Oukaimeden, situated some 70km to the south of Marrakech is North Africa's premier ski resort. You may allude to the limited competition the lofty village faces for this mantle, but it's still a surprising gem to find just a stone's throw from the baked mud walls and palm groves of Marrakech. The resort centres around Mt Oukaimeden (Jebel Oukaimeden), a mountain that reaches 3200m above sea level at its summit, and one that offers a well-graded north facing slope where snowfalls rest well in winter. Snow in the High Atlas is somewhat sporadic and some seasons (which typically run between December and April) there is little or no snow. The resort is a very simple affair, with one large chalet-style hotel, an old-fashioned mountain lodge, a refuge run by the Club Alpin Francais, and some very basic holiday homes. There is one chairlift to the summit and several drag lifts on the nursery slopes, plus some basic equipment hire outlets. The resort can get fairly crowded in peak season, mainly with those trying skiing for the first time or visitors seduced by the novelty of skiing and sunbathing on the same day. Oukaimeden is, however, more than just a ski resort, it's also an excellent launch pad for hikes in the Toubkal National Park and one day downhill mountain biking extravaganzas. Trails in all directions offer excellent trekking, particularly to the north into the Tacheddirt Valley and onward to Imlil and Jebel Toubkal, the highest mountain in North Africa. A boneshaking 30km descent by mountain bike takes you to the villages of the lower Mizzane Valley (around Asni), from where you can cycle onto the Kik Plateau and down to the plains that surround Marrakech. There are also other descents into the Ourika Valley and to Tahanoute. In addition, the peak of Oukaimeden itself makes an excellent warm-up trek, or aclimatisation hike, and, from its summit, offers some of the best views in the High Atlas Mountains. The future of Oukaimeden remains uncertain. Rumours suggest that there are big plans on the table to convert the place into a well-equipped, first class summer/winter resort boasting luxury hotel accommodation, and a golf course (amongst other things). Whether this will happen either now or in the near future remains open to speculation, but its excellent situation in the heart of the High Atlas and its proximity to Marrakech suggest that Oukaimeden could become a successful mountain base in years to come. But for now it remains in essence ittle more than a very simple, extended Berber village.
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