seized alongside a number of pills, and a heroin distribution scheme being closed down. Read more [translation required].

Join over 60 million people using Revolut. Hold Euros in your account and pay local businesses in Bansko easily. Sign up for an account now.

New to Bansko? Skip the tourist traps and join Nick for Bansko Like a Local tour. An insider’s guided tour to the best bars, restaurants/mehanas and hidden gems. Learn more.

Shop on Amazon & get packages delivered to Bansko with GGBG. Regular transport from the UK, Germany and the USA to Bulgaria. See website for info.

Travelling outside of your home country this year? Get travel insurance designed by travellers. True Traveller: one policy to cover all of your activities. Learn more.

A coworking space that fits your lifestyle (not the other way around). Altspace: three locations with fast WiFi, great coffee, and community events every week. Learn more.

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Events Next Week

Bansko Street Dogs Pub Quiz
Tomorrow (Monday 23rd) the BSD quiz will be at The Hub. It starts at 7.30pm and entry fee is 5€ per person. The quizzes are usually full in February, so it’s best to book your table as soon as you see the event posted on the notice board.

Bansko Book Club
On Tuesday (24th), at 6.30pm, the local book club will meet to discuss the book they chose last month, talk about books in general, and decide which one they want to read next. More info.

Telescopes Under The Stars (Planetarium)
These take place on Fridays and Saturdays 7pm to 8pm (price 7€) and lectures on Saturdays and Sundays at 2.30pm to 4.30pm (price 5€). The lectures will be in English or Russian. More info.

"Protectors of the Earth" Film Premiere
On Friday (27th) at 6.30pm at the theatre in town, there will be the film premiere of the story behind the orchestra playing on Mount Todorka last year and how they got the grand piano up the mountain (see issue #33 of the Buzz here). Admission is free. More info.

Todorovden Celebrations
On Saturday (28th), Bulgaria will celebrate St. Todor Day, which centres around horses and farming. Read more about it here. At 10.30am, a procession will start on Tsar Simeon Street near the stadium (across from the town park) and go around the town. It will then end in the main square around noon, with the ritual of feeding the horses and folk celebrations. More info.

Regular Weekly Events

Here is a list of the twelve regular events that will be happening every week throughout the winter season:

- Pub Quiz: Monday from 7pm at different venues (Bansko Street Dogs).
- Bansko Run Club(ish): Tuesday at 6.30pm meet at Altspace Coworking (Central).
- Spanish Speakers Meeting: from 6pm at DiVino Wine Bar
- Latin Dance Night: Tuesday from 7pm at Four Leaf Clover.
- Pool Tournament: Thursday from 6.30pm at Smokey Mountain.
- Friday Beers: Friday 6pm to 8pm at Altspace Coworking (Central) [BYOB].
- Latin Dance Night: Friday from 7pm at DiVino.
- Bonkers Bingo: Friday from 7.30pm at The Hub
- Karaoke: Friday from 8pm at Tipsy 360.
- BSD Saturday Sale: Saturday 10am to 2pm at Bansko Street Dogs shelter.
- Sip & Paint: Saturday 2pm to 4pm at Lucky Bansko Aparthotel.
- Sunday Walk: Sunday from 11am, meeting at the gondola.
- Free Walking Tour: Saturday at 2pm at the big tree near the church (duration: 1.5hours)

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Photo of the Week

When the gondola closes, the slopes become quiet.

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