Question:

Has anybody climbed Mt. Damavand in May in recent years? How was it? Do we really need a guide?

Answer:

Damavand is an inactive volcano with a narrow summit with 5671m height which is located in Alborz Mountains, Iran.
The traveler in Iran is so used to seeing gaunt, rugged cliff, uneven peaks and bare deserts, that the sight of Damavand is a relief and surprise to the eye. Its superior height and outstanding outline among the peaks and ridges of Albroz is visible from many kilometers away. Many travelers say that the snowy-white cone of this mountain is the most stunning sight of the country.
A small town bearing the name of Damavand is situated on the southern slopes and is used as a summer resort by the people of Tehran. At the summit is a snow-covered crater, some 300 meters across, with an abundance of yellow sulfurous rocks. On most days of the year the summit can be seen from Tehran and, when the air is clear from far away Kashan to the south of the great salt desert.
This prominent mountain has been figured in Iranian legend. The great tenth-century Iranian poet, Ferdawsi, relates in his epic “Shahnameh” how the tyrant Zahak is overthrown by the young Feridun and imprisoned in chains to die in a cavern on the slopes of Damavand.
The climb is long, but not difficult or dangerous. Loose stone and small ribs of rock have to be clambers over, at higher levels, if the ascend in early summer, expanses of snow must be corset to the crater at the top. Because of its great height and isolation, the sight from Damavand is very extensive; a vast panorama of mountains, valley and desert covering many handed of square Kilometers. All around are other peaks of the Alborz range, sweeping down in the north to the humid Caspian plain and in the south descending to the deserts of central Iran.

Alborz Mountains
Alborz mountain Range in northern Iran is stretching from west to east, in the southern end of the Caspian Sea. This mountain range forms a natural barrier between the south part of the Caspian Sea and the central plateau of Iran, Its width varies from 30 to 130 km in different places, and it is more than 1500 km long. Average height is about 3000m, highest peak is Mt Damavand 5671 m, and it has several peaks above 4000m.

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