more than any other. At Amislane we climb up to a mountain pass again of over 2000m. Our bikes sketch lines in the thin layer of newly fallen snow, and soon a technical trail bring us down through a winding valley rich in fruit trees and gardens. Outside the village of Tizgui, we enrol some traditional furry four-legged shuttle experts. A team of mules and their caretakers help our bikes up and over a mountain pass while we try to keep pace by foot. This is not the most common of sights but here the mules are central to Berber culture, and our bikes weigh only a fraction of what the mules are capable of carrying. I take this as a small consolation. After dropping down through a narrow ravine lined with yellow autumn trees we continue our walk through a rough but gorgeous canyon.
whole week.
Then the landscape expands. The path is diffuse and the ground is different from previous days. Now it’s more like driving off-piste down a giant stable cairn. Here, the risk of falling is non-existent and the brakes get some much needed siesta as we let gravity do its thing. After six hours we recharge with another epic lunch and soon it turns out that we still have the absolute best in front of us, not only for today but for the
We reach what is promised to be an epic singletrack of world class quality. I team up with Lewis, a British rider that matches me in riding style. This kind of magic trail should not be enjoyed alone but shared and ridden in tune. We hold nothing back as we take the lead, racing ahead. It’s a classic singletrack with just the right amount of slope, cutting across the mountain side, steadily downhill for almost 10 km. However, it’s constantly exposed to the left and if we fall down, we will probably not stop until one of the thorny junipers catches us. But the dry ground has stable and hard surface, that delivers the best grip during the whole week. The bushes also contribute to an enhanced speed sensation. It´s pure pleasure and we get jacked on endorphins and adrenaline. We stop to wait for the others, turn around and look out over the rolling hills, now with the knowledge that here in Morocco, these hills harbour trails and endless singletrack possibilities…
TEXT & PHOTO
18
Banff Mountain Film Festival Scandinavia 2017
© DANIEL BREECE