Ski ascent of Damavand, Iran

The club has a policy on commercial postings on the website but from time to time I do flag up trips that may be of interest to members.  See below (Phil Jardine)

I'd like to introduce myself briefly. I am a London based, Iranian mom of two young boys. I grew up trekking with my dad in Iran and in the past few years I have got more into alpine climbing, ice climbing and etc. I still visit Iran every year for climbing as it has so much to offer. Unfortunately the mountains in Iran are little known to the west and most people do not think it's safe enough country to visit.

So In August I led an expedition to Iran to climb Iran's highest peak, Damavand (5671m). The trip was a big success and all 8 members of the team (which consisted of a Canadian, three British, one Spanish, one South African, one Belgian, one Japanese, majority UK based) had a great time and not only summitted successfully, they came back with a complete change of perception about Iran and its people.

So I am organizing another expedition for April in 2015. This time it will be a ski mountaineering trip with an objective of the ski ascent of Damavand. The expedition will be guided by one of the top ski/mountain guides in Iran and a second equally experienced and qualified guide, and I will personally be accompanying the team to ensure everything runs okay. It will be 11 days, 2 -12 April (6 days on the mountain) and the rest will be enjoying the delights of Tehran, its bazaars, its rich culture and history and above all the delicious food.

I am looking at taking a maximum of 8 individuals. I will help with the visa application and will personally fly abroad to collect the visas (as the Iranian embassy in London which was closed earlier this year, does not issue visas yet). The visa process is very complicated and unpredictable (it took almost two months last time) so ideally I need to know who's coming by the end of this year so that in the new year I can start the applications.

If you are interested, feel free to drop me an email or give me a call  to have a chat on 07882929786

Best

Shirin Shabestari (shirin.shabestari@gmail.com)