When booking a ski or snowboard lesson, it includes just the tuition with the instructor. Your equipment should be booked separately here, plus you need to buy yourself a ski pass. Learn more about the ski passes here.

On Banderitsa Polyana which is the second (last) station of the Gondola lift.
Learn below how you will save time and avoid delays during peak periods.

It is true that the queue at the Gondola can be even 2-2.30 hours + 30′ trip to arrive on the ski resort. What we suggest:

• EQUIPMENT FITTING IN THE EVENING BEFORE
  In Tsakiris you can visit us between 18:30-20:30 and get fitted for the next day. You can have the equipment waiting for you in the next morning under your name or store it at the hotel. Book your equipment here together with your fitting appointment in the evening before your first day on the slopes.
• BUY YOUR SKI PASS THE DAY/EVENING BEFORE
  If your schedule allows this, we definately suggest to buy your ski pass the day before. Check here where and when you can buy it.
• AVOID THE GONDOLA AND GO UP BY CAR
  Another useful alternative is to go on the mountain by car and avoid the Gondola queue. If you haven’t got your ski pass yet, you can also do it on Banderitsa Polyana (top of the Gondola) on the mountain.
  
  When going up with your own car, you must know that from early in the morning the road becomes busy and the parking gets full. We suggest you start from Bansko at 08:00 so you avoid delays. The way up is approx. 20 min plus any delays if you find traffic or the road is very snowy. Make sure you have snow chains with you. The parking fee is approx. 20 BGN in cash. If you are first timer or very beginner you must park in Banderitsa Polyana area. However, once again the parking in Banderitsa is small and gets full from early in the morning, make sure you depart very early from Bansko.If you are able to ski or snowboard at least a blue run, you can park anywhere else.

Either you are planning to use all the lifts or just a small beginners lift, you still need a ski pass.

Some beginner skiers and snowboarders that intend to save some money, buy the gondola ticket so they can arrive on Banderitsa and then just walk up on the short beginners slopes and ski down, without using the lifts.

Other skiers & snowboarders that know some basics and want to save money, buy the gondola ticket so they can arrive on Banderitsa and ski down once the ski road. This is the 7km blue slope from Banderitsa to Bansko.

ATTENTION
In the above cases, keep in mind that the Gondola ticket is not intended for ski use therefore it does not include any insurance. This means that in case of an accident on the way down, if you need to be transferred from the slope to the medical center, you might need to pay a large amount of money (from 25 to 300 euro) since you do not have a ski pass.

Little kids and adults are better combined in family lessons so the family learns how to ski & snowboard while having fun all together. Of course, if they have little ones in the lesson they should always bear in mind that progress of the family group depends on the “weakest” participant’s progress.

We avoid mixing kids and adults in the same lesson when the participants do not know each other. The pace of progress is different for children and adults and this might not be pleasant for all participants.

Children over 10 years old may attend lessons together with adults.

…are not added in groups, as they usually require extra attention from the instructor which delays a lot the rest of the group’s progress. Moreover, a 2 hours lesson is usually too much for them. However, we are totally fine not to separate them from the rest of the family, if you are happier organising the family lessons this way.

First timer? Family fun on snow.

For their first experiences on the snow, we want our little ones to get familiar and feel comfortable with moving on this strange new terrain for them. Spend some time playing with them on the snow, with and without the equipment in order for them to gain some confidence and have fun next to their parents. You can then assess if they like it, before deciding if you would like the little ones to move on to the next step with some tuition.

Kids ski equipment starts from 24 European size (UK 6 youth size) and skis from 70 cm.

We also provide a playful plastic version of kids’ skis that can be adjusted with straps over normal shoes for the even younger wannabe skiers.

Kids snowboard equipment starts from 24 European size (UK 6 youth size) and the shortest board is 70 cm.

Private one-to-one lesson

An 1-hour lesson woube be the next step with a professional next to your little wannabe-skier / snowboarder. 2 hours lessons as 2 hours have proved to be very long for a less than 5 years old kid. One hour would be recommended for the first attempt(s), and perhaps longer lessons later.

Kindergarten

Another option for your little one is to sign up for the resort’s kindergarten. The kindergarten is a service offered by Ulen (the company that manages the ski centre) for young kids between 4-7 years old.

It’s for half or all day and they provide indoor and outdoor play and lunch break. Ski equipment and some tuition is provided to the kids that wish to try some skiing. It is a low-priced service as they do not aim in ski tuition but more in taking care of the children in a fun environment, while the rest of the family are skiing.

The kindergarten is on the second -last- station of the Gondola, Banderitsa Polyana, so you can also have a look at your child while on the mountain. You arrange this service on the spot at the Gondola lift bottom station in the town of Bansko or contact them in advance through their official website banskoski.com.

Ski and snowboard lessons are held separately and not with the same instructor. We have done this in the past after our customers’ request, however it mostly tends to work for family fun and is not ideal for creating the highest quality of lesson and at the end of the day it is not satisfying for our customers who are beginners/first-timers.

You may book your lessons before your equipment reservation by using our contact form or as a comment on the last step of your equipment booking procedure. Make sure you include in your request:

Of course, you can book your lessons here in the shop after you arrive in Bansko, according to the availability which can be limited during high season.