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Tochal Resort Reviews


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Visitor reviews for Tochal Ski Resort

Tochal Ratings

Overall: 3.7. Based on 96 votes and 29 reviews. Vote

Snowsure: 4.5

(1) Occasionally gets enough snow for skiing, (2) is often closed due to a lack of snow, (3) occasionally suffers from a lack of snow, (4) rarely suffers from a lack of snow, (5) Tochal is snowsure even in the poorest seasons.

Variety of pistes: 3.6

(1) The ski runs are featureless and unvaried, (3) the ski runs are varied but not extensive enough for a week, (5) Tochal has diverse and interesting pistes including forests and high alpine terrain.

Off-piste: 3.3

(1) No off-piste worth mentioning, (2) off piste is out-of-bounds, (3) some varied offpiste that stays fresh for one or two days, (5) a vast array of off-piste routes that can stay untracked for several days.

Scenery: 4.2

(1) An ugly resort in a bland setting, (3) average mountain views and resort, (5) a spectacular setting and a beautiful / historic resort town.

Access: 4.3

(1) At least one overnight stop, (2) requires a whole day, (3) requires more than half a day – you may have time for a few turns (4) arrive by lunchtime and ski all afternoon, (5) there is a main airport within an hour of Tochal.

Public Transport: 4.2

(1) There are no buses or taxis to Tochal, (3) there are slow or infrequent buses / trains available, (5) getting to the resort is easy with frequent bus / train connections.

Accommodation: 4.1

(1) No places to stay in/near Tochal, (3) a few places to stay in the resort, (5) a wide variety of accommodation suitable to suit all budgets.

Cheap Rooms: 3.6

(1) No budget accommodation available, (3) just one or two hostels so book ahead, (5) several cheap hostels and pensions available.

Luxury Hotels: 3.5

(1) No luxury accommodation available, (3) just one or two luxury hotels so book ahead, (5) several up-market hotels in Tochal.

Ski in/Ski out: 4.4

(1) The ski area is located far from any accommodation, (3) a free ski bus takes you to the ski area in a short trip, (5) Ski-in ski-out accommodation is available.

Childcare: 2.9

(1) There are no child care facilities at Tochal, (5) the resort has excellent child-care facilities including at least one reasonably priced creche.

Snowmaking: 3.0

(1) Tochal relies entirely on natural snow, (3) there are just a few snow cannons, (5) there are snowmaking facilities on all pistes.

Snow Grooming: 4.1

(1) There are no snow groomers at Tochal, (3) occasionally some pistes are left ungroomed and in a poor state, (5) all the runs at Tochal are groomed daily.

Shelter: 3.4

(1) there is nowhere to ski when it is windy or visibility is bad and lifts often shut, (3) there are some trees for poor visibility but main lifts sometimes close, (5) Tochal is mostly in forest where you can ski in flat-light and windy days, lifts rarely close.

Nearby options: 3.8

(1) If snow conditions are poor at Tochal, it will be poor everywhere nearby, (3) there are good alternatives within an hours drive, (5) other locations on the same lift pass provide a rich variety of snowsure ski conditions.

Regional rating: 4.4

(1) Tochal usually has poor snow conditions compared to other resorts in region, (3) has average conditions for the region, (5) usually has the best snow conditions in the region.

Lift Staff: 4.1

(1) The staff at Tochal are rude or unhelpful, (5) lift staff at Tochal are pleasant, cheerful and eager to help.

Crowds/Queues: 3.4

(1) the resort is always busy and there are usually long lift queues, (3) it is quiet apart from occasional weekends and school holidays, (5) it is uncrowded and lift queues are very rare.

Ski Schools: 3.7

(1) No ski schools available, (2) one or two ski schools but local language only, (3) a few ski schools but book early for multi-lingual instructors, (4) plenty of ski schools and multi-lingual instructors available, (5) excellent ski schools with friendly multi-lingual ski instructors.

Hire and Repairs: 3.9

(1) Nothing can be sourced, not even ski-wax or ptex. (3) there are some ski shops but rentals need to be booked in advance, (5) good quality ski equipment can be purchased or hired and overnight repairs are possible.

Beginners: 4.3

(1) Beginners can only watch others ski and snowboard, (3) a few gentle slopes but beginners will get bored in less than a week, (3) Vast areas of gentle terrain.

Intermediates: 4.0

(1) No intermediate terrain at Tochal, (3) intermediate skiers will get bored after a few days, (5) vast areas of cruising runs.

Advanced: 3.3

(1) Nothing for advanced skiers and snowboarders, (3) enough steep terrain for a few days with some good offpiste, (5) Enough steep terrain and offpiste areas to entertain advanced skiers for at least a week.

Snow Park: 3.0

(1) Not even a kicker at Tochal, (3) average sized park quite well looked after, (5) huge park area and expertly crafted pipes, jumps and boardercross trails.

Cross-country: 3.4

(1) There is nowhere to go for cross-country skiing around Tochal, (3) there are some cross country trails available, (5) the area features many spectacular and well maintained cross-country trails.

Luge/Toboggan: 3.2

(1) No designated luge or toboggan runs, (3) there are toboggan runs that open quite often, (5) Tochal has long and well maintained luge / toboggan facilities suitable for all ages.

Mountain Dining: 3.9

(1) Nowhere to buy food by the pistes, (3) some places to eat up on the mountain but they are often busy and expensive, (5) there is a variety of excellent mountain eateries right next to the slopes to suit all budgets.

Eating: 3.6

(1) Bring your own food, there isn't even a shop. (5) A wide variety of places to eat and drink in the resort, from fast food to fancy restaurants.

Apres-Ski: 2.8

(1) Nothing to do, not even a bar, (3) there are a few bars in the resort but nothing special, (5) clubs and bars stay open until very late and have a friendly atmosphere.

Other Sports: 3.0

(1) No sports facilities at all apart from ski lifts, (3) resort has just a small public swimming pool, (5) resort has all kinds of sports facilities, including a full-size swimming pool.

Entertainment: 3.4

(1) Besides the snow and walking there is nothing to do here, (3) the non-skier will find things to do for few days but may become bored after a week, (5) the resort area is a fascinating place to visit, regardless of winter sports.

Winter Walks: 3.8

(1) Very limited walking and no snowshoe trails, (3) a couple of designated scenic walking/snowshoe trails, (5) extensive and diverse winter walking trails for all abilities.

Ski Pass Value: 3.9

(1) A 1 week ski pass is overpriced compared to the number of lifts available, (3) the ski pass is averagely priced and covers a reasonable number of lifts, (5) ski passes are excellent value for money and cover a lot of lifts spanning a big area.

Value (National): 3.8

(1) Overall, Tochal is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the country and not worth the money, (3) overall represents average value for money, (5) overall offers the best value resort in the country.

Value (Global): 4.2

(1) Overall, Tochal is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the world, (3) overall it offers pretty average value for money compared to resorts from other countries, (5) internationally the resort offers excellent value for money.

Show all 35 ratings

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November 20, 2013
Karl from Ski Bahrain Bahrain
Tuesday 19th November was my first ski session for the winter season in Tochal which is known to have first snow and serving novice skiers. The ski resort, at station 7, is usually open from 8am until 2pm. Because of the weekday timing, I got there around 9am. The cable car was not busy and access to the piste at station 7 was easy. Prices for this year are 5000 toman for parking and 45000 toman for skiing = 50000 toman in total. Unfortunately, there was a blizzard at the top (which no one told us about) and visibility was less than 10mts at times. Hence the second lift for the summit was closed. Snow quality was generally good; mix of powder and groomed; but conditions on the day made it hazardous and limiting in terms of skiing experience. The hotel and the restaurant were open, serving hot and cold snacks as usual. Great barley soup and sausage and eggs! In summary, Tochal is simple and fun for beginner to low intermediate level skiers. Until Dizin, Shemsak and Darbandsar are open, it is a convenient option for those who wish to practice before hitting the "real" slopes near Iran, provided they can handle overcrowded weekends with extended waiting times for up to 1.5 hrs to get up or down.
August 05, 2013
naser ramezani from Ski Iran Iran
Touchal resort is located at 3700 meter hight just near Touchal peak. You can reach to this resort by cable car and it takes only 30 minutes to get there from 1st station at at the north of Tehran. Besides the resort there is a five star hotel with full accommodation and it is open four seasons. And because of heavy snow on this resort more than 6 mount ski is possible.
February 28, 2013
ali from Ski Iran Iran
Thank you for your weather information. I use this site every time that I want go skiing but some times your information isn't updated with location and cabin is closed for ever your information is useful and helps us, thank you very much.
January 24, 2013
Mehdi B. from Ski Sweden Sweden
Hey there to all my fellow skiers and snowboarders, This season is my first visit to Tochal and I've to admit that I'm truly impressed with the spectacular energy and view of the piste. First, I'll start with some general info, to get to the Tochal piste you'll have to use the cable car located in the northern part of Tehran (Velenjak). You'll have to pass 3 stations named Second Station, Fifth Station and finally Seventh Station which is where the piste is located and I've no idea why the stations are named like that, maybe it's because of the distance between each station. From First Station to Second Station takes about 7 minutes, from Second Station to Fifth Station takes about 13 minutes and from Fifth Station to Seventh Station takes about 13 minutes resulting in a total time of 33 minutes (while going up I really love enjoying the view as Tehran gets smaller and smaller). At the piste there are a total of 2 chair lifts. One of them is for getting to the summit of Tochal (advanced) and the other one for getting to the Seventh Station (beginner, this is where you start after getting off the cable car). As of today (Jan 2013) the price of tickets are 8$ for weekdays and 9$ for weekends and the working hours are from 8am to 3pm for weekdays and 8am to 4pm for weekends. Pros of Tochal piste: Cheap ticket price, unique trip from the First Station to Seventh Station by cable car (one of the longest in the world), amazing view all around the piste and a hotel located down the piste at about 3500 meters which is quite a feat. Cons of Tochal piste: A very long queue in weekends and also sometimes in weekdays, cable cars must be refurbished, no entertainment at all near the piste and there are no jump ramps, half pipe and fun box for professional skiers and snowboarders. Overall, after considering price, location and quality, Tochal piste is a very good option, from now on each year I'll travel to Iran just to ski as much as I can and also take advantage of other perfect touristic locations over there such as Kish Island (South of Iran) for its great weather during winter and northern part of Iran for the beach (Caspian Sea). P.S. If you are a foreigner and want to visit Iran, just forget about all the stereotype news that you get from the mainstream media about Iran, you'll be impressed with the warmness and attitude of the people over there and for sure, it'll be a trip to remember. Best wishes, Mehdi
January 23, 2013
Mehdi B. from Ski Sweden Sweden
I'm just translating "hosseinvaziri" comment below which is in Farsi, so here it is: Thank you very much for all your efforts and sorry that I can't write in English. I wish the editors of this website to be successful in all parts of their lives.
November 13, 2011
Narges from Ski Iran Iran
When I first started skiing, Tochal was one of my favorites, as it is still now. 40 minutes travelling with cabin is like watching dead rising from grave, because of getting closer and closer to the highest part of the mountain, it's more like being free and feeling alive. This resort is suitable for beginners while Dizin covers variety of professional levels. Tochal is close to the city (Tehran) and anywhere you are it only takes max 30 minutes to get there. Skiing in Tochal is more like sailing on snow while the horizon is exactly in front of the eye.
November 03, 2011
Sara from Ski Iran Iran
Tochal is one the most amazing resorts, not only because of its spectacular view, but also for its wild weather conditions. One day it's sunny and the other day you will struggle with snow storm. I personally believe that skiing in Tochal is just experiencing one amazing day tight to the nature, close to sky up on the 5th highest slope in the world. It's definitely not just skiing.
November 01, 2011
r.khodaverdi from Ski Iran Iran
Tochal environment: There are many things in the world that ruin our environment such as littering, cars/vehicles, the cutting down of trees, not recycling and too much garbage. But the main point is that we human are destroying the world. You can see a lot of plastics bottles and other not recycling garbage on all of the tracks that lead to Tochal Mountain that are thrown away by mountain climbers and skiers. We must protect Tochal environment by removing any garbage and do it as well. If your friends and family don't do this duty you must remind them.
April 15, 2011
ALVARO from Ski Venezuela Venezuela
I live and work in Teheran from 2009. Teheran is a very modern and interesting city in the world. I think that it is one of the most spectacular place for climbing, hiking and skiing in the Dizin, Hamedan and Tochal pistes, respectively. Personally, I think that those pistes are good as the European or American ones. Furthermore, I consider that Iran should be proposed to organize some winter's game or some contest in future time.
April 01, 2011
Mohammad from Ski Afghanistan Afghanistan
I live and work in Iran, Tehran. It is a blessing to have this great mountain within walking distance of some neighbourhoods in Tehran. I climb every Thursday. Life is different with mountaineering.

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