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