Multipitch Atlas

Le Berbère Ardéchois

Imiter wall (Tizzarouine), above Aït Slimane · Amellago · Morocco

Bail with caveatsBolting confidence: medium

The first long route on the big south-east wall above the village: eight pitches on rough red limestone, with a hard crux on the fourth pitch that goes free at 6c or with aid on the bolts at 6a obligatory. The last pitch is 50 m of even 5c. Pitch grades are not published; the topo lives with Mimoun at the gîte.

Aït Slimane and the south-east facing wall above the village, where Amellago's long bolted routes arePhoto: Clément · CC BY-NC-ND 3.0

Photo

Aït Slimane and the south-east facing wall above the village, where Amellago's long bolted routes arePhoto: Clément · CC BY-NC-ND 3.0
Hardest pitch
6c
Pitches
8
Length
250 m
Approach
30 min
Aspect
SE
South-east-facing
Rope
2×50 m

The route

Overview

Le Berbère Ardéchois climbs the 200 to 250 m south-east wall north of the hamlet of Aït Slimane, at the mouth of the Imiter gorge near Amellago. It was the first route on the wall and is one of the handful of long lines there that are bolted from bottom to top; most of its neighbours are only partly equipped. Camptocamp's crag page grades it TD, 6c free with 6a obligatory and aid on the bolts. The one detailed trip report, from 2018, describes eight pitches, very good cleaning and bolting, grades less demanding than on the neighbouring Le puits, l'hôtel et le flouze, and long stretches of fine red rock. No pitch-by-pitch topo is published online.

The climbing

Pitch by pitch

PitchGradeLengthNotes
P1–20 mA gentle warm-up on very rough rock. The 2018 party found it harder than the grade 4 they had been told and easier than the 6a quoted elsewhere.
P2–20 mMore delicate and technical.
P3––A forceful move off the belay (a fist jam, or a sit on the block), then a long, weaving pitch on fine red rock.
P4––The crux pitch: a first wall leads to rounded, slightly sandy white rock and then a roof, after which it eases into a long stretch of rough red rock. Seventeen quickdraws if you clip every bolt.
P5––One more delicate move, again on good red rock.
P6––Very even and easier; described as superb.
P7––A short step leading to a good ledge.
P85c50 mFifty metres of very consistent 5c on rough red rock to the top.

Getting there

Approach

To the parking

Amellago and Aït Slimane lie in the eastern High Atlas near Er-Rich, Errachidia province. The quickest way is by road from Fès, about 4 to 5 hours; from Tinghir and the Todra Gorge allow about 3 hours on the paved road through Tamtetoucht and Assoul; from Marrakech 8 to 10 hours. Without a car, take a bus to Er-Rich and a taxi from there. Stay with Mimoun Goali at his gîte (L'Oasis Tizzarouine) in Aït Slimane, about 2 km beyond Amellago on the main road: he opened this route with Christophe Bernard, keeps the only topo and briefs every party.

On foot · about 30 min

About 30 minutes on foot from Mimoun's gîte to the big south-east wall north of the village (camptocamp's sector page allows 45 minutes). The route starts 20 m right of La Guigne du Perfo. No written description of the path or of the start is published; get it from Mimoun before you leave.

Map of the walk-in

  • Crag

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The point marks the crag, not the exact start of the route.

Coordinates · crag

32.01355, -5.05096

Point from camptocamp waypoint 417729 (Amallego - Imiter)

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Contains the route point. Opens in most mapping apps and GPS watches.

Points are compiled from published sources, with the precision stated above. They were not surveyed on the ground: check them against a current topo.

Getting down

Descent

By abseil. The 2018 party, on Mimoun's advice, went down the abseil line of Du moi dans toi, which they had used two days earlier after Le puits, l'hôtel et le flouze: Mimoun considers it less likely to jam ropes than the abseils down Le Berbère Ardéchois itself. A ledge leads from the top to the first anchor; a 2017 party coming off the neighbouring route used five efficient abseils starting from a chain at the back of a corner, about 200 m right of that route's exit, which is probably the same line. Walking off is possible but long (about 1 hour 45 minutes for a 2023 party) and hard to find: you follow the cliff top east and descend a canyon.

Retreat

Bailing off the route

Bail with caveats

Abseiling this line is established: an older camptocamp description gives the abseils of the Ardéchois as the descent from the neighbouring route, and Mimoun talks of them as an alternative to the Du moi dans toi line. He also says they are more prone to jamming ropes. How each belay is rigged is not described.

Retreat from
Not stated belay by belay. Pitches 1 and 2 are 20 m each, so the lower belays are close to the ground.
Point of no return
None documented. The last pitch is 50 m, so a retreat from above it needs the full length of two 50 m ropes.
Carry
Two 50 m ropes, plus slings or cord and maillons: on the neighbouring route by the same opener the belays have no chains.
Basis
Part stated, part inferredThat the route can be abseiled and that ropes tend to jam comes from camptocamp reports; belay rigging and the gear to leave are inferred from the neighbouring route.

Partly inferred from the route facts

Safety

Hazards

  • No published pitch grades: the free grade of the crux (6c) and the 6a obligatory figure come from camptocamp's crag page, not from a topo.
  • The rock on this wall is layered limestone with clay bands; reports note that flakes and blocks that look solid can come off, although this route was well cleaned in 2018. The crux has rounded, slightly sandy holds.
  • Abseil ropes can jam on the route's own descent line; use the Du moi dans toi abseils as Mimoun advises.
  • The walk-off is long and awkward to find.
  • Remote valley with no mountain rescue service.

Sun and weather

Conditions

South-east facing at roughly 1,400 to 1,800 m, so sunny for much of the day. Camptocamp lists September to March as the best period for this wall and a May 2026 party gives the season as September to early May, with south-facing routes already hot by late May. It can be windy and cold at the top even on a warm day. The limestone is extremely abrasive on the skin.

Usual season · Jan to Apr, Sep to Dec

Sun on the wall · SE-facing

Working out the sunlit hours for this month.

Sun on the wallDaylight, wall in shade● Usual season

Estimated from the wall's aspect only. Ignores surrounding terrain, gullies and the wall's exact shape. Clock times are local to the wall (Moroccan time), for the 15th of each month.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Mean daily high °C131418222631353329231713
Mean daily low °C1361013182121171263
Rain days 1 mm or more334443123432

● marks the usual climbing season. Averages for 1991-2020 at about 1344 m. Area climate from Open-Meteo reanalysis. Temperatures are adjusted to the height of the crag; rain comes from a grid cell of about 10 to 25 km, and summer highs on sea cliffs can read a few degrees low. The wall and valley can differ. Data: Open-Meteo, CC BY 4.0.

What to carry

Gear

17 quickdraws for the crux pitch if you clip everything; the local topo says about 15 cover the equipped long routes. Two 50 m ropes for the abseils, as the local topo recommends for all the long routes. Long slings in case belays are not linked. The 2018 party carried a few cams on local advice and did not place them. Helmet.

Checklist

Quickdraws
17
Rope
2×50 m
Helmet
One each
Abseil device and prusik
The descent or the retreat involves abseiling
Slings
Mentioned for retreat
Maillons or spare karabiners
To leave behind if you retreat
Cord
Mentioned for retreat

Derived from the route data; check it against a current topo

From climbers

Reader reports

Reader reports are not being collected yet. Until they are, check a current topo and the local club or guidebook publisher for recent changes to Le Berbère Ardéchois.

Worth knowing

Tips

  • Look at the topo and ask Mimoun to sketch the line and the abseil descent before you go; he is reachable by phone if you have a doubt on the route.
  • Allow about 3.5 hours for the climb (11:15 to 14:45 for the 2018 party).
  • Tape or skin care helps: parties report raw fingertips after two days on this rock.

Open questions

Where sources disagree

  • Grade: the camptocamp route page gives only 6a obligatory and TD; the camptocamp crag page gives 6c free, 6a obligatory with aid (A1); the opener's 2008 forum post says 5+/6a obligatory. 6c is shown as the hardest pitch.
  • Rock: the camptocamp route page says limestone, as do the crag page and the local topo; the neighbouring route page says sandstone. Limestone is used.
  • Approach: about 30 minutes from the gîte (crag page and a 2025 report) against 45 minutes (sector waypoint).
  • Pitch count: eight pitches in the 2018 report; no source publishes a pitch list, so lengths other than pitches 1, 2 and 8 are unknown.
  • Cams: the host suggested a few in 2018, but the party found the route fully bolted and did not use them.

Provenance

Sources

Same area

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Compiled from published sources and last verified October 2026. Bolts, anchors and access change. Climbing is dangerous and you are responsible for your own decisions: check a current topo and read the disclaimer.