Oukaimeden

Oukaimeden is a bowl of high pasture under a long ridge about two hours from Marrakech, and it has the odd distinction of being both a ski station and an archaeological site. In winter, when snow falls, a chairlift and a few drag lifts open on the slopes above the village and Moroccan skiers arrive for the weekend; equipment is hired on the spot and mules wait at the bottom. In summer the snow is gone, the plateau turns to grazing for flocks brought up from the valleys, and walkers use it as a start point for ridge routes. Scattered across flat rocks near the village are Bronze Age engravings of weapons, animals and figures.

What you actually see

• The rock engravings - Bronze Age carvings of animals and weapons on flat slabs.
• The ski slopes - lifts and pistes that run when there is snow, usually midwinter.
• The summer pasture - flocks and shepherd huts on the plateau once the snow goes.
• The ridge views - the High Atlas skyline and, on clear days, the plain far below.

When to go

Snow is unreliable and usually best from January to early March; check conditions before driving up, because the station often has bare slopes. From April the plateau is for walking, with wildflowers in May and June. The road is steep and can close in storms. Day trips are easy, and there is little reason to stay after dark.

Honest expectations

The ski area is basic by European standards, with old lifts, short runs, rocky patches and long queues on snowy weekends. Rental gear is worn and sizing is approximate. The village is a scrappy cluster of concrete buildings rather than an alpine resort. Thin air is felt by people coming straight from sea level, and it is genuinely cold.

Nearby

The Ourika valley is on the same road down, and Imlil and the Toubkal trailheads lie to the west.