Testimonial and Trip Report - Sophie Lee Taylor
The Official Website of the Mount Damavand Guides Iran
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Sophie Lee Taylor from England - April 2014
I had a wonderful time on Damavand Mountain, Iran. The climb was one of the best organised and most professional I have ever experienced. We got caught in bad weather on the way down from the summit, but my guide, Ali Fard, took us down safely and quickly and I felt in very safe hands indeed. The mountain itself is stunning and I would recommend the expedition to anyone.Sophie Lee Taylor: Seven Volcanoes Project
Sophie Lee Taylor, MSc Public Health by Distance Learning graduate, has undertaken the project of a lifetime in support of Caner Research…
“In 2008, life was very different – I was working as a foreign correspondent in China, and fully absorbed in a busy career which was rewarding and challenging in equal measure. My parents lived in the UK, I visited them every few months, and had absolutely no idea how much I was taking for granted.
After a few months of feeling vaguely unwell, my father was diagnosed with cancer of the oesophagus. Only two weeks after his diagnosis, he passed away. I was back in Shanghai at the time packing in my job, and was not able to be there when he died. It was the most gut-wrenching, agonising experience.
Shortly after my father's passing I moved back to the UK, and since then I have climbed a mountain a year in his memory to raise funds for cancer research. I had never climbed one before, but wanted to focus my energies on something proactive and positive.
This year, I decided to make an all-out effort and climb the highest volcano on every continent to fund a clinical trial for a cure for oesophageal cancer run by Cancer Research UK (www.sevenvolcanoes.com). Every donation means a great deal to me and it would be absolutely wonderful to reach the £7,000 target.

Mt Damawand Peak April 2014
Sophie Lee Taylor Cairns and Ali Fard (right- mountain guide)