Climbing Damavand & skiing Dobarar

Climb & ski in mount Damavand & Dobarar

Iran is the land of great conflicts. The Persian territory is the land of snow-capped mountains, lush Canyon, deserts and exquisite forests. A land where apple trees and palm trees grow not too far from each other.

The diversity of geography, climate, and people along with a variety of ethnicities, with different cultures, accents and dialects, allow Iran to be one of the tourist destinations in the world.

Iran (Ancient Iran) is bordered by the Caspian Sea, Kharazm desert and Kura River to the north, by the Amu Darya basin, western mountains of Indus valley and the slopes of western mountains of Pamir to the east, by the western slopes of the Zagros Mountains and the Arvand Rud (river) basin to the west and by the Persian Gulf and the Oman Sea to the south.

The two main mountain ranges of Iran are Zagros and Alborz. Zagros mountains extend from northwest to Khuzestan Plain, and Alborz mountains extend from west to east along the Caspian Sea (Mazandaran).

The Iranviva team aims to attract your attention to Alborz mountains, specifically the highest peak of the range, Mount Damavand. But before that it is better to review the history and background of Alborz Mountains and Mount Damavand.

If you are interested in more information about Mount Damavand do not miss this article.

If you are interested in more information about Tehran City Tour do not miss this article.

Need more information about  Saad abad complex , please read this article.

Need more information about  Saad abad museum , please read this article.

Need more information about  Tehran Grand Bazaar , please read this article.

A Brief description about Mount Damavand

Elevation: 5610 meters above sea level, The highest peak in Iran, The highest volcano in Iran, Middle East and Asia

Relative Height: 4667 meters, The twelfth highest peak in the world based on relative height

Age: It is estimated to be about 38,500 years old.

Location: In the center of the Alborz mountain range, near the southern coast of the Caspian Sea and in Larijan, a district in Amol, in Mazandaran province

Adjacent Cities: Rineh and Gazanak are the towns located at the foot of the mountain., Mount Damavand is located 26 km northwest of Damavand city, 62 km southwest of Amol city and 69 km northeast of Tehran

Temperature: The minimum temperature is 60 degrees below zero and the maximum temperature is 2 degrees below zero.

Wind: The average Storm speed is about 150 km / h. On the slopes, the wind speed reaches about 70 km / h. Wind direction is from the west and northwest.

Precipitation: The average annual precipitation in the heights is about 1,400 mm, usually in the form of snow.

Air Pressure: Air pressure at this altitude is half of the air pressure at sea level.

Adjacent Rivers: Tineh River in the north, Haraz River in the south and east, Panj-ab (Five Water) River in the east and Lar and Div-Asiab in the west

Damavand Famous Glaciers: Siuleh Glacier (the northern face):

Dubi-sel Glacier (the northern face), Speleh Glacier (the northern face)

Arosakha Glacier (the northern face), Khurtabsar Glacier (the northern face)

Yakhar Glacier (the northeastern face)

Scattered glaciers and snowfields around Damavand:

Chal glacier and field (the eastern face), Sardagh glacier (between the western and southwestern ridges)

Gharbi glacier (between the northern, southwestern and western ridges), Kafar- Dareh glacier (between the southern and southeastern ridges)

Aspirin-Sar glacier (between the southern and southwestern ridges)

Shelters:

The Bargah-Avval Shelter in the southern ridge (at an altitude of 3000 meters from the sea level)

The Bargah-Sevom Shelter in the southern ridge (at an altitude of 4200 meters from the sea level)

The Sīmorgh shelter in the western face (at an altitude of 4200 meters from the sea level)

The Takht-e Fereydoun shelter in the northeastern ridge (at an altitude of 4400 meters from the sea level)

The Metal Shelter in the northern ridge (at an altitude of 4000 meters from the sea level)

The Metal Shelter in the northern ridge (at an altitude of 4630 meters from the sea level)

Waterfalls: The icefall is located on the south route of Mount Damavand, which is frozen throughout the year, and a small amount of water flows for a short time only in summer at noon, because of the increasing temperature.

Climbing Routes: North Route: This route starts from Siuleh and Dubi-sel Glaciers on the right and left. There are two shelters on this route: the 4,000-shelter at an altitude of 4,000 meters above the sea level and 5,000-shelter at an altitude of 4,700 meters above the sea level.

After passing the last shelter, they climb up to the summit. What should be considered in climbing this route is that there is no water along the way.

A sheep house at the beginning of the path is the last place where climbers can access water.

Northeast Route: This route begins from a village, Haji Della, on the northern side of the mountain, and then after passing the sheep house and passing through the meadow, it reaches the Takht-e Fereydoun shelter. The route ends with traversing the Arosakha Glacier, and after passing through the northern ridge, we reach the summit.

The interesting thing about this route is that returning would be through large dune sand skiing from the village of Gazaneh.

West Route: This route begins with a car park at an altitude of 3,400 meters above the sea level, after that it reaches the Simorgh shelter and the western ridge and finally the summit. It should be noted that there is only water in the Simorgh shelter on this route and the end of the route is with steep slope.

South Route: The South route is the oldest and easiest climbing route. This route begins from the Polour village, and after Lar and Rinh villages, we reach the beginning of the climbing route in sheep house and Sahib Al Zaman mosque at an altitude of 3000 meters above the sea level.

The path continues to the Bargah-Sevom Shelter and goes up through the sulfur hills toward the summit.

Volcano: The diameter of the crater is about 400 meters, covered by a lake of ice., According to some investigations, its last eruption was around 7300 years ago, and according to some others it was about 24,000 years ago.

Etymology and History: Dam (steam) + Avand = Damavand that means “having smoke and steam”

The name of Mount Damavand is employed very much In Iranian literature, and it’s a symbol of firmness and strength.

It is mentioned in Persian mythology that Zahhak (a symbol of an evil person) has been imprisoned in one of the caves of Mount Damavand by Fereydoon (an Iranian legend) until the end of the world, then he will finally escape and ravage the world and kill the people until he will be murdered by Garshasb (a legendary Iranian hero who awakes from a long sleep at the end of the world).

To some of the locals, the voices heard from the mountain are likened to Zahhak’s moans.

The First Ascend: According to the itineraries, the first climbing was in 905. The first recorded ascent of Damavand dates back to 1627, by the English man Herbert from the south route. In addition, the first ascent recorded by an Iranian team dates back to 1857 by Colonel Mohammad Sadegh Khan Qajar’s team.