It's Been a Bit of a Week...

In this week’s Buzz:

• Happy End isn’t so happy anymore

• Emergency medical helicopter runs into technical issues during rescue mission

• Twenty percent increase in tourist visitor numbers in December

• More avalanche awareness courses put on by The Avalon

• Nick’s thoughts on the new Italian restaurant, Alpen

Red Angel Lands as Technical Difficulties Stop It Reaching Bansko on Crucial Rescue Mission

Earlier this week, a 27-year-old Irish man fell 600 metres when he slipped while taking photos. The emergency medical helicopter was called on to airlift him off the mountain. However, the aircraft declared an emergency not long into its flight (around 10 minutes). It initially landed in the Samokov area (not far from Borovets) until it later returned to base in Sofia, citing a technical fault.

Unfortunately, the man died of his injuries after the local mountain rescue team took him to Razlog Hospital.

There are questions about why the Red Angel had technical issues, meaning it wasn’t fit to fly (read more), why the military helicopter wasn’t dispatched instead, and where are the two additional medical helicopters that were supposed to be delivered already? Read more.

In other news, a man in his 50s or 60s of unknown nationality died of a suspected heart attack on slope 6 and was rescued by the Bansko mountain rescue team. Read more.

For both incidents (and many minor ones where the outcome isn't so tragic), the local Mountain Rescue Service is always on hand to respond when called upon. They rely on donations and are mostly made up of volunteers. Feel free to send them a donation. If you ever need them on the mountain, call 112.

Winter sports come with inherent risks, and while these tragedies are devastating for the families and friends affected, the number of fatalities so far is in line with previous years.

Five M — Savour Every Bite, Cherish Every Moment

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See our new menu here.

Inside the Bansko Notice Board Group

✍️ 144 New Posts, 💬 824 Comments, 👍️ 2,331 Reactions

Happy End Isn’t So Happy Anymore
Ben posted that he recently visited Happy End for happy hour and it wasn’t so happy anymore: overpriced drinks, lacking a great atmosphere, and very few people. Some individuals had suggestions of where else he could try.

I’m Thinking About Visiting in June, But I’ve Heard Street Dogs Are Aggressive
Athena posted that she wants to book a place on Airbnb for a month in June but has read some posts about street dogs being aggressive in Bansko. News to most of us and some people had a comment or two.

How Snow Sure is Bansko in Early April?
Dawn is thinking about booking to come ski in early April. She’s wondering if there will be enough decent snow and that the town isn’t dead around that time. Some people had some suggestions.

Looks Like a GDPR Nightmare: Ulen Are Reusing Passes With Info On
Sevil posted that she’d bought a plastic ski pass from the machines at the gondola, and it looks like she was given an old, used ski pass with another person’s name and picture on it. See what people had to say.

Can You Hire Ski Equipment From Ulen and Skip The Gondola Queue?
Emma posted that she’d heard you could hire equipment from next to the gondola and skip any of the queues for the gondola (saving time when it’s busy this month). A few people had a comment or two.

Owner of Baryakova Tavern Passes Away
Graham posted that the owner of Baryakova Tavern, Stravka, passed away this week. Baryakova is popular with locals and tourists and has great food, service, and a good atmosphere. See the post for more information.

Local/Municipality News

Tourist Visitor Numbers Increase on Previous Year
The National Statistical Institute has reported that tourist numbers to Bulgaria in December 2024 were up some 20% compared to the previous year. I guess that explains why NYE and the rest of the festive period were quite busy in Bansko. More info.

Regular Municipality Meeting
At the recent regular municipality meeting, a few topics were discussed about local issues. One of them was an adoption programme to reduce the population of stray animals and control the breeding of domestic cats and dogs in Bansko. It’ll be interesting to see if/how they’ll do this, as one would assume they’ll use the same powers they’ve had for years. Also discussed were the construction of some new bike lanes in town and funding for the Special Winter Olympics in Italy. More info.

Yulen Ski Club Sees Successes at International FIS Competitions
Elena Glavcheva from Yulen Ski Club won two gold medals on the first day in the giant slalom event and was placed third on the second day. This event was in Bosnia and Herzegovina and saw competitors from Great Britain and nine other countries. More info.

Local Rotary Club Meets to Raise Money for Children With Special Needs
The local Rotary Club recently held its annual charity ball to raise funds for training teachers, equipping offices, and raising public awareness for children with special needs in the local area. More info.

Local Businesses

Sell your property in Bansko with Plus Property: Free valuation, free listing and free viewings (commission payable at sale/purchase). Find out more.

Shared airport transfers from Sofia to Bansko with Traventuria. Get to Bansko quickly and in style during the winter season. Always on time. Check availability.

Get Amazon packages delivered to Bansko with GGBG at the best price. Regular transport from the UK, Germany and the USA to Bulgaria. See our website for more.

Happy Hour at The Hub, every day from 4pm to 6pm. Get two wines or two beers, or one of each for 8BGN.

Travelling out of your home country in 2025? Get travel insurance designed by travellers. True Traveller: one policy to cover all of your activities. Learn More.

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Events Next Week

Bansko Street Dogs Pub Quiz
Continuing their quiz nights every two weeks at the moment, BSD’s next quiz is happening tomorrow (Monday 3rd of February) from 7.30pm at George and Mary restaurant on Glazne Street (14). If you want to battle it out with the other teams then see the event information here.

Wine Tasting at D & Vino
On Tuesday 4th of February at 7pm, D & Vino will see special guest Tatyana Stefanova from Zagreus Winery, who will show people five different red wines. The price is 20BGN. To reserve your place, see here.

Marketing Meetup: Talking YouTube and User Generated Content
This week’s marketing meetup is about creating video content for both YouTube and using user-generated content to help with marketing your brand or business. Entrance is free and will be held at Altspace’s Summit space from 6.30pm on Tuesday. More info.

Avalanche Awareness Courses by The Avalon
The Avalon is hosting another avalanche awareness course this month. Level 1 (140BGN) is on Wednesday 5th & Thursday 6th of February, and level 2 (170BGN) is on Tuesday 11th & Wednesday 12th of February. Message the Avalon for more information and to book.

Venetian Masquerade Ball at Star Bar Basecamp
On Saturday 15th of February, Star Bar Basecamp will have its 3rd annual Venetian Masquerade party. Everything starts at 8pm and the organisers want people to experience different emotions and make memories. Learn More.

Seven-Course Culinary Delight at The Chef’s House
Guest chef Steve Vella from Malta is cooking up a 7-course culinary delight at The Chef’s House restaurant at 6.30pm on Friday 21st of February. The price is 109BGN per person and includes a selection of wines. More info.

Photo of the Week

Duck Rustica at The Alpen Restaurant.

Tag @banskobuzz to get your photo in the Buzz.

Let’s Keep the Bansko Buzz Brewing! ☕ If you enjoy the latest updates every Sunday, why not fuel the magic behind it? Buy me (Nick) a coffee. (Thank you to everyone who’s already bought me a coffee, I appreciate it.)