Rhodopy – Pamporovo

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Pamporovo

The biggest and most famous Rodopi winter resort is located 260km away from the capital city of Sofia, 85km south of Plovdiv and 15km north of Smolyan. As far back as the 30s, groups of tourists from Plovdiv and Sofia found out, that this spot in the Perelik-Prespan part of Rodopi Mountain pffer unique climatic conditions for establishing a winter sports center. The altitude varies from 1450m at Malina country up to 1930m at Snezhanka Peak.

The average year temperature is around 5°С at “Studenec” hut and 3.5°С at Snezhanka. All this, combined with the large amount of rain in the high parts of the Rila-Rodopi massif, forms the perfect conditions for creating a stable snow cover from the beginning of December till the end of April. The approximate total length of the Pamporovo tracks up to August 2008 is 35km. Their difficulty level varies and thus there are tracks for boarders of different skill.

Tracks

*Snezhanka 1, also known as “The Little Wall” – Red (boarding skill – advanced). The track start is at altitude of 1900m at the South-east part of the Snezhanka ridge and the end is at altitude of 1785m in the dam lake area. Unlike its end, the start of the track is quite sloping. It is served by the “Dam Lake” rope-line. Displacement ~ 155m, length – 990m.

*Snezhanka 2, also known as “The Wall” – Black (boarding skill – pro). The start is at 1930m alt. just next to the “Snezhanka” TV tower. The track descends to the right to reach its steepest and most imposing segment before “Studenetz” hut. The finish is at 1700m alt. at the hut itself and at the “Monastery” resort compound. This is the oldest and most famous Pamporovo track. It is served by the three-seat Studenetz-2 lift. Displacement ~285m, length – 500m.

*Snezhanka 3, also known as “The Two Bridges” – Red/Black (boarding skill – advanced/pro). It starts at 1920m alt. A detour to the right comes right away and then there is a steep descent up to the “Two Bridges” country. It is served by the “Two Bridges” rope-line. Displacement – 405m, length – 2200m.

*Snezhanka 4, also known as “The European One” – Black/Red (boarding skill – pro/advanced). It shares a start with Snezhanka 3. It takes a detour to the left and turns into a quite steep descent to the “Malina” country. At its end, the track becomes more sloping and its end is at the meadows of “Malina”. At 1450m alt. It’s served by the four-seat Studenetz-5 lift. Displacement ~476m, length – 2000m.

*Snezhanka 5 – a.k.a. “Ardashluh” – Red (boarding skill – advanced). The start is at 1910m alt. at the west part of the “Snezhanka” peak ridge. The track takes a large right turn and finishes at the meadows of “Malina” at 1450m alt. It’s served by the four-seat Studenetz-5 lift. Displacement ~476m, length – 3500m.

*Snezhanka 6, also known as “The Tourist One” – Blue (boarding skill – beginner). The start of the track is at “Snezhanka” peak and uses the trace of the motor road to the peak, passes through “Dam Lake” country, the descends towars “Studenetz” hut, passes through the tunnel, the “Two Bridges” country” and finishes at the meadows of “Malina”. This track is often full of tourists and thus the boarding is not of the pleasantest, due to all the beginner boarders. Displacement ~476m, length – 4200m. It’s served by the four-seat Studenetz-5 lift.

*Snezhanka 7, a.k.a. “The Bus Station” – Blue. The start is behind “Studenetz” hut at 1700m alt. The trace follows the opening of Studenetz-1 lift. It ends by the Pamporovo bus station at 1580m alt. The track is used for going back to the resort compound.

*Snezhanka 8, a.k.a. “The Lakes” – Red. It starts at “Snezhanka” peak and then descends down the south plateau after which the track enters the forest and takes a big left turn and heads for the bottom station of the 4th rope-line “Snezhanka-Smolyan Lakes”. The track is served namely by that facility. Displacement ~390m, length – 3000m.

View from Snejanka tower, picture by nenov

Pamporovo also has some beginner places. The first is at the “Malina” country, the second is at “Studenetz” hut, the third – at the meadows of “Dam Lake” country”, and the last is at the south plateau of “Snezhanka” peak. They are all served by rope-lines.

Pamporovo also offers the snowboarders’ dream – a half-pipe. It is situated on Snezhanka-1 track a.k.a. “The Little Wall” (see above). The pipe’s length is 150m and the wall height is 3m.

Facilities in Pamporovo:

The facilities, serving the track net in Pamporovo, have a capacity of 8600 persons per hour. The 9 rope-lines, as well as the 5 seat lifts, offer the skiers and boarders a fast and comforting transfer. The new Doppelmayer four-seat lift has 79 seats, each with four places, which gives it a capacity of 2000 persons per hour and has a length of 734m.

Prophylaxis times of ski facilities
Lift/Rope-line times
Studenetz 1 Friday from 12:30
Studenetz 2 Studenetz – Snezhanka Monday from 12:30
Studenetz 3 Ardashlu – Studenetz Wednesday from 12:30
Snezhanka – Smolyan lakes Monday from 12:30
Ardashlu – Snezhanka Tuesday from 12:30
Ardashlu – Snezhanka Tuesday from 12:30
“The Wall” every second Thursday of the month
“The Two Bridges” every third Wednesday of the month
“Academica” every last Wednesday of the month

Google Earth Places Pool

Attractions and places-to-go
*Murgavetz Peak
*Rocks of Orpheus
*Smolyan Lakes
*Snezhanka Tower

Training Zones
*The Dam Lake
*Malina
*Snezhanka
*Studenetz

Tracks
*Snezhanka 1 – The Little Wall Start Finish Start / Final
*Snezhanka 2 – The Wall Start / Final
*Snezhanka 3 – The Two Bridges Start / Final
*Snezhanka 4 – The European One Start / Final
*Snezhanka 5 Start / Final
*Snezhanka 6 – The Tourist One Start / Final
*Snezhanka 7 – The Bus Station Start / Final
*Snezhanka 8 – The Lakes Start / Final

The Weather | Full Forecast | Webcam

Maps

Тhe tourist map of Pamporovo and around.Tourist toutes, paths , peaks and villages. Size of the file is 1.9МB, it opens in new window.

The map of the tracks and the facilities of Pamporovo.Size of the file is 0.6МB, it opens in new window.

Links

*The official site of Pamporovo

*Pamporovo in Wikipedia.org