Iranian resort

A snowHead

Just got some photos from my Iranian host. Could be of interest to Snowheads wanting to know how the others play with the mountains, in this case the Persians.

Not much activities there because it was begining of November but Tehran is in the Middle East. We were fully equipped by the lifts weren't open yet. There were several resorts about 1.5 hours drive from Tehran. Not bad for size too.

[url=http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0RADbAggU557O3nPvYayFEibLdAThW3UlLZPFfqHiYeYn0JDJrRgIWqTK4ds01pVSMEJJvZsZrmi49tiBrErk6L*aEERLcjo3PsluDcf21Gg/005.jpg?dc=4675474076011789381] with my Japanese client and the Iranian host [/url]. The chair lift tower structure can be seen.

[url=http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0RAAkAwkUJ5*q3BYr0IYtR8zHEWPDAAed!ih9oMPR4cx7f4K6F94m*LOIBdPCK1vx8KWFr5yNUPQ4ur2gWzNqG!ggQbnM6CSDuBU9pUZDTD4/006.jpg?dc=4675474076020538389]Featureless mountain could be ideal for some[/url]

[url=http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0RAAkAwoUZ5*NR2LOtqNHCqMOYG9eLDTIwkd2*m1qIq93WJN4aG4fRyae7GnE7HI6dKuK!l84Egq!m932h4rDpEKYfrgI4gqBh6fTA8EYF6g/007.jpg?dc=4675474076023692804]the road we stood is 3200m above sea level[/url] They can ski here in June!

[url=http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0RAAfAwsUp58uY9Ak5qu41*HhR0*ADjEgLIJxQbcmg5YAqTC0366ign6wBgHCVpRpEQ!n*N8CwRWscaBv7jgEpHtLMpWCVIXMQC3hMffM73w/008.jpg?dc=4675474076027244901]The Tehran resort doesn't look much different from the rest[/url], does it? Apartment blocks and hoilday flats same as everywhere.

Iranians are nice people too and steep in culture. It would be nice one day when they decide to put the priority in tourism and make it easy for foreign skiers to go there.

A snowHead

Interesting photos saikee. I'd mentioned it elsewhere, Dizin is a summer skiing destination for grass skiers, although not so popular in recent times with all the 'troubles'. Whereabouts exactly were these photos taken?

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Perhaps that's where all the confusion and chaos has arisen from. One of the Ayatollahs actually said I want the priority to be tourism.......he was just misheard rolling eyes

Good 'photos BTW Smile

You need to Login to know who's really who.

PG,

1.5 hours drive from Tehran. There are several smaller resorts en route but at 3200m level the area is quite extensive. Haven't got the name of it but the area looks very similar to an Alpine resort except the trees are different types if one starts to name differences.

My Iranian host used to own an apartment in a large holiday complex (not in photos) and so the facilities are comprehensive. He took me to an expensive mountain restaurant to have tea (Iranian style) and I am sure the place is a great holiday place to go for.

I had no idea that the area, even without investment for the last 25 years, can still be so attractive and well organised.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Ah Happy Memories, saikee.
We had another short thread recently about this resort which is called Dizin

The last photo shows the resort which is at about 8250 ft. at the end of a road which is normally passable all winter. Taken from near the top car park which is about 11,000 ft and IF the access road from Shemshak is open, you can park, kit on and ski down into the bowl. No queues. That road is frequently blocked so the long way to Dizin via Karaj is approx 2.5 hours using one of the main roads through the Al Borz Mountains to the Caspian Sea. If they are recent photos, there's been no obvious development since I left in '97.

You'll need to Register first of course.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

kuwait_ian,

Thanks for the confirmation of the resort name Dizin My Iranian host also confirmed no recent investment to the resort. Certainly a rare opportunity to ski in the Middle East because the cultural and temperature difference.

After all it is free

Very sad that it is just struggling along instead of improving. But only the middle class and upward Iranians can afford to ski. A minority. A day lift pass was 32,000 Iranian Rials in '97 (~= $4 at the prevailing rate, peanuts for me) but that was expensive by Iranian standards. And you've got to get there by car or bus. And buy something to eat and drink. And rent or buy gear. Skiing is an expensive sport wherever it's done. Iran has ~70M people and most are very poor.
The resort used to be almost empty except at weekends so they will struggle to self-finance any enhancements at these sort of lift pass rates. And the Govt. probably frown on it and will not invest as it is doubtless deemed un-Islamic (nobody skis in the Koran) or decadent or corrupting or the whole lot. Cool

We should wait until Dubya's ready to tackle the next target in the axis of evil. He's got a great record of sorting out Afghanistan and Iraq, so I imagine investment, stability and prosperity will swiftly follow his military action.

I'm planning to go in 2006 when the place will have been taken over by a professionally run American lift company. I'm hoping to be able to get bacon for breakfast by then, too.

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

Jonny Jones, Laughing

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

'Relative safety' being key. From afar, that seems a trifle risky - don't Iranians have the equivalent of the Soviet concierges (desperately trying to recall the Russian word, but it's gone) - the female custodians of the apartment blocks whose role as informers gave them such power in Iron Curtain days?

But I suppose you've been there long enough, and you know what you're doing!

snow reports

PG, never saw babushka style 'watchers'. If you ever go there for grass skiing, that's not really one of the problems. Iranians are friendly people and most are not impressed with their Islamic Govt. and would normally rather quietly hinder them than assist them. However the big hotels in Tehran are all Govt owned (nationalised at the Revolution) and do bring to mind Soviet blok lack of investment, maintenance, initiative and any concern for customer care. I wouldn't try it in one of those but then neither would I stay in the dumps. The one in the story was small, clean, privately managed and much more 'understanding' as to their foreign guests 'requirements'. Trying to get rid of the smell of sizzling bacon without attracting too much attention was a real challenge. Those were the days......... my first week in Iran and no I didn't really know what I was doing then. Moved into a villa where you are much safer. Anything goes in the privacy of your own home - and that's true for many Iranians also. Going back a bit now but a gallon of black market vodka (you couldn't buy anything smaller) was £8 with imported Schweppes Tonic at £10 per litre bottle. Crazy place. Iranians who drink use locally produced sour cherry juice as a mixer. Dirt cheap. Think of it as cranberry juice and it seems to taste better.

Sounds like some experience. Do you intend staying in the area for long? Or are you planning early retirement to an Alp somewhere! Again, from a distance, the situation in Saudi seems to be deteriorating, and with Iraq just across the border, hardly the most stable of situations...... (never a good sign when the oil prices start to rise..)

You know it makes sense.

We have work here in Kuwait for a few more years .......... retirement not an option the way pensions have gone. Can I be a concierge for your apartments ? I can cook a bit too.
Seriously, Saudi is different - I'd be very reluctant to go back there now. It was bad enough before terrorism struck at home. Iraq is a mess and will probably get worse before it gets better. We feel relatively safe nowadays in Kuwait and I don't think we're guilty of complacency. US, UK & UN are all welcome here and it's not in anyone's interests to allow the current rather tired ruling regime to be unstabilised. Got caught up in the Iraqi invasion in '90 and I don't think lightning strikes twice ............ ( Tip, if you ever become a hostage try to get nabbed with some people you don't know. If you're with good friends you'll bore each other to death before you're sprung. ) Palestine and Israel - ongoing troubles and no signs of real peace. Syria ? Still a Baathist Socialist state with a newish leader who was not his father's first choice of replacement. Jordan - no natural resources apart from Dead Sea phosphates. The real worry for many of these states in the short/medium term is not oil but water resources. When the oil runs out the whole world will face problems. With the wave of terrorist attacks, you are not safe anywhere - witness Bali and Madrid. But that's a long way from an obscure ski resort thread. Sorry peeps.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

You should write a bestseller! It's all hot news at the moment, you could make a fortune, buy your own Alp! As for us, I hope we've retreated far enough away from 'real life' to be relatively safe, here in the Tarentaise. That is, until global warming catches up with us...... Wink

A snowHead

More facts (or links). Less chat. Doing a Jonpim here with multiple linking in one post but here goes..............
First the local ski federation web site. Check out Ski Slopes, Dizin and there's a photo for PG of his grass slope.
This site covers also all the other smaller resorts. More than 20 scattered all over a vast country. But as I said before mainly one-lift, one run tiddlers.
And another Goski Iran. In here have a look at Shemshak which does seem to have been expanded. It only had one lift when I was there. I think Saikee drove up through Shemshak. It links over the top to Dizin but not in winter when the pass is blocked.

A snowHead

I would like to defend Iran by quoting my host's own word " You will not find Iranians taking part in in the current terrorist activities". This may not be 100% true but I can well imagine it 99% accurate. Many Persians and Arabs are just ordinary folks wanting to get on with their lives and are surprising friendly to the Europeans. Many European countries are trading mad with Iran and the Britishs are finding hard to keep up with the pace. Iran is a very peaceful country. It is sad that the American government regards Iran hostile (due to the treatment of their diplomats in the past) but the normal Iranians do not harbour any hated against the Americans from my observation. Iran has opened its doors before. They are very sophiscated and modern people. An example used by my host is that we can always find Iranians in key professorships/positions in virtually in every major American University. Education system in Iran is different as they have literally thousands of universities whith no jobs for the graduates.

Spending a lot of my working life in the ME like Kuwait Ian I would say these countries are much friendlier and nicer than the press describing them. They are also big employers to foreign "guest" workers. The third world countries supply the bulk of the labour force while the Europeans put in a big effort in the management. All the ME countries respect the foreigners same way as we treat ours. We will have no problem by respecting their customs and traditions. In this respect may be we could understand why the Iranians will disagree with Jonny Jones comment, as it would implies Iran would be incapable of developing the skiing industry themselves.

Kuwait ian

Thanks for the Web site data. Find it very enjoyable. Think I passed more than one and Dizin is the last stop which could take two hours to reach (123km) from Tehran. My Iranian host, after learning I am a skier, was almost obssessed in trying to organise a chance for me to ski there.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Well said, Saikee. We see on the TV demonstrations outside the British Embassy in Tehran but that's just 'rent-a-mob' and can happen anywhere in the world. London has had a few decent demos over the years and we don't feel any more unsafe or threatened there than anywhere else.

Help!!

Iranian resort

snowHeads Forum Index >>> Resort Reviews and Trip Reports