Kris Erickson leaving his village of Aguddim to explore with Jbel Aroudane in the distance. National Geographic, Photo by Sam Elias
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*“Developing a new climbing area of such high quality was amazing, but the opportunity to live in & learn about the culture & history of Zawiya Ahansal has been most special. The immediate landscape, which Dr. Peyron explained as some of the most beautiful in all of Morocco, is a haven for hiking, climbing & skiing. It was incredible to be there…”*
Watch Video on Bolting and Climbing in Morocco
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Sam Elias climbing above village of Aguddim, Morocco. National Geographic, Photo by Kris Erickson
National Geographic/Beyond the Edge, by Sam Elias (April 22, 2014) — I spent three weeks in Morocco. I was invited by Kris Erickson to climb and potentially establish some new climbing. But, I also wanted work with The Atlas Cultural Foundation (ACF), in hopes of learning about the local culture and history. Kris’s wife Cloe founded the organization, and it is the primary reason their family, including their daughter, Noor, recently moved to the country. I was curious gain insight into their life and to understand their decision to live in Morocco. It is important for me to try to see the world through different perspectives—climbing only offers a limited view. This trip was an opportunity to broaden my outlook. The three weeks turned out to be enlightening as well as productive.
Kris was waiting at the Marrakesh airport when I arrived, and it was a relief to see him. We went directly to a big grocery store to stock up. Since they live in a very rural area, the access to goods is limited. Then we met up with Cloe and Noor for a mellow evening. The next morning we departed early from the big city. It takes about six hours to drive to their village of Aguddim in the Central High Atlas Mountains. The landscape is flat and uneventful outside of Marrakesh, until about two hours from their village, where the road heads directly toward the snow-covered mountains and runs onto the side of the mountain Jbel Azourki (3677 meters). After two mountain passes, the road descends alongside Jbel Aroudane into the valley that contains the villages of the rural commune of Zawiya Ahansal. It is a lush valley at around 1,800 meters in elevation with a strong river of clear blue water. There are high rocky peaks that loom over the valley to the north and west, and high rolling hills to the east and south. The high peaks were covered with a substantial amount of snow.
Zawiya Ahansal, Morocco
After a night in their home, Kris and I set out to explore the cliffs he had previously determined to potentially have climbing. Through years of exploration, he knows this area well, and was eager to share it with me. We hiked out of the village and up a valley toward Jbel Aroudane to the lowest cliff line of the mountain. Then we hiked along the cliff back toward the village, and up another valley for about three hours. By the end, my legs were tired and my head was spinning because the amount of undeveloped high-quality rock was incredible. After lunch back at the house, we hiked a load of gear to the cliff that we determined had the best combination of accessibility and route potential. At the time, we did not have any notion that we would exhaust my entire stay in the country at this cliff and that, in the end, there would be an entire new area for climbing.
[Continue Reading at National Geographic…]
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Sam Elias is a professional climber for The North Face. He has traveled all over the world for climbing. He recently returned from living in Morocco in a remote mountain village, developing new climbing and working with a humanitarian aid organization called the Atlas Cultural Foundation. He is @bookofsamuel on Instragram, Facebook, and Twitter. His first report can be seen HERE, and the second report can be seen HERE.
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The valley of Zawiya Ahansal and Jbel Aroudane in Morocco. National Geographic, Photo by Sam Elias
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