Less than an hour and a half from Marrakech lies a quiet and unique climbing venue on marble rock called Ain Belmusk. If you are looking for enjoyable sport climbing in a beautiful location, check out the information below.
Located between Casablanca and Marrakech, in a seemingly unlikely area to find rock climbing is Ain Belmusk. In a beautiful area with solid, marble rock, you find bolted sport climbing as well as many opportunities for trad routes on corners and chimneys with some slab possibilities as well. This climbing area is next to a small river with great camping right next to the crag. This is a smaller area compared to something like the Todra Gorge or Tafraout, but it is well worth a trip and provides very enjoyable climbing in a nice setting where you can climb already established routes or look for new route possibilities.
Ain Belmusk has something to offer for both beginners and experienced climbers. There are around 20 sport climbing routes bolted in Ain Belmusk with some potential for traditional climbing as well. The climbing seems slightly sand bagged, at times feeling a bit harder than graded due to the style of climbing. The rock is solid and the marble offers some really interesting texture and style on any given route. There are climbs ranging from 4+ up to 7 French Grade (5.8 – 5.12a). This is a great venue to project some harder, bouldery sport climbs. There is a great place to park and camp by the river in a forest before you enter the canyon with the climbing area. As always, please respect the area and carry out your trash and leave no trace.
Currently, there is no official guide book for Ain Belmusk. Some of the climbs have their name and grade written at the base of the climb in white paint. You might consider climbing with one of Climb Morocco’s experienced guides who can guide you on the best climbs that meet your climbing expectations and difficulty level. Please contact us and let us know how we can help set up a climbing adventure to Ain Belmusk or give you further info.
Popular Routes
| Route | Description | Type | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| La Blette | Fun climb with lay-back moves moving up and to the right in a large crack! | Single-Pitch Sport | 6a | Brise D'automne | Work your way around a small roof onto and exposed and blank, short, slab wall. Exposure on this climb feels great and adventurous! | Single-Pitch Sport | 6a | Antimoine | The hardest sport climb currently in the region that consist of very delicate moves up a relatively blank slab. A classic! | Single-Pitch Sport | 7a |
Resources
Blog post about Ain Belmusk
Click on the link below in order to check out a blog post by Jay. The blog highlights one of Jay's favorite routes at Ain Belmusk, "Brise D'automne" 6a.
WebsiteClub Alpin Francais
The Club Alpin Francais that is based in Casablanca sometimes has some information about Ain Belmusk such as trip reports and route development updates on their website which can be accessed by clicking the link below.
Website
