Ben Amera Day Eight

Mauritania

Go back to Mauritania.
Go back to Ben Amera Day Seven.

La Marmouladah
La Marmouladah.

For our final day of climbing, we chose a line called La Marmouladah (11 pitch, 6a) that tops out on Ben Amera. Good, well protected climbing on a large buttress of the monolith. In fact, the line is some 75 meters to the right of the Casablanca route. We finished the climb and scrambled over the shorter, northeast summit of Ben Amera to the descent route.

Photos

La Marmouladah
Starting La Marmouladah on Ben Amera. Photo by Dah (Nov. 2024).
La Marmouladah
Shirley belaying me on pitch 1. Photo by Dah (Nov. 2024).
La Marmouladah
Shirley starting La Marmouladah (Nov. 2024).
La Marmouladah
Shirley and I on pitch 1.  Photo by Dah (Nov. 2024).
La Marmouladah
Shirley starting up pitch 1 of La Marmouladah (Nov. 2024).
La Marmouladah
Morning views of our camp from pitch 1(Nov. 2024).
La Marmouladah
A slightly longer range view of us on the first pitch of La Marmouladah (Nov. 2024).
La Marmouladah
And one more of us. Another photo by Dah (Nov. 2024).
La Marmouladah
Shirley nearing the first belay (Nov. 2024).
La Marmouladah
Leading pitch 2 of La Marmouladah (Nov. 2024).
La Marmouladah
Shirley on pitch 2 (Nov. 2024).
La Marmouladah
The shadow of Ben Amera from the second belay on La Marmouladah (Nov. 2024).
La Marmouladah
Views of Ben Aicha (right of center) from the second belay (Nov. 2024).
La Marmouladah
Topping out on pitch 2 (Nov. 2024).
La Marmouladah
Leading pitch 3 (Nov. 2024).
La Marmouladah
Shirley starting pitch 3 of La Marmouladah (Nov. 2024).
La Marmouladah
Unnamed dome from the third belay. Note the dynamic equilibrium between the sand and rock; energy supplied by the wind (Nov. 2024).
La Marmouladah
Sunshine moving over our camp below (Nov. 2024).
La Marmouladah
Pitch 3 (Nov. 2024).
La Marmouladah
Leading pitch 4 of La Marmouladah (Nov. 2024).
La Marmouladah
Looking back at Shirley from the lead of pitch 4 (Nov. 2024).
La Marmouladah
Pitch 4 (Nov. 2024).
La Marmouladah
Pitch 4 (Nov. 2024).
La Marmouladah
Leading pitch 5 of La Marmouladah (Nov. 2024).
La Marmouladah
Looking back at Shirley from the lead of pitch 5 (Nov. 2024).
La Marmouladah
Shirley starting pitch 5 (Nov. 2024).
La Marmouladah
Views of Haddada (one at center) from the fifth belay (Nov. 2024).
La Marmouladah
Shirley on pitch 5 (Nov. 2024).
La Marmouladah
La Marmouladah pitch 5 (Nov. 2024).
La Marmouladah
Views of our camp from the fifth belay on La Marmouladah (Nov. 2024).
La Marmouladah
Leading pitch 6 (Nov. 2024).
La Marmouladah
Shirley on pitch 6 (Nov. 2024).
La Marmouladah
Arriving at the sixth belay (Nov. 2024).
La Marmouladah
Shirley on pitch 7 with Dah’s pick up way down below (Nov. 2024).
La Marmouladah
Shirley on pitch 7; along with Haddada Dome in the distance (Nov. 2024).
La Marmouladah
Topping out on pitch 7 (Nov. 2024).
La Marmouladah
Shirley traversing the dyke leftwards in search of route’s continuation (Nov. 2024).
La Marmouladah
Starting the section above the “bail point”; pitch 8 (Nov. 2024).
La Marmouladah
Pitch 8 (Nov. 2024).
La Marmouladah
Arriving at the 8th belay (Nov. 2024).
La Marmouladah
Pitch 9ish of La Marmouladah (Nov. 2024).
La Marmouladah
Pitch 9 (Nov. 2024).
La Marmouladah
Shirley arriving at the 9th belay (Nov. 2024).
La Marmouladah
Views from the 10th belay on La Marmouladah (Nov. 2024).
La Marmouladah
Shirley topping out on pitch 10 (Nov. 2024).
La Marmouladah
Shirley starting up the 11th and final pitch of La Marmouladah (Nov. 2024).
La Marmouladah
Shirley on pitch 11 (Nov. 2024).
La Marmouladah
Pitch 11 peters out into 3rd class hiking (Nov. 2024).
La Marmouladah
Shirley topping out on the route. We just have a 3rd class scramble over some boulder fields to reach the lower summit (Nov. 2024).
La Marmouladah
Belaying the initial, exposed part of the scramble to the summit (Nov. 2024).
La Marmouladah
The saddle between the two summits (as seen from the slightly shorter one; Nov. 2024).
La Marmouladah
Taking a little break on the descent (Nov. 2024).
La Marmouladah
Ben Amera as seen from low on Voie Normale (Nov. 2024).
La Marmouladah
Almost tea time (Nov. 2024).
La Marmouladah
Our new driver, Deyah, and Mohammad are waiting for us (Nov. 2024).
La Marmouladah
Post climb tea (Nov. 2024).
La Marmouladah
Ben Amera as we drive around it back to camp (Nov. 2024).
La Marmouladah
Le Canyon on Ben Amera. This is also likely the location of the very first technical route on the formation dating back to 1993 (Nov. 2024).

Go to Ben Amera To Ouadane.
Go back to Mauritania.