Iran - Andrew Burke [307]
Kassa Mountaineering & Tourism (Map; 021-7751 0463; www.kassa.ir/tourism; 9 Naghdi Alley, off Shariati St, Tehran) This private trekking agency offers a full range of trekking and climbing tours, desert expeditions and more. Mountains include Damavand, Sabalan, Zardkouh and ‘any mountain you want to climb’. It is run by Ahmad Shirmohammad, an experienced climber who speaks English.
Mountaineering Federation of Iran (Map; 021-2256 9995-96; www.iranmountfed.com in Farsi; 15 No 17, 8th Baharestan Ave, off Pasdaran St, Tehran; 8.30am-6.30pm Sat-Wed) Experts in anything relating to mountain climbing and trekking, the Mountaineering Federation people are a mine of information and advice. Staff speak English, or can find someone who does.
Sepid Mountaineering Company ( 0711-235 5939; 0917-313 2926; www.sepidtour.com or www.iransightseeing.com) Based in Shiraz, Abdollah Raeesi and crew organise mountaineering, cross-country skiing, nomad and tours by horse back.
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The rocky canyons around Maku, Bijar and Khorramabad are easy to reach and tempting to climb, although few locals seem to do so. You’d be wise to check with police or tourist information offices before setting out as certain innocuous looking climbs can overlook sensitive military posts. The 800m-high wall of Alam Kuh (Mt Alam; ) is a major expedition; there is a thorough description of routes at www.mountainzone.ir. Many waterfalls become good ice-climbs in winter, most accessibly at Ganjnameh, near Hamadan. A good place to meet people who know these climbs is online at www.summitpost.org.
Skiing
There are more than 20 functioning ski fields in Iran. The season is long, the snow is often powdery and, compared with Western fields, skiing in Iran is a bargain. Four downhill fields near Tehran – Click here, Shemshak, Dizin and Tochal – are easily accessible, have reliable facilities and equipment for hire. There is also good downhill skiing available near Tabriz and Ganjnameh, and smaller fields in the Zagros Mountains near Sepidan north of Shiraz, and Chelgerd, west of Esfahan.
The ski slopes are also some of the most sexually equal areas of Iran outside of the family home; skiing was banned after the revolution, and after the ban was lifted in 1988 the images were of women skiing in manteaus. But with Khatami’s rise to the presidency in 1997 came a considerable easing of restrictions on the slopes. Women must still keep their heads covered, but on higher slopes there is usually plenty of hair to be seen. Needless to say, skiing is very popular among the affluent young.
The season in the Alborz Mountains (where most slopes are located) starts as early as November and lasts until just after No Ruz (ie late March); around Tabriz and at Dizin it can last until mid-May. The slopes are busy with Iranians on Thursdays and Fridays, and with diplomats and expats on Saturdays; other days it should be pretty quiet.
All the resorts have lodges and hotels, which charge from about US$30 to US$100 for a room. Ski lifts cost as little as IR40,000 a day. You can hire skis, poles and boots, but not clothes, at the resorts.
For more information, contact the Skiing Federation (Map; 021-2256 9595; www.skifed.ir; Shahid Iran Ski Federation, 17 Baharetan 8 Alley, off Pasdaran Ave, Tehran). For reviews and comments about some slopes, see www.goski.com; and for a history of skiing in Iran see www.iranmania.com/trave l/tours/ski/history.asp.
Trekking
Trekking is arguably the single best way to experience a country and Iran is no exception. Trekking information, however, can be hard to come by. Nader’s descriptions of various routes on www.summitpost.org are probably the best