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Darbandsar Resort Reviews

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  • Darbandsar(Lat Long: 36.02° N 51.48° E)
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Visitor reviews for Darbandsar Ski Resort

Darbandsar Ratings

Overall: 3.7. Based on 45 votes and 25 reviews. Vote

Snowsure: 3.8

(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) Darbandsar is snowsure even in the poorest seasons.

Variety of pistes: 3.8

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

Off-piste: 3.8

(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: 3.8

(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: 3.6

(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 Darbandsar.

Public Transport: 3.1

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

Accommodation: 3.8

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

Cheap Rooms: 3.5

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

Luxury Hotels: 2.9

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

Ski in/Ski out: 3.4

(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: 3.1

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

Snowmaking: 4.0

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

Snow Grooming: 4.0

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

Shelter: 3.9

(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) Darbandsar is mostly in forest where you can ski in flat-light and windy days, lifts rarely close.

Nearby options: 3.9

(1) If snow conditions are poor at Darbandsar, 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: 4.1

(1) Darbandsar 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: 4.0

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

Crowds/Queues: 4.1

(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: 4.0

(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: 4.2

(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: 4.0

(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: 4.2

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

Advanced: 4.2

(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: 3.2

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

Cross-country: 3.2

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

Luge/Toboggan: 3.4

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

Mountain Dining: 4.1

(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: 4.1

(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: 3.1

(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: 3.3

(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: 3.5

(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: 3.7

(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): 3.9

(1) Overall, Darbandsar 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): 4.1

(1) Overall, Darbandsar 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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January 10, 2023
Masoud from Ski Iran Iran
Darbandsar Ski Resort is the first private resort in Iran. Considering Iran's sovereignty, the deficiencies are logical. You have a unique view there and good snow considering Iran's drought. It is not 100% comparable to European slopes, but it is worth skiing.
November 23, 2018
Rayan S. from Ski Iran Iran
The resort was ok. A bit expensive but manageable. The main problem is the nasty attitude of the security guys at the entrance. They treat you very badly like we owe them. The owners and investors should consider letting a private company take over management. Also, lower the price of the tickets a bit. In the meantime, I will be going to Dizin!
January 22, 2018
NkLorichi from Ski United States United States
I would not recommend this resort to any foreign or even Iranian nationals. They forced opened the resort without any consideration that there are 100s of large size rocks sticking out. There were a few serious injuries including my nephew's knee totally busted and all they had to offer was pain killers. The emergency room does not have any equipment to accommodate any patients, period. They would now (ed: ? not) even get an ambulance over there for us. They were like "just put him in the car and take him to a hospital". The security was extremely rude specially after they realized that I was from United States. They actually told me if I don't like the way they handle things here in this resort I should go back to US and ski!!. I actually saw them being real nasty to some females from Tehran ordering them around and after they left calling them cows right in front of me. Do not send your children to this resort unless you want them to be verbally abused and disrespected.
February 27, 2017
Hamed Shirvani from Ski Iran Iran
Darbansar Resort is one of the best resorts in Iran because, from this year, Darbandsar added a new cabin for going to top of mountain. I've been very happy at this place.
February 08, 2017
Martin from Ski Sweden Sweden
Darbandsar has about 900m vertical drop and fantastic views from the top. The resort has invested in a (good) new gondola and a new chairlift and 2 new restaurants. During weekdays the resort is not too crowded and the lift capacity is sufficient if they have all the lifts working. 1 surface lift, 3 chairlifts, 1 gondola. Basically there is only one piste down the mountain (with a few variations in the lower half), and the piste can become crowded. The off-piste is very limited compared to Dizin.The resort has new snowmaking capacity in the lower part of the piste. Unfortunately, they tend to make ice. But snow-making is not easy and in time they will learn. In natural snow conditions the piste is good. When the weather is not clear, the gondola to the top is closed and the vertical is reduced to about 380m. After 1530 the same applies, only the lower part of the resort is open. It is better to be there early as parking space close to the resort is very limited. Prices are relatively high, compared to the skiing offered. That said, Darbandsar is a good alternative when the upper road to Dizin is closed. Hopefully, in the future, they develop the North face of the mountain, and, ideally, connect to Dizin, which could be easily done.
January 30, 2017
Saeed from Ski Iran Iran
The best ski resort after Dizin. (whole day ticket costs around 30 USD, morning ticket costs around 25 USD and evening ticket costs around 13 USD). Pros: - you can now enjoy skiing in the evening because the resort operates from 7am to 8pm! This is currently the only resort which provides night skiing. -very close to Tehran using the 'Upper Road' (less than 60 km and around 1 hr 15 minutes). -the road to the ski resort is always open during winter (there are 2 ways to get to Dizin ski resort: the 'Upper' road is usually closed when it snows. Please check the roads before planning). - suitable for jumps and tricks. - not crowded in the evenings. Cons: - full of stones when the snow is not enough. - the slopes are pretty steep and tricky; not suggested for beginners. - only 2 telesieges!
December 30, 2016
Sahar from Ski Iran Iran
Darbandsar is the closest resort from Tehran and the facilities seem updated more than Dizin and Shemshak but actually the customer services are the worst than all other resorts. We should pay more park fee but the parking lot is too crowded and there is no good organizing system. At all because we expected at least mid level standards, the private company whom managing the resort is not providing desirable services.
January 03, 2016
Soroush Safaei from Ski Iran Iran
Visited Iran for a ski trip and Darbandsar is by far the worst resort in terms of how much they charge and what they provide. They charge for parking yet have no one enforcing any cars leaving the lot. The fee is higher than other resorts (Tochal, Dizin) and the piste is subpar at best and filled with slalom racers. They do not have a park or any jumps and will treat you harshly if you have a craving for some cliff drops off-piste. The gondola takes too long to go up for a 7 minute run and good luck with the chairlift lines. I will personally never go there again given that there is Tochal and Dizin, because, again, the money you pay is not worth the experience you get.
March 08, 2012
Ski lover from Ski Iran Iran
The ski resort has cheerful slopes mostly not too crowded, in my opinion it's the best after Dizin ski resort (near to Tehran). But: - Usually some slopes can be closed (partly) for competition or training (sometimes extremely annoying and unbearable) - Inadequacy of lifts (long queues at peak hours) - Lifts consist of only a platter lift and two chairlift not so comfortable especially the 2-man chair chairlift with no back pad causing backache (both of them need repairing) - A little bit expensive for what you get compare to Dizin I wish they finish the building of the new aerial tramway as soon as possible; this piste has the potential of being much better than what it is now.
February 25, 2012
lidamomeni from Ski Iran Iran
i love Darbandsar.

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