I am still sick. Although my head is still a mess some of my energy has returned to me. Skiing is on the docket today and I really don't want to miss that so I sucked it up. We ran into typical Moroccan traffic conditions on our way out of Marrakesh.
Outside of the city we were presented with another challenging set of mountain roads to navigate. Can the Logan handle it?
As we approach the ski basin the road is littered with ski and snowboard rental options from the 1990's. We pull into the parking lot and are instantly approached by multiple men in ski outfits. Like moths to a flame they run after our car yelling in various languages. As we try to avoid them they multiply and in no time a group of men are chasing us. Finding this quite humorous Tim starts doing laps in the parking lot while these men follow his every move. Locals are now laughing at their ridiculous attempts. This spectacle continues until Tim decided to finally park.
The men stood outside our car and wouldn't leave. A few got distracted by another car and ran off but we still had a good number as we stepped out. We refused their services and headed to the slop to see what we were dealing with. None of the lifts appeared to be running but we decided to rent gear and walk up the hill. Tim decides to go with the official looking rental shop by the parking lot while I opted for the cheaper road side rental.
This was a clear you get what you pay for situation. Tim got decent boots and a somewhat newer board. I got a set of rossignols from another generation. While Tim was renting his gear the shop owner informed us a lift was running just around the bend. With gear in hand we headed over. Sure enough a decent looking lift was moving. We purchased the 100 dh lift tickets and ascended the mountain.
There was no snow at the bottom or top of the lifts so we had to carry our gear in hand on our ride up.
The lift was extremely slow but traveled a lot further up the mountain than we expected. It also reached alarmingly high heights. From this vantage point we tried to gauge the quality of the snow. Certain parts looked decent but there were a lot of exposed rocks. A few people were skiing but for the most part the mountain was empty.
After around 30 minutes we reached the top. Jumping off the lift in ski boots with your gear in hand while the lift chases you is not the easiest of tasks. Tim got a nice little bump from the chair. There was a small ski building at the top. I wouldn't really call it a lodge but they did sell snacks and water.
We began our run and were approached my multiple guides/instructors asking if we were professionals. Of course we are professionals, just look at us. Even when we would say yes they would ask if we wanted lessons. After multiple attempts at declining their services we skied away to the other side of the lodge. We started our run and the snow was pretty good. Enjoying ourselves a little too much we soon realized the run we were on was roped off just after where we started. We ended up having to take off our gear and walk over the ridge to get back to the only open run. I was particularly exhausted and any strength I had gained from my sleep was gone. After a bit of rest we got our heads back in the game and killed it. Take some notes Morocco.
The terrain was very rocky and icy. It was pretty challenging skiing/boarding. Good thing we are professionals.
After a few runs I started to get light headed and had to call it a day. The long lift time combined with our detours really sucked up the time. The sun was setting as we left the resort. We had conquered Oukaïmden.
On the way out we decided to buy some local produce. No idea what these are. They tasted funny, especially the squishy ones. We ended up mostly throwing them at each other.
We were even able to catch the end a local soccer game as we left town.
The drive back was pretty low key for the most part. It was a hell of a lot better than this guys journey.
