The North Face

Overview

Standing 66 km north-east of the capital, Mount Damavand is visible from Tehran in clear weather. Its 5671-m peak is the highest point in Iran. Also the fact that mount Damavand is the highest volcano in Asia, puts its name in the seven volcanic summits' list! So, scaling Damavand is a must to realize your dream of summitting all highest volcanoes of seven continents. There are 4 main routes to ascend this beautiful and conic shape stratovolcano : South Face (easy), North Face (cold,windy,hard), West Face (cold) and North East Face (long) .
Also comparing south face, north face is steeper and less crowded. So, if you expect to enjoy a calm and quiet atmosphere in the mountain, I recommend this route.

You can do Ski Mountaineering in Damavand during December to May . Since the amount of snow varies from year to year, it is better to chek the amount of snow (HERE) prior to your planning . More than 2500 meters downhill skiing would be a fantastic experience that you never forget!

Getting There

At the north foothills of Mt Damavand and some 120km far from the big and crowded capital, there is a remote village called Nandal. Few kilometeres further than this village we start our North face ascent of Mt Damavand at the altitude of 2900m. In north face we have two shelters at 4000m and 4800m, when the latter is the highest shelter in Mt Damavand. So our acclimatization in this face is step by step progress between these shelters. Being adjacent to Dobisel and Sioleh glaciers, north route is a little colder than the south route.

Itinerary & Best time

Day 1 : Drive from Tehran Departure from Tehran; Some 6 hours drive from Tehran to Big Rock (2900m), few kilometeres further than Nandal village (2400m) in northern foothills of Mt Damavand; overnight at tent.
Day 2 : Trek up to 1st shelter in north route (4000m) ; overnight at shelter/tent.
Day 3 : Trek up to 2nd shelter in north route (4800m) ; overnight at shelter/tent.
Day 4 : Summit day; Early summit push and descent to Nandal Village; overnight at local house/tent.
Day 5 : Drive to Ab-e-Garm for relaxing in spa; Drive back to Tehran.

The best season to ascend mount Damavand is June to September. In this season weather condition is usually stable, though there is a chance of snowfall even in mid summer.

Essential Gear

Scaling Mt Damavand is not a technical climb. It just needs good health and stamina as well as ability to trek in the altitudes.

September is driest month in Damavand. It means we will not cross any glacier or snow field in these both routes. So, you don"t need any crampon or ice axe. You need a good sleeping bag, warm clothing, gloves and mittens, sun glasses and trekking poles. Also, having good wind-stopper jackets for bad weather conditions is a must.

External Links

Mount Damavand Weather forecast

Oaj Mountain Climbing Club

www.climbing.ir

Images

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