Marmot UK - High Atlas Climbing

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Words by Neil Mawson

Onsight 7c+. Photo by Zippy

I’m back from a three week trip to the Taghia region in the High Atlas Mountains in Morocco. I flew to Marrakesh with Sam Whittiker, Nic Sellars, Ben Heason, and Harry Pennals. We met Andy Cave who had got a flight earlier that day and Mark Pretty (Zippy) who had got there by train and boat over 5 days! We stayed the night in Marrakesh then left early the next day by bus to a small village in the foothills of the Atlas Mountains. The following day we walked for two and a half hours to our accommodation for the duration of the trip. We were staying in Gites run by the local villagers of Taghia. They cooked our breakfast and evening meals for us for only 10 euros per person per night (including the accommodation). The food was good but boiled potatoes and carrots with the same soup for two weeks started got a little boring!

On arrival we set out to explore the amazing 800m limestone gorges that surrounded the village. All the climbing we did was fully bolted multi-pitch sport routes although there are trad routes there. I climbed with Ben for the first two days and we warmed into the climbing by doing an eight pitch 6c on the first day. As it had rained the day before we arrived there was no chalk on any of the routes that were generally vertical and very technical much like the climbing in the Verdon, only with friction. The next day we did an amazing eight pitch 7b+, that was a good introduction to the harder climbs.

I climbed with Zippy next and we tried a route called Shucran 7a+,7b,7c,7a+,7b+,7a+. I managed to onsight the 7c pitch but then fell off right at the end of the 7b+ pitch as I just couldn't find the hold in time as none of the pitches had any chalk on. After a couple of rest days and ‘being ill days’ I went to do some single pitches to see how I felt. After successfully onsighting a 7c+ overhanging tufa route I decided I was up for doing the multi pitch routes again.

Big Walls surrounding the Village of Taghia

I next climbed with Harry and did a route called Rivieres Pourpres which was an amazing 11 pitch route on perfect rock with pitches of; 6c,6c+,7a+,7b,6c+,7a+,7a,7b,7a+,7b,7b+. We both managed to climb the whole route onsight. The next day we had to leave but I managed to redpoint a brilliant single pitch 8a+ on the walk back to the road that afternoon with Zippy and Sam.

Two bus journeys later we had a nice cold beer that we'd all been craving for the last two weeks. After a day spent in Marrakesh buying presents we were on the flight home apart from Zippy who returns a week after us as he doesn't fly any more for environmental reasons.

This is an amazing area with a ridiculous amount of rock and I'm surprised more Brits don't go there.