damavand-faq4

FAQ - Part 4
Frequently Asked Questions Damavand Mountain

Maps
Q- Do you know if there are any available maps over the Mount Damavand? Where could we in that case buy it?
A- Yes there are many maps you can find in Tehran book shops and sport shops in Enqelab St. opposite Tehran University and ValiAsr Street , near Moniriyeh Sq. And you may use Google Earth which you can see the routes much clearer, (if you need help about Google Earth I can show you the Pointers).

Q- Could you show me the pointers for google earth?
A- Yes, please visit Virtual Trip By Google Earth. If you have already installed Google Earth software just download and click on the files and enjoy!

Q- Where can I find and buy a good map so we can find the way on our own?
A- Tehran, Vali Asr Ave, near Moniriyeh Sq.

Q- Are maps available at Polour or Bargah?
A- Perhaps at Polour Camp.

Q- is the track to the summit easy to find or not?
A- In clear day, clear sky and good condition, it is ok and easy to find . But in bad weather and fog it is difficult to find the way and footpaths especially when you return back from peak to Bargah Sevom. If you want to try it alone, it is a good idea to have a GPS with you. Save the useful GPS Landmarks to your GPS unit.

Damavand South Route Map

Mobil Network and Telephone
Q- Is there any public phone in Camp 3, we can use?
A- No , but mobile phone works in some area in camp3.

Q- Can i ask you whether mobile phones work at Polour or base camp (or on the mountain ?).
A- Yes in most palces it works.

Q- Maybe I can buy a sim card for my mobile phone when I enter Iran? Is that possible?
A- Yes you can buy some cheap sim cards like IRANCELL.

Mountain Sickness
Q- I wish to know is there any risk for altitude sickness or we climb slowly and get our body chance to acclimatize?
A- There is always the risk of AMS, specialy for the newcomers, so before finalizing the tour we should know about fitness of all individuals. We always go slowly and steady.

Q- do you provide supplementary oxygen incase of any need?
A- Yes, no problem.

Payment
Q- Should I send a bank transfer deposit ?
A- Please be advised that for private tours, 50% deposit payment of total invoice is necessary before we can book your hotel & camp room and preparation of other items in your itineary in time and pay the remaining balances in cash in Euro on the first day of the tour. See also Terms of Payment.

Q- Please advise how I have to make the down payment for booking
A- Please be advised that 50% deposit payment of total invoice is necessary before we can book your hotel & camp room and preparation of other items in your itineary in time ,usualy there is a mutual trust between we and you, you may pay the diposit when you confirm your tour and the rest when you arrive in tehran, in case of you decide to change your programme for any reason , just let me know 4 weeks in advance.

Permit
Q- Do we need some special permision for climbig Mt. Damavand.
A- Iran Mount Climbing Federation asks all foreign climbers to pay 50 USD per person as permit .

Q- As far as I understand every climber needs to pay USD50 as a climbing fee right?
A- Yes.

Q- How much is the permit fee per person?
A- 50 USD per person.

Q- I understand that we must pay the permit fee for spending the three days on the mountain and to use the shelters. Is the fee per person?
A- The fee is 50 USD per person .See also News 2009.

Q- Can you help us to arrange climbing permit ?
A- Yes we may get necessary permits for you.

Q-Climbing permit (if needed??), where and when (how much?)
A- Climbing permit is necessary for all foreign climbers and the fee is 50 USD per person, political passport holders are not required to pay for permit fee.

Q- do we need a permit to climb or it is just a service charge?
A- Permit is compulsory for all foreign climbers, if the representive of mount federation is in the area you should pay .
See also Warning 2- to all foreign climbers.

Porter and Mule
Q- How do we book mules to carry equipments from Gosfan Sara to Barga Sevom and how much do this cost?
A- In summer you can get mules in Gosfan Sara, they increase their price each year !!

Q- I would like to do the trek on my own and no porters and mules?
A- It is not recommended to carry heavy equipments yourself.

Q- How much does it cost to hire a porter.
A- It depend to the season, amount of snow and the route conditinon,

Routes
Q- We would prefer to ascend on the west or north face route.
A- No problem, we will organize in any route you wish, see also Difficulty .

But please be aware of these advantages of south orute:
- South route has the best mountain camps in iran.
- In other routes in case of crowded shelter and bad weather you have to use tent.

- you do have not to stay in tent in case of bad weather.
- we can give you a better support there.
- We can arrange porter and mule for you tour easily and you do not need to carry heavy equipment to 4200m , there is no gurantee for other routes.
- it is almost safe to leave behind the heavy equipments in new camp3 on the summit day.
- Usually rescue team can reach much quicker, or may be avalable, in case of emergency.
In any case and any other route we will do our best for you.

Q- Is it possible to ascend Mt Damavand from the north side in May.
A- North route it is one of the difficult sides in May, you should be very strong and experinced climber to attempt north face in May. See also Winter Climb.

Q- Are there glaciers on South Route ?
A- No, in south route there is no major glacer.

Q- Is the level of avalanche danger high or low on south route (assuming no large recent snow falls).
A- Very Low in April.

Services
Q- Do you provide the trekking supplies tent, food, water and porter services?
A-Yes, we can offer you all logistic and support you need. See also Services.

Q- Do you think you can help us with guide and sleeping bags in the area?
A- No problem, I should remind our guide to take extra sleeping bags for you.

Sherpa
Q- if we need a sherpa, how does it work in winter?
A- When you have heavy gears you need sherpa, you better to book sherpa in winter and off sesons.

Ski
Q- What are the snow conditions around Lasem and Damavand Mt for ski mountaineering in winter?
A- Mostly quite good in some years.

Q- Are there a lot of people coming for ski n April, mainly with respect to the available places in the last bivouac hut. We plan to take a tent and all the cooking gear to the hut, is it worth it?
A- Not crowded in April.

Q- I will be carrying rescue gear (Barivox search and locate 'beeper', spade, probe etc). Will the guide also be carrying this ?
A- If possible please bring an extra beeper plus an extra probe.

Q- Is there any mountain rescue facility there if there is an emergency in winter ?
A- No, but it is possible to contact them by mobile phone.

Q- a certified mountain guide from the Iranian mountain federation with extensive skitouring experience is what i would like. The guide should also be on skis !
A- No problem. You will be guided with an experienced guide with the mentioned capabilities.

Q- Will there be a certified mountain guide taking us up the whole way ? Will this person also be on skis and have extensive skitouring experience ?
A- Which kind of guide do you prefer ? Just let me know, We will support you with the best avalable guide in Iran.

Q- Do you know of any local guides / mountain federation organised trips which will carry out the skitour in April ?
A- Yes, We organize and offer the best possible services for your ski tour.

Q- There are reports of the mountain often having very little snowcover in April - is this true ?
A- Yes it is true in some years with little rain and snow fall, you better to check the snow condition two weeks before your arrival.

Q- I am interested in climbing your mountain. I would prefer to do do when it has substantial snow cover for ski. When would the best time of year to do it?
A- Best winter climb timing is mid Dec to mid Feb, please read this warning in Ski Mountaineering :

Q- Do you have ski guides available?
A-Yes, we will support you with the most expericed guide avalable in Iran for a winter and ski mountaineering.

Route Map Mt Damavand

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FAQ Part 4 MDG18JAN10D
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