Bansko development camp strengthens pathway for future Snowboard Alpine athletes

The FIS Snowboard Alpine Development Camp took place in Bansko (BUL) from 31 March to 6 April 2026, bringing together athletes, coaches, and technical staff from multiple nations for an intensive week of training and knowledge exchange.

Organized by the Bulgarian Ski Federation, the camp also reflected the country’s strong and growing commitment to Snowboard Alpine. In recent years, Bulgaria has continued to invest in the development of parallel disciplines, with a new generation of athletes emerging and increasing national interest in the sport. Those efforts have already produced significant results, including World Cup victories, medals at World Championships, and an Olympic medal on the international stage.

This year’s edition marked the second Snowboard Alpine Development Camp hosted in Bulgaria, further strengthening the country’s role in supporting the growth of the discipline and developing young international talent.

Bansko once again proved to be an ideal training venue, offering well-prepared slopes, reliable snow conditions, and modern lift infrastructure. The resort has been a regular host of FIS Snowboard Alpine World Cup events for several years and has also hosted the FIS Snowboard Alpine Junior World Championships on multiple occasions, underlining its experience and high organizational standards.

The camp focused on developing key performance areas in alpine snowboarding, including technical skills, physical conditioning, and race preparation. A strong emphasis was placed on improving proficiency in Parallel Slalom (PSL) and Parallel Giant Slalom (PGS) through structured gate training under professional supervision.

The on-snow program was led by two experienced World Cup coaches, who supervised daily training sessions and worked closely with the athletes throughout the camp. The program was designed to maximize training efficiency, combining daily gate sessions in both PSL and PGS formats with timed runs to simulate race conditions. Key technical focuses included carving technique, edge control, and start acceleration.

Off-snow activities complemented the on-snow training with detailed video analysis sessions, targeted strength and conditioning work focusing on lower body power and core stability, as well as mobility, flexibility, and injury-prevention exercises essential for long-term athletic development. Theoretical sessions covering equipment tuning, race strategy, and performance analysis were also integrated into the program.

Atanasov also highlighted that this year’s edition welcomed a completely new group of athletes compared to the first camp, with participants showing strong motivation and a great desire to gain new knowledge and experience throughout the week.

A total of 11 athletes (9 women and 2 men) participated in the camp, representing nations including Greece, Serbia, Saudi Arabia, Hungary, Ukraine, Israel, and Bulgaria.

To conclude the camp, a timed race was organized on the final day, giving athletes the opportunity to test the skills developed throughout the week in a competitive race environment.

The camp successfully achieved its objectives, with noticeable improvements in technical consistency, start execution, and overall race performance. It also provided an important platform for international collaboration, strengthening cooperation and knowledge exchange among teams.

The Bansko Snowboard Alpine Development Camp once again demonstrated the value of structured FIS development programs in supporting the next generation of Snowboard Alpine athletes on their pathway toward higher-level competition and the dream of competing at the Olympic Winter Games.