Popular Tochal Telecabin runs 7.5km up Mt Tochal (3957m) to the fourth-highest ski field on earth where you’ll find snow for between six and eight months a year. The telecabin is busy on Fridays when the slopes are packed with well-off young Tehranis here as much for the socialising as the skiing (or hiking during the summer months). But it’s virtually empty other days. Note that the operating hours and days tend to vary for reasons we cannot fathom, and the telecabin doesn’t run in windy weather; it’s worth calling ahead.
The telecabin stops twice en route to the top and you can buy one-way/return tickets to whichever station you want. The first stop is Station 2 (US$4/7 one way/return), then Station 5 (US$6/11), where there is an easy ski run, and it finishes at freezing Station 7 (US$18 return), from where a chairlift links it to Tochal Hotel. From there, a T-bar works the short runs and a Doppel Mayr lift goes to the mountain summit. It’s possible to ski down from Station 7 to Station 5, if there is enough snow. Skis can be rented at Station 7. Ski passes are US$18 per day, sold at Station 1.
While the telecabin runs limited hours, you can choose to torture your legs and climb the mountain at any time, as locals like to do on Fridays.
The Tochal Hotel is accessed via the Tochal Telecabin.
To get here, ask for a shuttle taxi to Tochal Telecabin stop from the north side of Tajrish Sq. From the entrance you can walk (10 minutes) or catch a bus to the telecabin itself.
