Pamporovo is a purpose-built resort in the heart of the Rhodope mountains (the cradle of the mythical singer Orpheus). There are three major ski resorts in Bulgaria, of which Pamporovo is the second largest and the most upmarket. It is also the most southerly, the sunniest, and the highest at 1650 metres above sea level. The highest point is Snejanka at 1926m. It boasts around 200 days of sunshine per year, 120 during the skiing period alone.

Due to the influence of mild Mediterranean weather, Pamporovo's temperatures show relatively little variance throughout the day. Moreover, the peaks surrounding Pamporovo isolate the resort from strong winds and also prevent the snow cover of its ski runs, between 140 and 150 cm, from being blown away. The average annual temperature is 8.5 degrees C. The combination of mild weather and excellent snow cover mean perfect skiing conditions from mid December to mid April.

There are numerous ski runs of different categories, suiting all levels from beginners and early intermediates to professionals. The resort area's ski mountain, Snezhanka, offers a total length of 17.5km of alpine ski runs, serviced by 5 chair lifts and 13 tow lifts. There are 34 ski slopes including 'The Giant Slalom' and 'The Wall' for the most skilled, as well as 3 long-distance cross-country runs. There are good ski schools and a lively apres-ski. The first tourist hostel was built in 1933, laying the ground of a future ski centre. All these factors, complemented by modern ski facilities, make Pamporovo a friendly and enjoyable winter resort.

Pamporovo is also a very popular summer resort, due to its picturesque surrounding areas and peculiar rock formations such as the famous Orpheus Rocks. It is being marketed as a 'mountains-and-lakes' resort, with guided walking and cycling tours on offer, mountain bikes for hire and tennis courts, horse riding and hiking to the Rhodopi's peaks (Snezhanka - 1925m, Murgavets - 1858m). Opening of the new Bulgarian - Greek border (40 km from Pamporovo) will link the Pamporovo complex to the White Sea in 1 hour, greatly increasing tourist numbers. There has been a lot less development in Pamporovo compared to Bansko, mainly due to the nature of it's physical geography. However, a number of high quality complexes have been built in this area. The nearest airport is Plovdiv, which is 85kms away, or approx. one and a half hours's drive. Sofia, the capital city is 240km and around 3 hours drive.

Source: http://www.bulgariaski.com/pamporovo/skiruns.shtml

In addition to Pamporovo, there are three other major skiing resorts in Bulgaria, Bansko, Borovets and Vitosha, on the outskirts of Sofia. There are also several smaller areas trying hard to catch up. The skiing infrastructure is well developed and all ski resorts have a good reputation for lift networks, scenery and plenty of snow. The official ski season lasts from mid-December to mid-April. The snow cover reaches a thickness of 1.5 m. and the average temperature is minus 6° C.

The newest ski resort of Bansko is located 925 m above sea level between Pirin, Rila and the Rhodopes mountains. Although the resort is new, Bansko itself is a very old Bularian town. It has a short hot summer and long mild winter. The snow cover is excellent, the abundant snow falls providing constant winter snow-cover up to 2m thick. The Pirin mountains have an Alpine character with 2 peaks above 2900m. There are 14 km of ski runs with 7 lifts with the longest ski run of 2.5 km, and two practice slopes with ski-tows. Borovets is the oldest and the biggest mountain resort in Bulgaria and is situated 70km from Sofia. It is situated in the Rila mountains at 1350m above sea level on the northern slopes of Mt Musala, the highest on the Balkan peninsula(2925m). The most reliable snow cover is in late February and early March. There are ski runs of varying difficulty catering for beginners, intermediates and advanced skiers.All have international markings and multilingual signs. The runs are maintained to high standards and good instruction is available.There is a ski kindergarten for 3-7 year-olds. The ski runs of Vitosha are various and are again suitable for skiers and snow boarders of all levels. Vitosha has six ski runs with various difficulty and length - the green ski run being the easiest and the Vitoshko Lale the most difficult. There are a number of chair and drag lifts, as well as a Gondola lift starting from the outskirts of Sofia and reaching almost to the top of the mountain near Aleko.