AFAR’s January/February 2016 issue featured a beautiful photo essay about snowsurfing in Japan (yes, Japan!) shot by photographer Kari Medig. But Japan isn’t the only unexpected ski spot Medig is familiar with. We invited him to share some stunning images of another surprising ski location: Morocco, from the slopes of Oukaïmeden to the sands of the Sahara.
OUKAIMEDEN, MOROCCO FEB 2014 Old rental skis line the road to the lift at Oukaimeden ski resort in Morocco’s Atlas Mountains.
Photo by Kari Medig
Photo by Kari Medig
You might not expect a big ski culture in Morocco, but these rental skis and boots found along the road to Oukaïmeden are proof enough that there is plenty of powder to be had high in the Atlas Mountains.
OUKAIMEDEN, MOROCCO FEB 2014 Moroccan tourists, often from Casablanca and Rabat, enjoy skiing for the first time on the lower slopes of Oukaimeden in Morocco’s Greater Atlas Mountains.
Photo by Kari Medig
The vast majority of the skis for rent at Oukaïmeden are throwbacks from bygone ski eras in North America and Europe.
OUKAIMEDEN, MOROCCO FEB 2014 An 80’s era Peugeot taxi, a remnant of France’s colonial connection with Morocco, whisks tourists from Marrakech to the ski resort at Oukaimeden in the Atlas Mountains.
Photo by Kari Medig
Peugeot taxis, ’80s era remnants of France’s colonial connection with Morocco, whisks tourists to the ski resort at Oukaïmeden in the Atlas Mountains.
OUKAIMEDEN, MOROCCO FEB 2014 Moroccan tourists, often from Casablanca and Rabat, enjoy skiing for the first time on the lower slopes of Oukaimeden in Morocco’s Greater Atlas Mountains.
Photo by Kari Medig
Many Moroccans from Casablanca, Rabat, and Marrekech come to Oukaïmeden to learn how to ski. For some, it’s their first time seeing snow.
OUKAIMEDEN, MOROCCO FEB 2014 Young Berber locals get off the lift at the top of Oukaimeden ski hill and get ready to enjoy the late season powder.
Photo by Kari Medig
While many of the tourists that he met were new to skiing, these two young Berber locals were ready to enjoy a challenge and the late season powder.
OUKAIMEDEN, MOROCCO FEB 2014 A local Berber skier in Oukaimeden carries rental skis from his home closer to the lift to rent to tourists. The vast majority of the skis for hire at Oukaimeden are throwbacks from bygone ski eras in North America and Europe.
Photo by Kari Medig
Local Berbers, like this guy, will carry their skis everyday from their homes to the lift to rent to tourists.
OUKAIMEDEN, MOROCCO FEB 2014 A local Berber villager with his ornately decorated horse offers a ride up the lower slopes of Oukaimeden ski hill for first time skiers.
Photo by Kari Medig
Other villagers will wait on the lower slopes of Oukaïmeden ski hill offering rides on ornately decorated horses and donkeys.
OUKAIMEDEN, MOROCCO FEB 2014 Local Berber skiers from surrounding villages enjoy a fresh dusting of powder from a recent storm. The snow is tinged red from dust from the Sahara. Because of the latitude, the north facing slopes hold snow, while the south facing slopes lie empty, exposed to the sun.
Photo by Kari Medig
Due to the country’s latitude: north facing slopes hold plenty of snow, while the south facing slopes are exposed to the sun and therefore lie empty.
OUKAIMEDEN, MOROCCO FEB 2014 A young woman from Cote D’Ivoire (on a university trip from Morocco’s capital Rabat), stands with a pair of rental skis at the base of Oukaimeden. For many of the skiers visiting Oukaimeden’s slopes, it is the first time they had ever seen snow.
Photo by Kari Medig
After Saharan storms, the fresh dusting of powder at Oukaïmeden will have a red tint from the dust of the nearby sand dunes.
MERZOUGA MOROCCO MARCH 2014 A young sand skier from Merzouga searches for a slope to ski on the Saharan sand dunes near town.
Photo by Kari Medig
The coolest thing about skiing in Morocco? It’s not all about snow. In Merzouga, at the eastern edge of the country, Medig joined some locals in search of the best Saharan sand dunes to ski, proving that you can have the best of both worlds if you’re traveling through Morocco in the winter—without giving up your winter ski dreams.
