Mount Damavand Ski Tour & Doberar Mountain Ski Touring

Day 1: Arrive IK Airport, Sightseeing Tehran, transport to Polour village (~2400 m)

Arrive at Tehran I.K. Airport. After welcoming, we’ll transport your group to Hotel. After a short rest, we’ll go to visit the Persian metropolis capital, Tehran. Today we have enough time to visit Tajrish Bazar in the north of city, Sadabad palace complex, then we’ll go to visit Darband valley. After lunch, our Bus will transfer the group to Polour village at the foot of Damavand summit. Polour is a small village with about 2400 m altitude and placed on about 65 km far away Tehran in the northeast. O /N at guesthouse or local house in Polour village.

Day 2: Ski-touring in Doberar mountain Ridge.

After breakfast at early morning we’ll transfer group to Lasem village (about 30 min) at the foot of Doberar ridge (north side). Doberar is a mountain ridge that is too long and has many 3000 and 4000 m summit. Lasem village (~2700 m) is our start point for ski-touring. Today we climb Lasem summit (~3700 m), it takes about 4 hours to top. There we can enjoy and take pictures from the best scenes of Damavand and Doberar ridge. Descend down to Lasem village, transport to our camp at the Polour guest house/local house, take a shower, and have rest. O /N at guesthouse or local house.

Day 3: Ski-touring in Doberar Ridge, Changizchal summit (~4100 m).

After serving breakfast at the early morning, we’ll go to Lasem village and start our ski-touring to Changizchal summit (~4100 m). It takes about 5 hours to summit. Descend to Lasem village and enjoy the good snow conditions for downhill skiing. Transport to Polour guesthouse/local house and have rest. O /N at guesthouse or local house.

Day 4: Ski-touring in Doberar Ridge, Doberar summit (~4250 m)

After serving breakfast at the early morning, transport to Lasem village, we’ll start our ski-tour to climb Doberar summit with about 4250 m altitude (the highest summit in Doberar ridge). We ascend about 5 to 6 hours to reach summit. After taking pictures and enough rest, descend to Lasem, transport Polour village, take a shower, and have a rest. O /N at guesthouse or local house.

Day 5: Transport to Damavand base camp (Gosfandsara) 3000 m by 4WD cars, start ski-touring to Damavand shelter (Bargahe Sevom) 4250 m

After serving breakfast and leave our extra equipment in guesthouse, we transport the group to Gosfandsara by 4WD at 3000 m altitude. Depending on weather conditions and if mountain road will be closed by snow, we should have to start from the last place where we can go by cars on the road. There we leave our luggage (each 2person one 15 kg luggage) to mules or porters, and they carrying them for us to Bargahe Sevom. After about 5 to 6 hours we’ll reach Bargahe Sevom shelter in 4250 m altitude and have a rest there. O /N at Shelter or 2person tent.

Day 6: Acclimatization/ bad weather reservation day

This day is reserved in case of bad weather condition. In this case we can change the program. So there is enough time for after breakfast climb slowly to an altitude of 4800 m and have enough rest for good acclimatization. Descend to Shelter and enjoy landscape of Doberar ridge, Lar Dam and national park. O /N in shelter/2 person tent.

Day 7: Summit day

After breakfast at early morning, we’ll start ascend to top of the Iran, Damavand summit (5671 m). It takes about 6 or 7 hours to reach summit by ski. Near the summit in about 5400m, because of warmth and sulfur gas, there is not enough snow and you should take off your skis and climb summit by boot crampons.  After reach summit you can see the Crater of old Damavand volcano and enjoy scenes, tacking memorial pictures. Then descend to shelter by ski (about 2 hours). O /N at shelter or 2person tent.

Day 8: Descend Polour and Hot Spring

Today morning we pack our luggage (will carrying by mules or porters) and descend to Gosfandsara by ski, there our 4WD transport us to Polour. Take a shower and collect the equipment. Go to Larijan local hot spring. O /N at guesthouse or local house.

Day 9: Kashan historical city tour

Today morning we’ll start driving to Kashan historical city in center of Iran, it’s about 200 km far away from Tehran in the south (4 hours driving from Polour). Kashan city is the capital of Kashan County, in the province of Isfahan, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 248,789, in 67,464 families. The etymology of the city name comes from the Kasian, the original inhabitants of the city, whose remains are found at good preserved archeological Tapeh Sialk dating back 9,000 years; later this was changed to “Kashian”, hence the town name. Between the 12th and the 14th centuries Kashan was an important centre for the production of high quality pottery and tiles. In modern Persian, the word for a tile (kashi) comes from the name of the town Kashan. In Kashan you can visit some historical sites like Brodjerdian house, Abbasian house, Fin garden (paradise garden), Soltan Amirahmad Bathroom, and etc. O /N at Hotel in Kashan.

Day 10: Sightseeing Niasar town & Rose Water festival

Niasar which is located in the slope of Karkas Mountains, at the foot of the first unique monument of the Sassanid era “Char Taqi”, is one of the main centers of producing rose and rose water in Iran. It is believed that Niasar is one of the oldest residential cities in the country. The ancient region embraces the Eskandarieh Spring, the 2000-year-old fire temple, a running water fall, and many beautiful gardens in which the village houses are dispersed, fascinating every visitor for several hours. The city observe a warm welcome by tourists. Niasar, which is located 24kilometers off Kashan in Isfahan Province, will be hosting many more visitors during the upcoming days. The season for picking rose and preparing rosewater is from early May to mid-June. Afternoon we drive back to Tehran (in case of choosing extra Isfahan tour by you, we’ll stay tonight in Kashan city).  O /N at Hotel.

Day 11: Fly back home

Depends on your flight time we manage this day and transport the group to the airport.

Important Facts About Damavand Camps

As every destination in the world, if you want to climb Mount Damavand, you need to know about it facts, coordination, climbing difficulty, camps and accommodation.

Sometimes we see in maps, read on articles or climbing reports, that Mountain has one base camp (maybe high base camp), two, three or more camps on the way to the summit.

Regardless of meaning of Base camp & etc. it’s a question;

– HOW MANY CAMPS DAMAVAND HAS?

– IF DAMAVAND HAS BASE CAMP? OR NOT?

While searching DAMAVAND CAMPS on websites, internet and social medias, you will see many different information about Damavand base camp, camp 1, camp 3 and so on…

Now we want to tell you the real fact of Damavand camps.

To do this, you need to read more about Damavand climbing routes

Average altitude of village and accessible roads around Damavand is between 2400 to 3200 meters. So for climbing Damavand from any routes, you can reach to around 3000 meters by using access gravel roads (dirt roads) that made for nomads and sheared.

In the other hand, to climb Damavand summit, from normal routes, you need to start from around 3000 m and climb about 2600 meters.

As it described in “Required Time for Climbing Damavand” article , you need to spend at least three nights at mount Damavand to top the summit safety and successful whiteout altitude problem.

So the answer found. Two or three camps could be enough for climbing Mount Damavand.

Now that we understood how many camps are needed to climb Damavand, we tell you the story of Damavand Base Camp & Camp 1 and Camp 3, as well as answer of “Where is Damavand camp two?”

Generally, camps of Damavand comes from southern route and old Iran climbers who tried to reach this beautiful and magical summit of Mt.Damavand.

On that period of time (more than 50 years ago), while there wasn’t developed transportation and good access roads, it was too difficult for Iranian climbers to hike up Damavand peak. First they need to reach small villages like Polour, Raineh (today it’s town), Gazaneh (or Gazna) and Nandel (in north route).

It takes at least one day to reach one of this villages (remember it’s only 70-90 km distance). So on that time, the first climbers of Damavand called this villages as a first Bargah (first camp or base camp).

The second camp of Damavand (for example in southern route) was on around 3000 meters altitude that was accessible while one day climbing from village. So they called it second Bargah (camp).

The last camp of Damavand at the way of climbing summit, that was in around 4000 to 4500 m (except northern route), called third Bargah (or third camp).

Nowadays, thanks to developing transportation, asphalt roads and gravel roads to 3000 m altitude, sometimes climbers don’t spend a night at villages around Damavand. So base camp or first camp forgot during the years and left only 3000 meter camp (or Goosfandsara), and third camp (or Bargah Sevom/ third Bargah) at 4200 meters altitude in southern route of Damavand.

Summary is that, today:

Mount Damavand has some villages around, with asphalt access roads that they couldn’t call as “Damavand Base Camp”.

Goosfandsara or Camp one that today could be call as Base Camp and accessible by 4WD cars via gravel road.

And Third Bargah (camp three), that could be called as Damavand ONLY camp at 4200 m altitude.

Required time for climbing Damavand

Mount Damavand with 5610 meters altitude, is highest mountain in Iran and placed in the heart of Alborz mountain range (central part) in northeast of Tehran.

Required time for climbing Iran mountains and Damavand is completely depends on many different parameters. Physical fitness, acclimatization and accordance with high altitude, climbing equipment, season and weather conditions.

To find the right answer of this question that how many days will be enough for climbing Damavand (or climbing Iran mountains), we should consider all of this variants.

Normal Trekking season of climbing Damavand:

Most of successful climbs of Mount Damavand recorded at normal season that start from beginning of June to the end of October.

In this period of year, we have stable weather conditions, warmer temperature (between 5 to 15 degrees celsius), longer daylight time and less snow on Iran mountains & Damavand peak.

So now everything is depending on your fitness and accordance with high altitude (of course technical equipment like crampon, ice peak, ropes, etc. are not necessary for climbing Damavand at summer).

During many years of organizing and performing trekking/hiking tours in Iran mountains specially mount Damavand and IranExploration experiences, the best and successful plan for climbing Damavand is 5 days itinerary as below details:

Day 1: Reach to 3000 m by 4WD cars and hiking around Damavand Base Camp

Day 2: Trekking to Damavand hut (shelter) at 4250 m

Day 3: Climb to 4700 m for acclimatization and sleep at 4200 m

Day 4: Climbing to Damavand summits 5610 m, Back to the hut

Day 5: Back to Polour/Raineh village

Undoubtedly, the summit of Mount Damavand could be accessible in less time if you are adapted well by high altitude and are in good shape of fitness. In this condition, you can minus day one as well as day five. So it’s possible to climbing Damavand in three days.

Of course climbing Iran other mountains, need different time and their special itineraries

It’s good to know Damavand’s climbing time record was registered by one of Iranian climbers in 2012. He climbed summit from Damavand Base camp (3000 m) only in 3:45 hours (three hours & forty five minutes).

Also, it’s common for Iranian Sky-Runners to climb Damavand summit in one or two days.

* You can read more about Damavand climbing camps at five days itinerary at this link

Have any questions regarding Damavand Skitour’s information?

Visit the Ultimate Mount Damavand Skitour Information & Packages

Note: This article is merely an author’s perception of the Damavand climbing over time and cannot be said to be definitely correct.