Iran - Koh-I-Noor project

Project realized in partnership with Burton

Publications : Respyr (France) - 7Sky (Switzerland) - Mpora (UK) - Burton Girls (USA) - Teton Gravity Research (USA)

'Koh-I-Noor' means 'mountain of light' in Farsi.

Vanessa from France, photographer & journalist. Estelle from Switzerland, former snowboard competitor & engineer. Ilina from Macedonia, alpinist, artist & environmental activist. Oksana from Russia, professional snowboarder & guide.
We, an international group of women, united by our strong friendship and the same passion of riding & discovering new cultures, decided to embark on the adventure and leave in March 2015 for two weeks in the mountains of Northern Iran. We went to explore the areas of Dizin, Tochal and Shemshak in the Alborz range and each time, we have been amazed by the riding potential in the mountains and by the sense of hospitality and the curiosity, the open-mindedness of the Iranian people we met during our time there.
The situation of women in Iran is highly symbolical .The idea was not be to have a political speech but to bring back a truly original and touching story with portraits, experiences of Iranian women no one talks about from that angle. The project meant to create a meeting, a link between women from four foreign countries and Iranian riders, among whom Mona Seraji, one of the female snowboarding pioneers in the country.
What is it like to be an Iranian woman passionate about riding, mountains and the outdoors in the Iran of today?