Go back to Mauritania.
Go back to Ben Amera Day Five.
Shirley on Rendezvous a Casablanca.
On day six, we climbed a line called Rendezvous a Casablanca on Ben Amera; 7 pitches long and rated 6a+. This one does not top out and instead you’re rapping down a low angle route that follows this cool looking black dyke. It was probably the best climbing of the trip: the usual slabs and edges were augmented with a pitch of dihedral and crack climbing (fully bolted).
Photos
Off to breakfast (Nov. 2024).
A baby goat (probably got stuck in the tree by itself) marks the start of the route (Nov. 2024).
Dah and Mohammad are already at the base of Rendezvous a Casablanca (Nov. 2024).
Racking up. Photo by Dah (Nov. 2024).
Shirley belaying me on pitch 1. Photo by Dah (Nov. 2024).
A bit higher on pitch 1 of Rendezvous a Casablanca (Nov. 2024).
Views from the first belay (Nov. 2024).
Shirley starting up pitch 1. Photo by Dah (Nov. 2024).
A different perspective on Shirley starting up (Nov. 2024).
More of Shirley on pitch 1. Photo by Dah (Nov. 2024).
Slightly wider angle view. Dah collection (Nov. 2024).
The obvious dihedral is climbed on pitch 3 of the route (Nov. 2024).
Leading pitch 2 of Rendezvous a Casablanca (Nov. 2024).
Shirley starting pitch 2 (Nov. 2024).
Views of our camp from the second belay (Nov. 2024).
Shirley arriving at the second belay (Nov. 2024).
Starting the lead of pitch 3 of Rendezvous a Casablanca (Nov. 2024).
The cool dihedrals on pitch 3 (Nov. 2024).
Pitch 3. Probably the most varied climbing of the whole trip (Nov. 2024).
More pitch 3 (Nov. 2024).
Shirley starting pitch 3 (Nov. 2024).
Views from the third belay. Our camp about to be engulfed by sunshine (Nov. 2024).
Shirley on pitch 3 (Nov. 2024).
A closer look (Nov. 2024).
Arriving at the third belay station (Nov. 2024).
Leading pitch 4 of Rendezvous a Casablanca (Nov. 2024).
Higher on pitch 4 (Nov. 2024).
Shirley starting pitch 4 of Rendezvous a Casablanca (Nov. 2024).
Our camp from the 4th belay, now fully engulfed by sunshine (Nov. 2024).
Pitch 4 (Nov. 2024).
Leading pitch 5 (Nov. 2024).
Shirley on pitch 5 (Nov. 2024).
Views of Ben Aicha from high on Rendezvous a Casablanca route (Nov. 2024).
Leading pitch 6 (Nov. 2024).
Views from the sixth belay (Nov. 2024).
Shirley and I near the top of Rendezvous a Casablanca. Photo by Dah, probably from camp (Nov. 2024).
Shirley on pitch 6 (Nov. 2024).
Pitch 7 of Rendezvous a Casablanca (Nov. 2024).
Shirley on pitch 7 (Nov. 2024).
Ben Aicha from top of Rendezvous a Casablanca on Ben Amera (Nov. 2024).
Traversing to the rappels. Our pitch 8 (Nov. 2024).
Shirley looking for the rap bolts (Nov. 2024).
Rapping down Mauritanides Voyages (Nov. 2024).
Shirley rapping down Mauritanides Voyages route (Nov. 2024).
Views from the rappel (Nov. 2024).
Going down a fat dyke…wait (Nov. 2024).
One more of Shirley rapping (Nov. 2024).
Traversing the base of Ben Amera back towards the pick up point (Nov. 2024).
What time is it? Why it’s post-climb tea time, old chap.
Tea time in a village shop while we wait for the electricity and cell service to come back (Nov. 2024).
Hanging out in the village (Nov. 2024).
Passenger train in the village of Ben Amera (Nov. 2024).
Evening in the village (Nov. 2024).
Ben Amera’s south face in the fading light (Nov. 2024).
Go to Ben Amera Day Seven.
Go back to Mauritania.