Iran Sets Eyes on Tourism.
DOS SANTOS: In the wake of its nuclear agreement with the West and the lifting of sanctions, Iran is now setting its sights on tourism. The mountains were already a hit with local skiers, but now the government also wants to turn them into something of a global attraction. CNN's Fred Pleitgen has the story.</s>FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Deep in the Alborz Mountain Range what lies in Iran few in the West have heard about. The Darbandsar Ski Resort is one of the biggest and most modern in the Islamic Republic. Skiers marvel at the quality of the snow and the facilities.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Snow is powder. I love that, it's amazing.</s>PLEITGEN: At an elevation of 3,600 meters, around 12,000 feet, Darbandsar slopes are open up to six months of the year. Weekends are often packed, mostly with Iranians looking to escape the urban jungle of the capital Tehran. Iran has a wealth of beautiful mountains and ski areas, and ski tourism is one of the industries that the government here wants to develop. They hope that with the lifting of sanctions, very soon millions of tourists from all over the world will come here. With a DJ, a non-alcoholic cocktail bar and an American-style food court, it's a far cry from the way Iran is often portrayed -- with hardliners chanting death to America and major problems with civil and women's rights. But in the mountains, gender equality is a lot closer. At the Meygoon Ice Climbing School, Sapede Jabda (ph), one of the best female ice climbers in Iran, expertly scales the frozen falls while fellow male athletes cheer her on. SAPEDE JABDA (ph),</s>FEMALE ICE CLIMBER, TRANSLATED BY PLEITGEN: "Ice climbing is much more risky than rock climbing," she says. "The ice can break off any time and fall on you. But if you love the sport, it's really cool."</s>PLEITGEN: Ice climbing is still a fairly new sport in Iran, but it is quickly catching on the Meygoon School's boss tells me.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE, BOSS OF, TRANSLATED BY PLEITGEN: "We started 14 years ago and now it's getting very popular," he says. "Every day we have between 60 and 70 people coming here for training and for competition."</s>PLEITGEN: While Iran still has a long way to go in improving its tourism infrastructure, it certainly has enough mountains, snow and ice to become a popular winter sport destination. Fred Pleitgen, CNN Darbandsar, Iran.</s>DOS SANTOS: It's been a slippery slope on Wall Street. We'll be back with the final check of the markets after this break.