Two new climbs in Taghia (Morocco) by Iker Pou & co

Iker Pou recently returned to one of his favourite climbing areas, the Gorges du Taghia in Morocco, where he established two hard new multipitch climbs despite unusually cold conditions. Snow blanketed the nearby peaks and freezing temperatures shaped the strategy of the entire trip.

The Basque climber first teamed up with his friend and local expert Joseph Harris. The action kicked off hard on the east face of Tuyat, where over three days the pair established Club Ahmed. The 260m route was freed at 8a and is dedicated to the legendary hospitality of the hut warden, Ahmed.

The trip continued with free ascents of two major adventure routes. First, they set their sights on Somos Nosotros (600m, 7b+), opened by Joseph Harris and friends in 2024. The pair managed to free all the hard pitches but descended with three easy pitches remaining, having forgotten their headlamps at the base. This was followed by a brutally cold day onsighting Bien de Pan (7c+, 380m) on Jbel Taladrate.

To cap off the trip, Pou joined young Vitoria climbers Ibai Ezio and Héctor Marrodán to establish a new line to the left of Kairos (Davide Gaeta, Gabriele Gorobey, Guido De Sabbata 03/2023) on Paroi de la Cascade. Despite harsh weather – snowstorms and biting cold – the team managed to complete the route on the last day of the trip after three days of effort. Named Aske, the 185m climb features a steep and highly technical sequence estimated in the region of 8c. The first free ascent awaits and, knowing Pou, he will no doubt return in the future to complete unfinished business.