Other manufacturers also emerged, but with the imports of foreign skis gaining pace over the years and the technological standards of skis going up, domestically produced skis soon fizzled out. One of the main barriers in the way of the development of Iranian skiing was the lack of equipment. Those who could afford to import the skis were usually not the ones who could get the most out of them. Many good Iranian skiers struggled due to lack of decent ski gear.

In 1947 the Iranian Olympic Federation was born and with it came the Iranian Ski Federation. Although the Federation was not to become a member of the International Ski Federation for another 10 years, it was very active and helped to structure the sport in Iran. In the early 1950s the Iranian Ski Federation finally imported skis to help Iran's best skiers get better.
 

 

Establishment of ski pists :

Lashkarak (Telo)

After the early encounters with the Haji Abad mountains, the most frequented pists were at the 'Telo' hills, also called 'Lashkarak'. From 1939 the Telo pist was the destination for many tours from sports clubs and other groups, including American soldiers. In 1943 the traffic between Tehran and Telo was so much

 


Gaston Catiar 1951, instructing students at Ab Ali

  
 

that a special army unit was needed to ensure the order and safety of the route. As well as skiers, many 'spectators' also went to the pist (nothing's changed there in Iran!), the irony was that the ticket for the skiers was cheaper than the one for the people coming to watch the action.

After the minibuses had collected their passengers, they would gather in 'Baharestan Square' in Tehran and head for Lashkarak and in years to come for the 'Ab Ali' pists.

Until 1951, Iran's pists lacked any proper ski lifts, until the efforts of the French coach 'Gaston Catiar' and the Iranian Ski Federation led to the inauguration of Iran's first ski lift on the 19th of January 1951. The first person to board it was a Polish lady by the name of 'Madame Louise'. The firsts are never forgotten!
 


This picture was taken on the inauguration day of the first ever ski lift in Iran, in 1951.