Pinnacle Ridge (Severe, 600m), The Anti Atlas, Morocco
To escape the wet winter we yet again, decided to head back to the Moroccan Anti-Atlas for our sixth holiday in the area.
The first day we headed for Dragon Rock. Arguably the best crag in the range Dragon has multiple buttresses with different aspects so climbing in shade or sun is usually possible.
We climbed....
Day 2 saw us venture up to Alma slabs in the Tizi Escapement. However after recent rain we couldn't get the Duster up the rocky track and had to settle with Porcupine Wall, a convenient little crag. Even then it was so cold we couldn't start climbing until 2pm. The crag is quiet and is sunny by the afternoon, though it does catch northerly winds. It has a friendly atmosphere and is useful for a relaxed day of cragging. We climbed...
Red Hot Poker (E1 5a , 30m) - A friendly slab
Morning Glory (Diff, 30m) - A quick Solo
Feelin’ Groovy (VS 5a, 40m) - The best of the bunch
The long drive to Faulty Towers along the Ouguenz Road is spectacular. Its a fantastic crag with a high plateaux feel and wonderful backdrop and the climbing is convenient and accessible from the parking. The crag does have a broken appearance and routes can feel a bit rambling and escapable and so it doesn't give up many three star routes. We chose Grand Designs (E1 5B, 125m). This route weaves it's way up the cliff in 5 pitches. Pitches go at 4c, 5a, 5b, 5b, and 4a with the two 5b pitches being sustained hard. A great route if a little disjointed (and escapable feeling).
Afterwards Pilar dispatched Glowing in the Wind (HVS 5a, 30m) a superb single pitch that had a strong line and good climbing. One of the best on the edge!
What followed was two days of poor weather. Cold and particularly wet. It was nice to see the natural world getting what it needs as a seven year drought has effected the area. We had no choice but to suffer it out in the Afantinzar Valley however, we did manage to escape to the eastern side of the massif and bag a couple of routes on Christmas day at Atkil Edge. Pilar made light work of Wall Street (E1 5b, 25m) - probably the line of the crag. I climbed Christmas Crack (Severe, 20m) Simply because of the name.
With a day of sunshine we wanted to exploit it and headed to Safinah. This area is a rare commodity in Samazar valley as it faces south all day. The route Scimitar ridge (VS 5a, 265m) can be climbed in about 6 pitches and has some decent climbing in the upper portion. It summits an aesthetic tower, has breathtaking views, and has a walk off with no abseiling. It fitted the bill and we knocked it out before heading to Dragon rock.
At Dragon the sun had gone in and the temps were low and I struggled my way up Ocre Slab (HVS 5a, 30m) with completely numb fingers. Character building.
In the second week we relocated to the Bio Beldi guesthouse in the Ameln Valley for some relative warmth. Sadly more poor weather arrived and we spent two days going from crag to crag hoping to find dry rock and blue skies.
Eventually after the rain passed we headed to Aqueduct Cliff. Previously known as crag BX it is a typical example of one of the early discoveries in the Ameln Valley. It would be an unbearable heat trap in warmer months and proves a useful crag during December. The routes weren't world class by any stretch. The rock quality wasn't the best and the cliff lacked strong lines. The approach is interesting and follows a concrete waterway with great views.
We went for...
We had long routes on Anergui Upper on our to-do list and so the next day headed up the treacherous road to the village of Anergui (quite the experience) before finding an enormous landslide had closed the road.
Plan B (which we made up on the spot) was to head for Tizgut Gorge. Tizgut has some three star classics though does take some effort thanks to the steep uphill approach. We went for Tizgut Arete (E1 5a, 100m). Pitch one was very bold face climbing on perfect rock and with cold hands kept me focused. After 50m I found a belay! Pitch two was equally exciting thanks to broken rock so some care needed. Protection still wasn't obvious to find. The sun had come round to warm us up at least. Overall, it is a serious route but to my mind at least, worth the 3 stars.
Our final day arrived and we still hadn't climbed anything long. Prophet Peak is an eye-catching peak with national religious significance (apparently). We climbed the incredible Pinnacle Ridge (Severe, 600m). Having done several long mountaineering outings in the Anti-Atlas I would argue this route is the best of the genre. We walked in from Tizut as we were familiar with the walk (having climbed Millennium Ridge a couple of years prior). The walk in and approach is about 2hours and from the Tizgut approach we found the route difficult to discern.
We loosely figured out the start of the ridge and set off scrambling. After about 2 hours of climbing the guidebook descriptions started to make sense. There are three pinnacles on route and traversing between the second and third is the crux, a wildly exposed step off a pencil-like spire back onto the ridge.
We climbed the ridge in Approach shoes and roped up when we encountered an awkward chimney high on the route near the first pinnacle. From there we took coils in and moved together, pitching the crux move.