High Atlas mountains

Morocco’s High Atlas mountains are now well on the radar for those who like their winter hols a little different. Pete Coombs packs a snowboard for North Africa

Snowsports. Morocco. Not often mentioned in the same sentence, as I found out when arriving at customs in Marrakesh. ‘What is in the bag?’ asked the moustachioed customs officer.‘It’s a snowboard… like a surfboard for the snow?’ I tried. Eyebrows raised, customs dude waved me on, and I headed towards the taxi ranks to take the short ride into the exotic cultural miasma that waited downtown.

Morocco’s ski scene, such as it is, was developed by French colonials, who created two resorts in the Atlas Mountains in the 1950s. Mischliffen, near the village of Ifrane, 70km south of Fez, is possibly the most bizarre village in Africa, with only the hotel restaurants’ goat and tagine specials and the waiters’ embroidered waistcoat and fez ensembles to remind you that you’re not in Europe. Among the monkey-filled pine trees are numerous three- and four-star hotels, all built in a European style, and complete with authentic French plumbing (to visitors, a prized rarity in such parts). This surreal Alpine transplant is the place to be seen at altitude for the rich and famous. King Mohammed VI has a massive chalet here, and most Moroccans visit more to sunbathe and drink mint tea than to ski – possibly a wise thing, as the resort consists of only a few unchallenging pistes and a bad snow record.

Oukaïmeden, 75km south of Marrakesh, is Morocco’s second French-built ski station and is only a stone’s throw from Jebel Toubkal. In Marrakesh’s morning sun, after a night of snake charmers, tumbling acrobats, gallons of mint tea and a lighter wallet (I’d had to pay Mustafa, a little boy, to show me the way out of the Bazaar as I was totally lost), I climbed into a very old Peugeot estate for the two-hour taxi ride to the resort. Leaving behind the city’s dusty hustle of water sellers, street traders and horse-drawn carts, we were soon speedily rising through farmland and forests – and dodging overloaded donkeys – towards the 4,000m-plus snow-capped peaks of the High Atlas mountains.

As I got out of the taxi I was almost attacked by local Berber guides in some of the brightest Eighties ski jackets I’ve ever seen, offering their services and ski hire. Some of the skis on offer were older than the jackets – if you’re thinking of skiing here, bring your own if you can. Oukaïmeden has six drag lifts, which never seem to all be working on the same day, and one chair that takes you from 2,600m to Jebel Oukaïmeden’s 3,270m summit. The only run down from the top is north-facing and holds the snow well between late December and early March. There’s no piste basher, so it can be rough if it hasn’t snowed for a while, but that just adds to the fun. Overall, Oukaïmeden is a great spot for an acclimatisation day, or for wintersports beginners to to blood themselves.

Continued...