Snow report Makedonija Hut, Rila Mountains, 01/31/2026

Snow condition

The Rila Mountains have probably received an above-average amount of snow for this time of year. The ascent on the valley floor towards the Makedonija hut was possible without any problems. The slopes from the hut on both the south and north sides were well passable without any dangers from below.

Snow quality

The snow was generally good to ski on. As is typical for the region, the falling snow is compressed quite quickly or shifts into gullies and hollows. We took it easy on the descents. There was everything from very hard packed snow to crushed snow and light powder snow on both the north and south sides.

We had to abort the tour the day before in the neighboring valley in the direction of Maljowiza hut because the danger of drift snow in the steeper terrain was too great. That's why we took it easy and climbed up to the Makedonija hut yesterday to ski down today in very flat terrain (mostly well below 30 degrees). Nevertheless, the slopes here were also clearly marked by the wind and gullies and heavily packed terrain would not have been skiable. A quick snow profile (at 2400m south-facing, 30 degrees) revealed an ECT16P at around 40cm. Pretty much the level of snowfall since 26.1.

Overall impression

A beautiful two-day tour in the Rila Mountains comes to an end. We set off from Kartala ski resort in bad weather and snowfall in the direction of Makedonija hut. After a mixed night with two very friendly hut hosts, we decided to simply ascend from the south and north sides of the hut in relaxed terrain. The descents were great fun throughout, despite some very changeable conditions. The descent into the valley, along a forest road, took place without any major problems and was accompanied by the applause of many Bulgarian hiking tourists.