blackjack
Oct 12, 2001, 12:03 AM
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Registered: Jun 29, 2001
Posts: 95
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Due to its conical shape, climbing is possible from all sides, but well-known paths are nine. The most frequented are North, North-East, South and West faces. The easiest trajectory is the southern path. On all faces, shelters are provided. If the starting point is Tehran, you should count on an average of 3 days for the climb. From Tehran, you take Haraz Road. After 120 Km. via Polour village, you reach Reineh village. This is the nearest village to the southern path. There, you can find a well-equipped old shelter. In the past, climbing started from this village, but nowadays, by taking a dirt road (often used by mine machinery) you can reach a spot called Goosfand- Sara with an altitude of 3200m. from sea level. At this point, you can follow a path with a moderate slope which gets gradually steeper. After 3 to 4 hours climbing, you reach the southern shelter at 4150m. altitude. This shelter with a capacity of 30 persons is a favorable place for a short night rest. The beginning hours of the following day is the best time to start the final stage of the climb. The path starts from behind the shelter. the slope is relativelysteep and the high altitude and lack of Oxygen makes climbing rather difficult. At 5100m. at your right, you can see a huge suspending ice-piece called Abshar Yakhy (Icy Water Fall). The most difficult part of the climb is about 300m. under the peak. This part is called Doud Kouh (Smoke Mountain) or Sulphuric Hill, steaming sulphuric gas out of the holes. Its bad smell makes breathing difficult. After passing this part, there is no more slope to climb, only a huge ditch waits ahead. This is the main Damavand volcanic mouth located on top of the summit. Climbing from shelter to the peak takes 8 to 9 hours and the return to the shelter about 3 to 4 hours.
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