Inside the boozy ‘Benidorm of ski resorts’ in Bulgaria...

FIRE blazes atop my metal helmet as I knock back a shot, before I’m whacked on the head with a bottle. There are four more of the tipples — and four more bonks on my head shield — to come as the flames continue to burn. I’m also smacked with a hammer, a wrench, a sledgehammer then, finally, an empty beer keg. I’ve actually paid for the privilege of losing some brain cells and possibly setting myself alight.

Image Credit: The Sun [Woman in a helmet with a flaming drink at a bar.]

Yet I still don’t know what I’ve downed in those five 30ml drinks that were handed to me by bar staff. As I finish the challenge, the packed bar cheers and punters queue up to try out Black Tiger’s helmet game — all for just 50 lev (£21). Welcome to Borovets, Bulgaria, where the apres ski will leave you feeling like you’ve been hit on the head — and you probably have been. It’s not your average ski resort with Aperol on the rocks and champagne at every turn.

Image Credit: The Sun [Bartender pouring a drink at a bar.]

Instead, it’s Benidorm On Ice or, as security advisor Daniel, 36, puts it, “the Aldi of ski resorts”. Outside, at a kiosk, punters are downing “Big Bastard Jagerbombs” — a pint of Red Bull with German liqueur Jagermeister. And in a bar further down, boozed-up tourists are attempting to hammer a nail into a tree trunk — using the thin end of the tool. Within hours of arriving in the small ski resort, a British stag has already pulled out his willy to the sound of whoops from his pals.

Image Credit: The Sun [Four young women at a bar in Sunny Beach, Bulgaria.]

Some 95 per cent of the bar staff here spend the summer working in Bulgarian holiday hotspot Sunny Beach before heading to the mountain town for jobs in the winter. One is Emily, who worked on a bar crawl in the summer and now spends her nights in Black Tiger. She told The Sun: “I’ve met friends for life in both Sunny Beach and Borovets. “The coast has crazy parties, drinking from day to night, and then the mountains have skiing in the day and mad parties at night. Both feel like a second home.”.

Image Credit: The Sun [People partying in Borovets, Bulgaria.]

The mountain town is significantly cheaper than other European ski destinations, setting holidaymakers back around £600 for accommodation, flights and rental, compared to an average £1,500 in most other countries. Expat Jack Smith, 32, from Grimsby, Lincs, who owns the Cool Runnings bar, said: “Borovets is a crazy place, full of happiness. It’s a bit of a Wild West. “About 80 per cent of tourists are from the UK or Ireland.

Image Credit: The Sun [A man in a helmet has a beer keg smashed over his head at a bar.]

"There is something for everyone in this resort, from wild games to family festival nights and, of course, skiing on the slopes. “Locals love the energy brought by big groups, and fancy dress is welcome. It helps put everyone in a good mood. But it’s not a skiing holiday — it’s a holiday on skis.”. Cool Runnings offers festival nights, including a drinking challenge that sees four full shot glasses stuck to a ski, and revellers tasked with rotating the plank to reach their tipple without spilling a drop.

Image Credit: The Sun [Woman in a military helmet at a bar with a shovel on her head.]

There is also ski pole limbo and other games. The resort opened in the 1950s, initially with smaller hotels. Since it started attracting a Western crowd, huge hotels and large chalets have sprung up to provide more places to stay. Despite this, the centre of the resort has remained largely the same and boasts the most bars per square kilometre of all the skiing centres in Europe. The huge influx of tourists sees coastal cops experienced in dealing with boozy summer revellers drafted in from Sunny Beach, as well as trainees from the Bulgarian capital Sofia to learn on the toughest patch how to handle drunks.

Image Credit: The Sun [A man having a flaming helmet set on fire at a bar.]

Leeds lads Luke, Liam, Josh and Reece revealed they were having a ball at the resort and hailed the friendly locals. Comparing the area to another Bulgarian attraction, engineer Liam told me: “Bansko is the Magaluf of ski resorts, Borovets is the Benidorm of ski resorts. “Borovets is cheaper by a long way. If you compare it to France, it’s a no-brainer to come here.”. The school pals had spent the night in BJ’s Bar, pounding nails into wood with the short end of a hammer at impressive speed.

Image Credit: The Sun [Three women sharing a large cocktail at a bar.]

But Reece, after losing a dare, had to go snowboarding the following day in nothing but a red bikini — and, of course, we joined him. As he slalomed down the black run in his skimpy outfit, he was met with yells of “alright, sexy?”, wolf whistles and resort workers coming out to have a giggle at him. He told The Sun “it was a bit chilly”, before wrestling himself back into salopettes (ski trousers to those of us who don’t do winter sports) and thermals to warm up.

Image Credit: The Sun [Group of skiers in a bar, one dressed in a cheerleader costume.]

But there are more than just wild drinking games on offer here. The Black Cat hosts tribute nights featuring “big names” such as Freddie Mercury and Cher — and dishes up piles of grilled meat. Manager Kiko is focused on getting as many Brits into the venue as possible, even serving Guinness and Madri to make sure punters don’t miss their local back home. “I’ll be happy when my client base is 90 per cent British,” he said. “The English bring such a great atmosphere. They’re always up for a laugh and cheerful.