West Summit of Mount Aragats

Ski trail description
To get to the west summit of the Mount Aragats ski trail, you should first reach Geghadzor village, in the province of Aragatsotn. In case of any adverse weather, we do not recommend this trail, because of the possible difficulties of traveling through the high mountains. It is only possible to bypass these obstacles in clear weather, the ski trail is rather complicated and possibly dangerous. You should climb up to the vicinity of the west summit (3,650m) using the marked trail. The trail is long, with no stops, and the area is usually covered with snow powder. The West Summit is the second highest summit (3,995.3m) of Mount Aragats.

Mount Aragats is considered the highest peak in Armenia (4,090m). It is an isolated shield-like massif of about 200km in circumference. Together with its fan-shaped slopes, it covers 4,000 sq. m, and is situated in both the Aragatsotn and Shirak provinces. Aragats used to be one of the world’s largest volcanos. It has a gigantic 400m-deep crater, 3km in diameter, and 4 peaks. The highest point is the North Summit- 4,090m; the West Summit is second with 3,995.3m and is followed by the East -3,908.2m and South Summits- 3,887.8m.

The Legend
According to legend, the name ‘Aragats’ originated from the name ‘Ara’, and the word ‘gah’ (throne): that is to say ‘Ara’s throne’ (the Armenian king Ara Geghetsik, meaning Ara the Beautiful).

Monuments description
Heading for the West Summit of Aragats from Yerevan or vice versa, you can visit:

Hovhannavank Monastery is located in Ohanavan village, in the Aragatsotn province of Armenia. It is beautifully perched on a gorge, high above the right bank of the Kasagh River. The monastery overlooks Mount Ara and the Geghama Mountains in the southeast. Over different periods of time, the monastery used to maintain vast plowlands, gardens, pastures, mills, and villages. It also used to be a significant center for Armenian writing, with a rich library; some of the manuscripts created there are still preserved to this day.

Saghmosavank is located in Saghmosavan village, of Aragatsotn province, Armenia, at the edge of the deep Kasagh River gorge, and is ‘backed’ by gigantic Mount Ara from behind. On the other sides, the monastery overlooks Mount Aragats (4,095m) and Mount Ararat (5,165m). The monastery was built in the 13th century by Prince Vache I Vachutyan and his noble family. The complex is comprised of the Church of Zion, the Church of Holy Mother of God, a book depository and a narthex. The Church of Zion is the main church of the complex. It is a cross-shaped and domed church and differs from other churches built in that epoch by the layout of the narthex. The eastern part of the church features an altar and niches inside the walls. The Saghmosavank manuscript repository was built in 1255. It neighbors the ancient khachkars (cross-stones) on the western facade of the church.

The Armenian Alphabet Monument is located on the eastern slope of Mount Aragats, near Artashavan village, in Aragatsotn province, on the left side of the Yerevan-Aparan highway. The Armenian alphabet was created between 405-406, by Mesrop Mashtots, a prominent linguist, religious and political leader, and has been used for Armenian writing ever since. The monument was built in 2005 to commemorate the 1600th anniversary of the creation of the Armenian alphabet. It features 39 beautifully ornamented letters of the alphabet and statues of key Armenian figures. Each letter is 1.5m-2m high.
According to tradition, anyone who visits this monument takes a photo with the first letter of their name. By the Monument, you can see the statues of the great minds of Armenia – Mesrop Mashtots (with the letters in his hands), Grigor Lusavorich (holding the cross beyond), Anania Shirakatsi (a symbol of the earth and the universe in his left hand), Mkhitar Gosh (with “Datastanagirk”, the Book of Reprisal, in his hands), Khachatur Abovyan and Hovhannes Tumanyan.

Fauna
The winters on Mt. Aragats are long, cold and snowy. There is steady snow cover for 250 days of the year. In the apical zone, it is cold during the summer too. While passing the trail you may come across wolves, foxes and wild rabbits.

Safety and Security
Ucom and VivaCell-MTS networks are almost always available between Aragats village up to the west summit of Mount Aragats. In case of emergency, call 911, a service available throughout Armenia.

Technical parameters
Best period: January - April
Distance: 81 km from Yerevan
Duration: 1 hour 30 m
Ski trail length: 28km.
Ski run: 10 hours 48 min.
Altitude from the sea level: 2,200- 3,995.3m
The best drink to have on hand is warm tea.

How to Reach the Ski Trail
To take the above-mentioned trail, you need to get to the village of Aragats (Geghadzor), in Aragatsotn province. It is most convenient to travel by taxi. Taxi services are quite affordable throughout Armenia. We recommend taking a cab with a taximeter.