Malyovista

Malyovitsa is a small, old-fashioned ski area in the north-western Rila Mountains, gathered around the Mecha Polyana clearing beneath the emblematic pyramid of Malyovitsa peak. It is a genuine outdoor mountain area, not an artificial venue, but a modest one: a handful of short runs and simple lifts, several of them geared to children and beginners. The place is best known as the cradle of Bulgarian mountaineering, home to the country's Central Mountain School, which gives it a distinctive, unglamorous character quite different from the big Rila and Pirin resorts nearby. It suits families, novices and ski-tourers using it as a gateway to the high Rila rather than experts chasing pistes. Snow is genuine winter snow at altitude, though the ski offering itself is small in scale.