Bulgaria's Bansko has shown its determination to take east European skiing to a whole new level, with skiing and accommodation to compete with the Alps on quality rather than cost. UK's The Observer read on Sunday that at the Olympia Ski Show in London a few weeks ago champion racer Marc Girardelli was promoting not some big American or French resort, but that Bulgarian resort.
GBP 20 M has already been spent on new lifts, and a cluster of new hotels has been built close to the slopes, the newspaper informed.

The heart of the town is a UNESCO heritage site with pretty cobbled streets and welcoming bars and restaurants, the British edition told its readers.

With wintertime approaching, Bulgaria's other leading resorts, Borovets and Pamporovo, are trying to keep up. At the moment though, Pamporovo is best only for total beginners, while Borovets has more to offer intermediates, The Observer wrote.