1 pm . Feb 26, 2022, Tizi n ‘Likemt mountain, altitude 10,229 ft.- location: Atlas Mountains -Morocco, North Africa.
I change the bindings on my Alpine Touring skis to “downhill ski mode” from “touring mode”, remove the skins and started skiing down.
_And so I completed skiing in all the seven continent_s.
How and when did it all start?
Surely this was not on my mind when I started skiing for the first time in the Romanian Carpathian Mountains in 1970.
It was then that I first experienced a truly “off piste “area , and it ended quickly with me fracturing my ankle and having to be carried up hill by my mother…in very deep snow.I still don’t know how she had the strength to do it.
But I started skiing a lot when I was a medical student in Italy. The first true Alpine skiing was in 1983 in San Martino di Castrozzo in Northern Italy.
Sorin said at that time “lets go skiing!” And we did. I did not know how to ski, but Sorin said “follow me” .
I did, and his way to stop after going downhill straight (he did not know how to turn) was to crash in the snow.
So I crashed too, in deep powder, losing my skis because they were buried and I was not able to find them .
Never mind that snow got into my pants and boots and I was totally wet. I said “I’m done, let’s go back home “.
Sorin said “wait, let’s take a lesson”.So I agreed -and after the first lesson that showed us how to make a “Pizza “ turn -we became huge ski fans .
Skiing became my favorite sport .
I skied all over the world-from the Hokkaido mountains in Japan with deep powder to the the “concrete “ snow of Mt Baker in Washington state.
From the Alaska glaciers to the Antarctica glaciers.
From the Kamchatka Peninsula active volcanoes on the very eastern edge of Asia to the Central Asia by lake Baikal in the heart of Siberia to the Caucasus mountains on the western edge of Asia , which form the boundary with Europe.
From the the New Zealand Alps in Wanaka to the Atlas Mountains in Northern Africa.
From the Carpathian Mountains in Eastern Europe to the Pyrenees in Spain, and all over the French, Italian , Swiss and Austrian Alps. Dolomites included.
From the Northern Rockies in Canada to the Andes in Patagonia and Chile in South America.
From the Appalachian mountains in the Eastern US to the Sierra Nevada in the West, and everything in between in the multiple subranges of the Rockies .
Even skied in the Arabian desert, in a mall in Dubai.
I skied resorts and used chair lifts, drag lifts, gondolas, trams, above ground trains and under ground trains, and even was dragged on skis by horses. I have used slow and old 2 person chairlifts and high speed heated 6 person lifts.
I skied the back country, reaching summits by boot packing and ski touring, and chute climbing using ice axes and boot crampons and ropes, but I also used snowmobiles and snow cats and Helicopters. And even Zodiac boats.
Yes, this is how one reaches the shores in Antarctica.
I love skiing.
Skied powder so deep that we joked that a snorkel might be needed and skied almost pure ice. Skied moguls and groomed runs, wide open bowls and glades-and everything in between.
Skied in the summer in 50 degrees and in the middle of the winter in minus 10 degrees.
I snowboarded too.
I had skinny skis, fat skis, straight skis, shaped skis, parabolic skis, long skis, short skis, touring skis, downhill skis, powder skis, all mountain skis, skis with camber and skis with rocker, skis with downhill bindings, touring bindings and in between . Had a snowboard. And of course had downhill boots and touring boots and snow board boots.
I love skiing.
It took me 52 years to ski the seven continents.
One only needs passion, patience and a good partner in life to do it.
After skiing Europe, North America and subsequently South America were natural progression. Than came the idea of Japan.
While in Argentina I met a guide who said ”But have you skied Antarctica ?”
I had no clue that is feasible, but once I found out how to go there ,off to Antarctica I went. With Lori
And while being there I met other guides, from Australia and New Zealand -so Lori and I went to Australasia
But the last continent, Africa-was the probably the most adventurous, at least from the mental perspective..
Its was like jumping into the unknown…
Why ?
For many reasons. So just two days before my trip to Morocco I found a guide on line.
He offered to take me to the highest summit in the Atlas Mountains , and said it would take two days. I told him I only have one day, because I was there with Lori.
He said no problem-Will do it in one day. Like 7,000 ft climb with skis in one day.
I could not check his credentials. His name was Ahmed Azizi.
The day before we were supposed to to climb, he texted me and said that there is a storm and we can’t climb that mountain .
After I told him that the reason I came to Morocco was to ski the Atlas Mountains , he came with plan B.
So he had a taxi wait for me very early in the morning in Marakesch . Picture this -I am in the Medina(the old walled town) staying in a Riad, in the middle of the suk (market ). I am going to the car with skis and backpack filled with skins for touring, boot crampons, ski crampons, ice axe, helmet, harness, carbines, slings, ATC..
Definitely a surreal situation.Getting into a taxi and no clear idea where I am going . Who am I going with. And no idea who sent the driver.
It’s pitch dark outside, no moon nor stars due to cloud cover .The road is very narrow , winding up mountains. We were going into Berber country.
We finally reach the village of Imlil, where I am supposed to meet the guide.The whole village is shrouded in darkness, and only one little tea shop is open.
Lahcen, the driver , went inside for breakfast .The owner of the tea shop smiles broadly, revealing very few teeth.He offers me breakfast . I accept…It’s bread and bean soup. I am too excited to eat.And I don’t like bean soup.
Finally the guide comes in. He walked 3 km from his village, with his skis on his back.We get in the car and drive.
The road turns into a has been road-mostly gravel, with a cliff on one side and a drop off on the other.There are boulders on the road. It’s very narrow. It appeared very sketchy, but I felt comfortable once I found out that the driver was born in Imlil and lived there all his life.
He knows every rock …and I felt relieved that Ahmed was born in the same village that he lives now. Up in the mountains.
We drove in a cheap Romanian built car, that drove perfectly well on those roads.We crossed streams with no problem ..Who needs 4×4?
Finally we stop in the middle of nowhere. We get out and put on the skins on our skis and wear our harnesses , but it started to storm.
Rain, snow, sleet -all at the same time. And wind.
Ahmed looks towards the sky and says”We cancel it . Too risky “
I asked him to wait in the car for 30 min. Luckily -there was a partial clearing in the sky. We set off.
The first part is boot packing uphill on rocks ,for about one hour .We reach the snow line, and start skinning .
Ahmed tells me that in one week he will be visited by a group of Frenchmen, who will show the Moroccans how to offer rescue services in the mountains. He further tells me that there is no rescue service in the Atlas Mountains.
We had no phone reception . I had purchased an insurance for Heli rescue, but if need be, I could not reach them-no reception.And than I thought that regardless, with the weather that we had -no Heli could fly…
I was very , very careful . Because even the smallest injury would have been terrible.No way to get help….
We started on brown looking snow, that had that color from the sand which was mixed in. After all, the Sahara desert wasn’t too far.
Later we transitioned to regular white snow, and I noticed an avalanche not too far from us. Ahmed assured me that despite the fact that is now avalanche season, we were safe.
And we kept going.
That is ’till the weather has changed.The storm was returning .
And we decided to ski down.
Skiing down was fun.Corn like snow. I was very careful. Did not want to fall or hit a hidden rock. Ahmed fell twice. All his skiing experience was in this mountains , and he taught skiing in …Saudi Arabia, at an indoor ski facility.
Once we came down, we went to a little structure built on the side of the mountain made out of rocks.Two villagers from the village close to us, Tachdiret-which happens to be the highest village in Morocco at 2,4000 m, met us and prepared tea. And we celebrated the day !
I was very very happy .
Just skied the seventh continent !
I am grateful for this opportunity, and very grateful to Lori-traveling with me to many of this locations and supporting me.
