Hotels near Ski Road No. 1 (Piste No. 17)

Ski Road No. 1, numbered 17 and marked orange on the Bansko Ski Resort piste map, is how the day should end: a long descent from Banderishka Polyana at roughly 1,620 m through the forest to the Bansko Gondola lower station at 998 m, on the southern edge of Bansko town. Measured from the meadow it runs about 10 km. Linked from the top of the Todorka six-seat chairlift at 2,527 m, the whole descent comes to around 16 km with close to 1,540 m of vertical, which puts it among the longest continuous runs anywhere in Europe.

Difficulty is not the point. The grade sits between green and easy blue for most of its length, and the reward is distance and quiet forest rather than pitch. Plan around two problems: the final section flattens badly, so snowboarders should expect to unstrap and walk, and the snow down at 998 m turns patchy from late March. Riding the Bansko Gondola back down, which runs until 17:00, is no disgrace in April.

Pro Tip: Drop into Ski Road No. 1 by 15:30 at the latest. Ski lifts stop at 16:15, and the lower forest is in full shadow by then, which turns soft afternoon snow into ice.