Vast deserts, high temperatures and barren steppes – these are just some of the things one associates with Africa. However, the fact that you can also ski on this beautiful continent doesn’t immediately come to mind. One of the largest mountain ranges in the world is located in Morocco: the Atlas Mountains. Here, winter sports fans have great opportunities to go skiing. SnowTrex offers 5 good reasons here for why ski areas in Morocco are definitely worth a visit.
1. Skiing with a view of the desert
The massive mountains of the High Atlas are not far from Marrakech. Here, you can look into the desert while skiing. In Jbel Oukaïmeden, Morocco’s highest and largest ski area, seven lifts are located at altitudes between 2,600 and 3,200 meters, transporting skiers up to the 3,265-meter Jbel Oukaimeden. A total of 10 kilometers of pistes are available to winter sports fans. The exotic ski area has 5 km of blue, 3 km of red and 2 km of black pistes and the best time to ski here is between early January and mid-March. Guests from all over the world have been coming here to ski since the 1930s.
2. Unbeatable prices
In the Jbel Oukaïmeden ski area, you will find many of the amenities of a typical European ski area – even if the ski equipment in the hire shop is not always up to date. In addition to ski rental, there are ski schools, restaurants and hotels – all at affordable prices!
3. A change from the sun in small ski areas
Another small ski area is located in the Meknès-Tafilalet region and is called Michlifen. Here, 1 km of pistes and two lifts are at the disposal of winter sports fans. The Jbel Hebri ski area is also located in the same region. The ski area consists of 1 km of red pistes and one lift. Sure, an extra journey is usually not worthwhile for such small ski areas, but for those who spend their holidays nearby anyway, these areas are a nice change of scenery and a welcome cool-down.
4. Cross-country and heliskiing are also possible
For those who are not interested in alpine skiing, the Middle Atlas is the perfect place to go cross-country skiing. Also, for those who want even more action than just “normal” skiing, heliskiing could be a worthwhile try in Morocco. Here, winter sports fans are transported up the mountain by helicopter. From there, they then descend through untouched terrain in deep snow. Perfect conditions for freeriding!
5. Sandboarding – A somewhat different type of skiing
You can’t visit Africa without visiting the desert at least once. Morocco in particular is the perfect place for this… but what do you do in a desert? Right, sandboarding – suitable for all winter sports fans who simply can’t resist going down the slopes! The small difference is that you don’t ride on cold snow, here, but on the hot sand of the countless dunes instead. Numerous tours can be booked on site. Camel rides and an overnight stay are usually included.
