Mount Aragats: North Summit Ski Trail

Type: Backcountry or Sidecountry

The Ucom and VivaCell-MTS networks are almost always available between Geghadzor village and the Northern Summit of Mount Aragats. In case of emergency, call 911, a service available throughout Armenia.

To reach this run, you need to get to Geghadzor village, in the Aragatsotn province (preferably a day before). Taxi services are quite affordable throughout Armenia. We recommend taking a cab with a functional meter. Head to the start of the North Summit Ascent.

The North Summit of Mount Aragats is in the Aragatsotn province of Armenia. The Mountain has a huge crater, with a 400m depth and 3km diameter, and the ruins of its decayed walls form the four summits of Mount Aragats. The crater is open from the southeast.

Usually, the trail on the North Summit of Aragats takes 8-10 hours (climbing up and down). You need to take a car (Jeep) and begin the trail with an expectation of steep grades toward the summit, soft snow, and marvelous views. The area is usually covered with an abundance of powdered snow.

Mount Aragats is considered to be the highest peak in all of Armenia (4,090m., 13,419ft.). It is an isolated shield-like massif of about 200km in circumference. Together with its fan-shaped slopes, it covers approximately 4,000 sq. m, situated simultaneously in both the Aragatsotn and Shirak provinces. Aragats used to be one of the world’s largest volcanoes. It has a gigantic 400m-deep crater, 3km in diameter, and is comprised of a total of 4 peaks, the highest of which is the North Summit (4,090m., 13,419ft.); the West Summit is the second highest (3995.3m., 13,107ft.) and is followed by the East (3,908.2m., 12,822ft.) and South Summit (3,887.8m., 12,756ft.).

The best time to access this ski line is February to May. Yerevan is 81km from Geghadzor village, so the trip there takes around 1h 30m and costs 8,500-9,000 AMD by taxi.

On the slopes of Mt. Aragats, animals rest under the thick layers of snow. While descending down the route, you are likely to see traces of animals more often than yours. While skiing in this territory, you’ll probably come across evidence of wolves, foxes, wild rabbits and dogs in rural areas. Birds are also rare in this territory.