Ok, here we go again (fekk does it take a long time to sort out pics into order!
)
We met up at the Hotel Menara that evening for a briefing and a few beers....it's a place we know very well indeed and has one or two things going for it one of which is beer and free nuts.
The other, Fatima, wasn't on that night
(and I believe I'm owed a drink by a certain person for not taking that one any further
)
We arranged to start off an hour later than normal, as the party who'd some in from the impromptu stay-out were a bit knackered and we needed to get a bit for Ander's HPN centrestand, but the next morning, we packed the trailer as normal and while a bit of minor fettling was completed, everyone went for a coffee at the Petrom petrol station and topped up their tanks.
6 miles out of Marrakech, there's a route out onto a big plain below the foothills of the High Atlas.....it's a nice track, very wide and open, fast and good for settling in people new to off-roading , but half way across it, there's a hill that we often stop and play on.
It's not a huge hill, nor is it particularly technically challenging, but it's a bit of fun and there are some nice views from the top......
Just near the top, there's a bit of a bump that can catch people out, but these guys are all good riders and do it with style.....Paal here on his airhead taking it all in his stride
When you get to the top, you stop, look around, normally take a photo or two, then turn around and come back down the same way, as the other sides of the hill are a bit steeper, have some more steps and are covered in very loose stones where , unlike on the 'proper' way up, the ground hasn't been squashed down.
Petter attacked the climb rather too hard, shot over the top and down the other side......it could have ended in a biggy, but he didn't panic, rode it down as far as he could hold on and came to a stop at the bottom, then dropped it
It didn't take long before help got to him and with zero damage, he was more embarrassed than anything else
After crossing the rest of the plain, there's a section of tarmac that drops you into Asnii, and the 6 miles of sublime twisties through a pine forest ...it's fast, fun and although you do have to watch out for gravel on some corners, it's just a fantastic bit of tarmac.
After Asnii, there's a large reservoir that has only been completed in the last two years..it supplies Marakech and it's ever multiplying golf courses with water, and it's a pale blue in colour due to minerals washed into it from further upstream
The twisties go around it for a bit;
And it's a nice place to stop for a pee and a five minute breather before tackling the 90 minute ride up the Tizi 'N' Test pass, another stunning bit of road
Swedish Anders, Gary and Tim practice their macho magazine poses above the reservoir
Tim: Go On Gaz, bend the knee a bit more, arch your back love, that's it, push for it dahling
Gary: What if I cross my boots over like this? is that better? Is the rugged thing showing through?
Tim: God yes, you're doing it for me...go on, hold it, hold it!!!!
Gary: But it hurts Tim!
Tim: Art has to hurt love....now suck it up beeyatch, you look hot!
Gary: Does my bum look big in this?
After the break, everyone heads up the mountain
It's hard to get the scale of the place from a photo, but it's gorgeous up there, and the colours are something else
Lots of photo opportunities
And a road to enjoy thoroughly
There are places where you can see the road snaking backwards and forwards on itself half a dozen times.
There are also places where you can see a good mile of road ahead of you, although it can take a few minutes to build up a complete picture of the insides of all the little bends, but if you're good, you can establish that there's nothing ahead of you coming down, and commit to some fairly ridiculous overtakes on some huge horsehoe bends.
Of course, there are no guarantees that a heavily laden donkey will suddenly appear out of a roadside gully, and you do find your sphincter twitching sometimes as you commit yourself to go around the outside of a smoke belching coach on a long corner
Geir about to jump......Fancy packing your parachute just on the offchance!!