The new season started skiing in Bansko, December 15, with a lot of snow and blocked roads to the city. A long queue of cars waiting ended on Bansko Blagoevgrad in the street, delaying many visitors to the town open. There had been a strong snowfall on the first day of the weekend, and the streets were not cleared in time. Later guests official event, samples ski Janica Kostelic, Kjetil Andre Aamodt and Marc Girardelli Alberto Tomba skied the run, the highlight of the opening ceremony. Mountaineer Reinhold Messner was also among the special guests. Kostelic, January 26, was born in Croatia and is the only woman Alpine skier to win three gold medals and one silver at the Olympic Games - in Salt Lake City in 2002.She became the only woman to win four Olympic gold when he added to his 2002 match with the combined gold in 2006. He won the World Cup three times in the 2006 World Cup, came first in all five disciplines of competition. In total, which has 30 victories in races of the World Cup. In 2007 retired from professional Kostelic skiing because of health problems. Aamodt, Norway, is famous for winning more Olympic medals in the World Ski Championship - 20. In 1992 he became the youngest Alpine skier to win an Olympic gold. Fourteen years later in Turin Aamodt won gold again, becoming the oldest Alpine skier to do so. Asmodt also retired from professional skiing. The third celebrities who participated Bansko great openness, Girardelli, world champion of another skier, not compete actively in all competitions. The Girardelli said Sofia Echo, is now devoted to golf. Having skied the run Alberto Tomba, Kostelic, Aamodt and Girardelli participated in a press conference.
Bansko dealer Ulen the demonstration organized by the three world champions as well as the grand opening of the season Pririn's premier winter. The company ski also took part in the first run down the track, accompanied by fireworks and music. A large screen was placed at the beginning of the road's ski entertain visitors. Later in the day Corsican was held a concert at the first station by gondola. Deo, KariZma, Diva ballet, Upsurt and Lora Karadjova all performed. Bansko winter remains the biggest in Bulgaria and said that "The best ski resort in Eastern Europe."
With the addition this year of Chalin Valog 1 and 2, the resort now has 70 km of tracks. They are classified as medium and difficult as shown red runs on the track map. The new tracks are just above the city and are served by a new four places Doppelymayer lift. Ulen said that the new tracks are quite thought at low altitude, the "factory of Bansko ski sufficient guarantees that cover the whole season. Starting this season, all Bansko ski slopes will be covered by artificial snow cannons. Now there are 160 machines. During the day on December 15 snow cannons were working at full speed all the time, although, of course, was snowing.
But the snow that produce can be dangerous if not well treated by track bashers, which works only after the lifts stop operating for the day at 5pm, skiers and go down to the city. From a distance looks artificial snow, but his soft appearance can be very deceptive. Close up, it is very difficult and it is more similar to ice crystals more soft flakes of snow. The machines for the production of large snow balls hard snow, which must be treated several times by track bashers before being skied. For snowboarders can cause more injuries as they have more contact with the snow, pushing up snow more often than skiers because they do not have Pali. Cadevano in may seem artificial snow falls on soft snow, but in reality is more like falling on ice.
Meanwhile, on 18 December, the WWF representative Bulgaria Balkans Wildlife Society and a member of the Board of Management Katerina Rakovska The Sofia Echo said that about half of all ski runs in Bansko was built without environmental impact assessments (EIA). For those where the EIA have been completed, some of the requirements were not followed. One of the violations was that the EIA decisions since 2000 had exact requirements for the width of the ski and that was exceeded. Rakovska says that the next has been no breach of the requirements is that the chemicals should not be used to maintain the snowpack.
The third violation of the approved EIA Rakovska was mentioned the requirement of runs, which had to be constructed without the use of heavy machinery. However, these machines have been widely used in the creation of Bansko ski area. "The other major violation of the decision to EIA, in coordination with the Bansko Ski Area Master Plan in 2000, was the requirement that a bed capacity of the station should not be increased," said Rakovska. However, Bansko currently hosts about twice the number of visitors compared to 2000. He said the violations were the reason for the erosion of hills Bansko. Some of the erosion gullies were caused by at least high as a person. "If the EIA has been noted, this would not have happened," said Rakovska. He said that tracks manufacturers had reached the bare rock tracks when digging and then had to create artificial surfaces so that the snow should follow. "I ski there because I do not want to pay for a place where the rules are not maintained. Lot of my friends there Vai is for skiing," said Rakovska. He also said fines imposed on the resort Bansko lion reached 56000 in total. "What?" He said. "The same is happening in Panichishte (in the National Park Buffer Zone Rila).
Course, the fines have no effect of these places and this leads to multiplication of the same violations in other places as well," said Rakovska. On November 16 Bulgaria WWF said in a media statement that the Bansko ski slopes near Chalin Valog are illegal. The reason was that gave permission issued by the Bulgarian Ministry of Environment and Water in 2001 expressly Affairs said that the Chalin Valog slopes had to be cultivated again. Instead, they were further expanded and built. Additionally WWF said that Chalin Valog ski lift was built without an EIA decision. The coalition of 17 environmental organizations, Sustain For Bulgaria and Nature, including the WWF, has informed the authorities about violations in the construction of Chalin Valog ski slopes during the start of the project in April 2007.
Save citizens and representatives of the coalition Pirin protested at the site, in May and October 2007. Representatives of the European Commission DG Environment, Andrash Demeter and Ladislav Miko, also participated in a check of the site earlier this year. "Then, when questioned before the Europeans if Chalin Valog ski lift had EIA decisions and if it was legal director of the Pirin National Park Georgi Grancharov said they did not know, but the elevator and the concessionaire's was Program investment, "said WWF statement.
