 Poster: A snowHead
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After 6 trips to Iran in the last two years my Iranian host managed to get me to Tochal and then in the last week to Shamshek.
Unlike Tochal which is the 5th highest skiing resort in the world for being 4950m above the sea level Shamshek is modestly at around 2500m. It is an hour drive from Tehran on the road to the biggest resort Dizin in the area.
Shamshek has two main chairlifts, both are two-seaters, and a couple of surface lifts. It is by no mean large but very steep throughout. The slope grading is about red and black in European standard. However the Iranian resorts I know do not grade their pistes. Neither would they issue a piste map.
In my recent 2-week skiing trip to the French Tarentaise the cheapest ski day pass I paid was 31 Euro to ski La Rosiere/La Thuile. Valmorel was 32, Tignes or Val Thoren was 33, Courchevel was 35, Les Arcs or La Plagnes needed 38 (two together cost 45), Espace Killy (Val D+Tignes) charged 39 and the 600Km 3 Vallees required 41 Euro. The Shamshek ski pass was 5 Euro! This beats anywhere in the 9 countries that I have skied.
My Iranian host pointed out skiing in Iran is always dry and sunny. We had a snowing first day but the whole sky was blue and cloudless on the second day. The snow was excellent and the terrain was very enjoyable because there was a huge amount of off-piste opportunity.
Shamshek can do with a further injection of investment because the queues were long on Thursday (in a Muslim country Thursday equivalent to our Saturday) and the road to Dizin was closed due to heavy snow, causing all the skiers stopping at Shamshek. The chairlifts were rather bumpy at taking off. However the lift systems were efficient and all the diesel engines were replaced by modern electric motors.
We had lunch at a tin shed with a paraffin stool and saw dust spreading on the floor. At the top of the chairlifts people were selling drinks and confectionery in open stalls. It is far cry from the European standard but it does show the weather wasn't cold. There were a group of teenagers launching kites/parachutes off the slopes.
It appears that the enforced segregation between male and female skiers has not worked in Tochal and Shamshek as both sexes were enjoying the facilities, nature and environment together. Many Iranian girls would be deprived of learning to ski if they were not permitted assistance from their boy friends.
While the rest of Iranian females are covered up according to the regulations I found it surreal to see young female Iranian teenagers doing stuns with their snowboards and having a really good time at the skiing resort. They have all colourful skiing outfits and, are full of life and are no different from the teenagers from rest of the world. I begin to believe skiing in a truly international sport. All we after is exercise, fresh air and in contact with nature.
Iran got a lot of high mountains and snow. Skiing is a natural asset they can develop if they want to. At its current condition I found Shamshek a little gem because there was plenty snow and space for everybody.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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saikee, great report. I remember it well although I only skied Shemshak once. Then it had only one chair with a possible drop off half way up. I found it a little too steep and mogully for comfort. And the queue for the single lift was horrendous.
Try to get to Dizin next time you visit Iran in winter - the biggest resort in Iran. More suited to beginners and intermediates but has one black used for racing. The long way to Dizin via Karaj and the Chalus Highway is normally kept open. Takes about 2 hours minimum though. The short cut to the top car park via Shemshak is great when it is not closed by snowdrifts or avalanche danger. You just park, at around 11,000 feet, buy a pass, clip in and ski down into the resort. No queuing at all before the first run. Brilliant.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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saikee, thanks, great summary, your account really gets the atmosphere across.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Maybe little or no development on the slopes but the village has grown considerably. All the multi-storey blocks in the background of the Lower Chair photo are less than 10 years old. Nice shots, saikee, thank you.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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kuwait_ian,
I haven't included a shot showing the chairlift now powered by new electric motors but you are right in saying the apartments in the resort has grown significantly in recent years.
The queues were horrendous too during my second day but a lot was put down on the road to Dizin was closed.
The resort is certainly steep and most areas are red by the European standard. I didn't think I could do it when my Iranian host showed it to me in an earlier trip to see Dizin which wasn't open on the day we were there.
Another point I haven't brought up is that there appears to be an age gap in the Iranian skiers. My Iranian host and I were dinosaurs among the teenagers there. Due to the revolution the mature sector of the skiing population seems to have disappeared almost completely. I had to constantly comfort my Iranian host that mature skiers are very common in European resorts.
How's your trip to La Plagnes? Talking of seeing you sometimes in kuwait but I need to go back to Iran again next week.
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saikee, no LP this season (well maybe a week later...) I'm not long back from Plan Peisey (Les Arcs) 20-27th Jan. which was very good. PG told me a little about you. You're welcome here if you ever come this way.
I left Iran in '94 and even then most of the skiers and boarders were teenagers. Mainly because it's one of the very few activities that boys and girls can do together, legally  . Anyone older on the slopes was likely to be an expat. It's very popular amongst those Iranian families who can afford it. 5 Euros for a day pass is dirt cheap to us but not to them and gear is expensive too.
Have a good trip and if you can get to Dizin (either way) you'll enjoy it. It also has off piste possibilities as well as the bashed runs. Quite near Shemshak and a little lower is another single chairlift served skiing area. Can't be sure of the name - Darbansar? Go left just before the road to Shemshak crosses a bridge. I think it is left unprepared - i.e. it doesn't possess a piste basher. Recall some fierce moguls developing on it's 2 runs. There's another popular ski area called Ab Ali which is nearer to Tehran but it's more of a beginners' area and is so low the snow is less reliable.
Other snowHeads - here's a 2:47 video clip of Shemshak from the Iran Ski Federation web site. Bit slow loading and quality is iffy but it'll give you some idea what we are woffling about.
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kuwait_ian,
Great video. I didn't know the web site.
You are also right in saying the 5 Euro isn't as affordable to the Iranians at large as to the Alpine skiers. However not all Europeans are happy in paying over 30 Euro for a ski pass in Europe either. Skiing is a expensive sport whichever way we look at it.
Thanks for the tips.
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