Sorry, Midge Ure, I love your humanitarianism and New Wave/electro-sound but there will be snow in Africa this Christmastime.
Yes, I know I’m coming over all Self-Righteous Brother, but Paul Whitehouse makes a good point about Africa’s diversity.
I know from experience about the Atlas Mountains where Moroccans and Morocannophile skiers go to fly down the mountains
It wasn’t snow though that was coming down the Atlas Mountains when I visited but the mud from the sides of the slopes.
Rocky road to the Sahara
It was Ramadan and our driver was bravely skirting the narrow cliffside roads to get us to the Sahara Desert.
In truth, that was the least of my problems as a tajin did for me and I ended up being sick in the sand.
And had to retrace our steps the next day to the rendezvous point, on my camel Larsson.
Abdullah, to be fair, did his best around the roads the next day with me dry heaving at every corner.
Enough already, you want to know more about the skiing.
And I do too, like when are the French borders reopening? I only have a well-deserved trip to Val d’Isere with Ski France waiting on me.
Morocco on the slopes
My passport is jumping up and down in my drawer because of the lack of love I’ve shown her this year.
Yes, I personalise my passport, and its holder, particularly as it was given to me by my old friends Hayes & Jarvis during my time in Ireland.
H&J are your go-to people for just the thing in Morocco.
They have a seven-day £2,199pp Luxury Sahara Desert Tour from Marrakech.
But H&J are all about the bespoke so contact them and they’ll look into a package for you.
While My Chalet Finder have the skinny on everything you need to know on the Moroccan mountains.
Riad R&R
The resort of Oukaimeden, 65km south of Marrakesh, is Morocco’s best ski resort and is home to Africa’s highest ski lift at 3258m and second highest peak, Jebel Toubkal at 4167m, after Kilimanjaro.
There is a large variety of accommodation to choose from in and around Marrakech from 5-star beach hotels, mountain hotels, B&Bs and camping to the traditional riads, ranging from budget to boutique luxury.
Most people who go skiing in Morocco either stay in Marrakech and make the short journey to the base lift (around an hour’s drive) or split their holiday spending some of the time in Marrakech and the rest in the ski resort of Oukaimeden.
Yes there is Snow in Africa this Christmastime.