All the Summits of Vardenis Mountain Range are Reached 

The hikers who left their footsteps on the summits of the highest mountains in Armenia are finishing their initiative to be in all the mountain peaks of the country, which are above 3000 meters. Aghasi Martirosyan and Hrach Ara-Ivanyan started their journey in 2017 and till now they have climbed 120 summits located at an altitude of more than 3000 meters above sea level. Recently they have completely finished climbing the highest peaks of Vardenis mountain range.

How the idea was born

Aghasi Martirosyan told Armenian Geographic that this idea was born suddenly and nothing was planned in advance. He says that people always tend to hike to Aragats along the same trail. On this trail, many other mountains are visible, which no one has climbed.

First, they decided to climb all the peaks of the Aragats massif and visit not only the four main peaks, but also others. Then they hiked to the Geghama mountains, after that they hiked to the Pambak mountains. “As the saying goes, appetite comes with eating. We decided to try to climb all the peaks. A few days ago we finished climbing all the peaks in the Vardenis mountain range”.

Hiking difficulties

Aghasi and Hrach mostly made these ascents together. However, Aghasi told us that sometimes their friends joined them and made the trip easier especially if the trail is long. “In the beginning there were two of us. Now we still mostly travel together. It has its advantages, as you can walk at your preferred pace and speed. If we talk about difficulties, then, of course, there were ascents which were very difficult for us”.

Of the difficult ascents, hikers singled out the winter ones. “During winter hikes, we were taking our snowshoes with us. However, when the snow was fresh, it was more difficult to walk. Hikes are especially difficult in wintertime, because the days are short and you need to be quick in order to come back from mountains during the daylight”.

An unexpected encounter with bears

Talking about interesting episodes that happened during their journey Aghasi said that they met bears twice. “It was very interesting. The second time I even managed to take photos. We met a bear with its cubs in Vardenis mountain range. They were very close to us. It was unexpected, we felt an adrenaline rush, but everything ended well. We decided not to run away, because the bear could attack us from behind. Therefore, we tried to remain calm and natural”.

Aghasi thinks that Vardenis mountain range differs with its wild and unexplored nature. “It took a little bit longer to complete all the ascents. If we finished Aragats or Geghama in 7-8 ascents, then Vardenis mountain range took us 12 ascents. This is a very beautiful place and I think it is underestimated in terms of tourism”.

Newly discovered destinations

The hiker says that they were the first to visit many mountain destinations. “For example, I haven’t heard that someone climbed Mount Mets Sevkar (Sevsar). Many groups often go to the usual Mount Sevkar. But besides this mountain there is also the Mets Sevkar, which we climbed. People go to Mount Sandukhtasar, but not very often. This mountain is really beautiful both for its view and for surroundings. We also climbed Mount Sokhasar and met a bear there. It is a pretty serious mountain with a gorgeous view. Usually hiking groups go to the most famous mountains – Vardenis, Astghonk and sometimes Sandukhtasar. But we climbed 23 summits in Vardenis mountain range”. Aghasi says that now he mainly does expeditionary hikes and tries to go to places he has never been before.

What you should know

Aghasi says that for doing such hiking trips one must have an experience in this field. For him this is the most important requirement. Having a proper outfit is also important as it makes walking easier. In one word, a person must be well prepared for such hikes. He says that they have everything calculated, and this is their key to success. For them, the time management plays a great role and they consider punctuality a very important component of hiking culture.

The hiker says that they really love what they do. “All this is very pleasant and interesting for us. These hiking trips are always full of new discoveries”. He said that in the beginning the ascents were more difficult for them. But later, as they gained more experience, it started to get easier. Aghasi added that the next destination is the Javakhk Mountains, half of which they have already climbed.

Aghasi considers this initiative an important stage in his life, thanks to which he and his friend made many discoveries.

Here is the list of Vardenis Mountains, which were climbed by Aghasi and Hrach.

Vardenis Mountains

1. Vardenis 3522m
2. Astghonk 3470m
3. Sandukhtasar 3454m
4. Great Sevkar (Mets Sevsar) 3393m
5. Kok 3364m
6. Arjasar 3356m
7. Astghaberd 3328m
8. Sokhasar 3308m
9. Sakoyivar 3299m
10. Mrtavar 3287m
11. Tsapatagh 3273m
12. Sokhut 3226m
13. Kznut 3206m
14. Getitssar 3196m
15. Karpsak 3141m
16. Karaglukh 3132m
17. Gam 3113m
18. Divasar 3072m
19. Kochasar 3070m
20. Sevkar (Sevsar) 3063m
21. Porak 3047m
22. Smbatasar 3027m
23. Karasnaghbyur 3027m

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Hiking trips in Armenia